Rising above Guillestre to the ski resort of Risoul 1850, this climb through the Queyras foothills has become a modern Tour de France fixture and the site of a career-launching win.
A steady climb to a ski resort
From Guillestre, it’s 14 km for 850 m of elevation gain, averaging 6.1% without a single truly steep section. The road climbs in a fairly direct line to the resort of Risoul 1850, gaining altitude at a consistent rate throughout.
The stage that launched Rafał Majka
In 2014, Risoul hosted stage 14 of the Tour de France, run from Grenoble over three tough passes. A young Rafał Majka attacked alone on the final climb and held off Vincenzo Nibali and Jean-Christophe Péraud to take his first professional win, a result that helped him secure the mountains classification that July.
Getting the ride right
The remarkably even gradient rewards a settled tempo held from bottom to top — there’s little need to hold anything back for a steeper section that never really comes.
When to go
May to October — the road is well maintained year-round, but snow at this altitude can still affect the upper kilometres into late spring.
Good to know
Guillestre, the starting point, sits at the crossroads of several major Hautes-Alpes passes, making it a convenient base for combining Risoul with neighbouring climbs like the Col de Vars.
