Col d’Izoard

Just inside the top 25 of Europe’s highest mountain passes, the Col d’Izoard (2,360 m) is located in the French Hautes-Alpes department.

It is part of the “Route des Grand Alpes”, running over the part of the D902 between (north-east of) Barcelonnette and Briançon.

That part first goes up and down the Col de Vars, runs through the famous Gorges du Guil from Guillestre and then up and down the Izoard to end in Briançon.

The Col d’Izoard has been in Tour de France stages no less than 36 times, lately in 2019.

In 2017’s stage 20, the Izoard was the only time the stage actually finished on its summit.

While Warren Barguil won that stage, more memorable and perhaps more impressive, at least for me, was Annemiek van Vleuten’s win in La Course, the one day women event.

While Barguil was actually slower on the ascend than runner up Romain Bardet, van Vleuten was only beaten by a handfull of (other) guys, out of the entire TDF peloton.

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How Time Flies – TDF 2017 Report

Tour de France 2017 - Izoard summit
Izoard summit – if you click and zoom in, you can see the photographer’s car in the background a few bends down…

Bless me followers, for I have sinned.

Or more accurately: I have neglected you and I am sorry.

Well, I’m not sorry at all obviously, but I do feel a wee bit guilty that I have not even tried to find the time to write a post in months…

After all, this blog only exists for me to bore you to death with my ‘cycling adventures’, so I should have tried harder.

Then again, so should you: I haven’t received any request for a Tour de France 2017 report…

Anyway, let’s play catch up, shall we?

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Tour de France 2017 – Road Book

Since we will spend two weeks in Briançon for my ‘Tour de France 2017’, it’s clear that only two Marmots on the menu is not going to get me through those 🙂

As I have previously written, there are a lot of cols to be found in the area, so I had no difficulties in constructing a ‘Tour de France Road Book’ that made me shit my pants.

However, despite my normal lack of restraint, resulting in grossly overestimating myself, I had to promise Paula that for this year’s tour, I would at least try to cut myself some slack.

After all, I recently turned 57, which by itself may not be enough of an excuse to go easy on yourself.

But coupled with the slightly discomforting physical problems as the result of several crashes, I might actually be inclined to keep my promise…

So, with that in mind, I present you a first draft of the stages I’m planning to ride!

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Tour de France 2014 – Stage 11

Agnel and Izoard

Despite the fatigue, I wanted to go up – at least – the Agnel.

With 2,744 meters, this one is ranked third in Europe as far as paved, true passes go.

I.e. it’s not a dead end and it has no artificial loop around the top to make it higher, like the Bonette – only the Iseran (check) and the Stelvio (check) are higher passes…

As I did not really feel the need to cycle the Vars again, we transferred to Guillestre by car.

I could have started my ride there, but I saved myself the time and didn’t do so before Château-Queyras.

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