Col d'Izoard

Col d'Izoard
Memorial at the top of Col d'Izoard
Elevation	2,361 m (7,746 ft)
Location
Col d'Izoard Location of Col d'Izoard
Location	Hautes-Alpes,  France
Range	Alps
Coordinates	44°49′12″N 06°44′07″E / 44.82°N 6.73528°E / 44.82; 6.73528Coordinates: 44°49′12″N 06°44′07″E / 44.82°N 6.73528°E / 44.82; 6.73528

Col d'Izoard (el. 2361 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France.

It is accessible in summer via the D902 road, connecting Briançon on the north and the valley of the Guil in Queyras, which ends at Guillestre in the south. There are forbidding and barren scree slopes with protruding pinnacles of weathered rock on the upper south side. Known as the Casse Desert this area has formed a dramatic backdrop to some key moments in the Tour de France, and often feature in iconic 1950s black-and-white photos of the race.^{[1] [2]}

Tour de France

The Col d'Izoard is frequently on the route of the Tour de France. It is classified as an Hors Categorie climb. The southern climb from Guillestre is 15.9 km in length and has an average gradient of 6.9%. The climb from Briançon to the Col is 20 km in length and has an average gradient of 5.8%.^[1]

Several of the Tour de France's more memorable moments have occurred on the Col d'Izoard, particularly the exploits of Fausto Coppi, Bernard Thevenet and Louison Bobet. A small cycling museum is at the summit, along with a memorial to Coppi and Bobet.

Riders first to the top in the Tour de France

Altimetry of the climb.

Year	Name	Country
2011	Maxim Iglinsky	Kazakhstan
2006	Stefano Garzelli	Italy
2003	Aitor Garmendia Arbilla	Spain
2000	Santiago Botero	Colombia
1993	Claudio Chiappucci	Italy
1989	Pascal Richard	Switzerland
1986	Eduardo Chozas	Spain
1976	Lucien Van Impe	Belgium
1975	Bernard Thévenet	France
1973	José-Manuel Fuente	Spain
1972	Eddy Merckx	Belgium
1965	Joaquim Galera	Spain
1960	Imerio Massignan	Italy
1958	Federico Bahamontes	Spain
1956	Valentin Huot	France
1954	Louison Bobet	France
1953	Louison Bobet	France
1951	Fausto Coppi	Italy
1950	Louison Bobet	France
1949	Fausto Coppi	Italy
1948	Gino Bartali	Italy
1947	Jean Robic	France
1939	Sylvère Maes	Belgium
1938	Gino Bartali	Italy
1937	Julian Berrendero	Spain
1936	Sylvère Maes	Belgium
1927	Nicolas Frantz	Luxembourg
1926	Bartolomeo Aymo	Italy
1925	Bartolomeo Aymo	Italy
1924	Nicolas Frantz	Luxembourg
1923	Henri Pélissier	France
1922	Philippe Thijs	Belgium

See also

• List of highest paved roads in Europe
• List of mountain passes

External links

• Profile on climbbybike.com

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Grenoble Cycling
2. ^ Université Libre de Bruxelles