Little known to the wider public for a long time, the Col du Granon, above Serre Chevalier in the Hautes-Alpes, cemented its place among the most iconic climbs of the modern Tour de France in 2022 — the spot where Jonas Vingegaard decisively swung the race in his favour against Tadej Pogačar.
A gradient that shows no mercy
From Saint-Chaffrey, the road climbs 11.4 km for around 1,040 m of elevation gain, averaging close to 9% and almost never dropping below 7%, with nearly 5.5 km in double digits. On a narrow road offering little respite, a low enough gear to hold a steady cadence matters right up to the summit, above 2,400 m.
The stage that changed the 2022 Tour
On 13 July 2022, Jonas Vingegaard launched a decisive attack a few kilometres from the summit, leaving Tadej Pogačar in serious trouble. The Dane set the fastest time ever recorded on the climb during a Tour stage, improving on the mark set in 1986 by Eduardo Chozas — the year the pass made its first Tour appearance — by more than five minutes.
A dead-end road
Past the col, the road continues as a military track closed to traffic, toward the forts of l’Olive and Lenlon: the road-bike ascent effectively ends at the summit, with no way through to another side.
Good to know
Saint-Chaffrey and nearby Briançon offer a wide choice of accommodation suited to a cycling-focused trip, with easy access to other climbs in the Briançonnais massif for extending a mountain-pass stay in the Hautes-Alpes.
