Mountain pass cycling milestones
Mountain pass cycling milestones are signposts that provide cyclists with information about their current position with regard to the summit of the mountain pass.[1][2] They always provide information for cyclists going uphill. Sometimes the signs are two-sided and provide information also for cyclists going downhill.
Mountain pass cycling milestones are essential for cyclists that are not familiar with the climbs. In general, they allow cyclists to schedule breaks as well as to plan food and liquid uptake. They furthermore can serve as motivational landmarks.
Type of information
Mountain pass cycling milestones always carry a pictogram of a bicycle or cyclist and specify the following standard information
- name of mountain pass
- altitude
- distance to summit
- average slope in the following section of the pass
Additional information found in some cases includes
- name and/or emblem of local institutions
- number of the street
- altitude of the summit
- distances to villages or town close to summit
- distance travelled from the start of the mountain pass
Typically, the signposts are placed every kilometer such that the slope corresponds to the average across the next kilometer.
France
Mountain pass cycling milestones have become common in many major mountain passes in the French Pyrenees and Alps. Often their design is chosen to resemble the main features of conventional French milestones, which is a white bottom and a yellow top.
Mountain passes that are known to have cycling milestones
The following table lists mountain passes signposted with cycling milestones, ordered by the height of the summit. If a mountain pass is not included in the table below, that does not imply that it has no cycling milestones. It can likewise mean that is not yet documented in this table.
All signs display the standard information (see above). The table specifies the precision of the slope. Additional information and emblems (if any) are explained in the column with remarks.
| name | height | country | precision of slope | example and season | remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cime de la Bonette from Jausiers uphill | 2,802 m (9,193 ft) | France | 0.1% |  Summer 2014 | Emblem left: similar to the one of Jausiers; emblem right: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur; C1: number of street; bold 2: distance from starting point in Jausiers. |
| Cime de la Bonette to Jausiers downhill | 2,802 m (9,193 ft) | France | 0.1% |  Summer 2014 | Emblem left: similar to the one of Jausiers; emblem right: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur; C1: number of street; bold 2: distance to starting point in Jausiers. |
| Cime de la Bonette from Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée uphill | 2,802 m (9,193 ft) | France | 1% |  Summer 2014 |
Emblem left: Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur; Emblem right: Mercantour National Park; M2205: number of street; bold 77: distance from starting point of this street. |
| Cime de la Bonette to Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée downhill | 2,802 m (9,193 ft) | France | 1% |  Summer 2014 |
Emblem left: Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur; emblem right: Mercantour National Park; M2205: number of street; bold 77: distance to starting point of this street. |
| Col de l'Iseran from Val-d'Isère uphill only | 2,770 m (9,090 ft) | France | 1% |  Summer 2010 | Emblems: right Route des Grandes Alpes; Emblem left: To be identified. |
| Col Agnel from Château-Queyras uphill only | 2,744 m (9,003 ft) | France | 0.1% |  Summer 2014 | Emblem:Conseil général Hautes Alpes; 2744 m: height of summit; A QR code is included in the lower right. |
| Col d'Izoard from Briançon uphill only | 2,360 m (7,740 ft) | France | 0.1% |  Summer 2014 | Emblem:Conseil général Hautes Alpes; 2360 m: height of summit; A QR code is included in the lower right. |
| Col d'Izoard from Guillestre uphill only | 2,360 m (7,740 ft) | France | 0.1% |  Summer 2014 | Emblem:Conseil général Hautes Alpes; 2360 m: height of summit; A QR code is included in the lower right. |
| Col de la Cayolle from Barcelonette uphill only | 2,326 m (7,631 ft) | France | 1% |  Summer 2014 | Emblem:Conseil général Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; D902: number of street. |
| Col d'Allos from Barcelonette uphill only | 2,250 m (7,380 ft) | France | 1% |  Summer 2014 | Emblem:Conseil général Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; D908: number of street. |
| Col du Tourmalet from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan uphill only | 2,115 m (6,939 ft) | France | 0.5% |  Summer 2003, potentially outdated (see right). update recommended | Emblem: Conseil général Hautes-Pyrénées; 2114 m: height of summit. This height is different from official height of the summit. Sign might be updated since the date of the picture 2003. |
| Col de Vars from Guillestre uphill only | 2,109 m (6,919 ft) | France | 0.1% |  Summer 2014 | Emblem:Conseil général Hautes Alpes; 2109 m: height of summit; A QR code is included in the lower right. |
| Col de Vars from Jausiers uphill only | 2,109 m (6,919 ft) | France | 1% |  Summer 2014 | Emblem: Conseil général Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; D902: number of street. |
| Col des Champs from Colmars uphill only | 2,087 m (6,847 ft) | France | 1% |  Summer 2014 | Emblem: Conseil général Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; D2: number of street. |
| Col de la Madeleine from La Léchère uphill only | 2,000 m (6,600 ft) | France | 1% |  Summer 2011 | On the side (here not visible) the logo of Savoie and the number of the street (D 213) is displayed. |
| Col du Glandon from La Chambre uphill only | 1,924 m (6,312 ft) | France | 1% |  Summer 2010 | On the side (hardly visible) the logo of Savoie and the number of the street (D 927) is displayed. |
| Col de la Couillole from Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée up- and downhill | 1,679 m (5,509 ft) | France | 1% |  Summer 2014 | M30: number of street; bold 11: distance from and to starting point in Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée |
| Col d'Aspin from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan uphill only | 1,489 m (4,885 ft) | France | 0.5% |  Summer 2005. This is the summary signpost at the summit. For design of milestones along the pass see below. | Emblem: Conseil général Hautes-Pyrénées; 1489 m: height of summit. |
| Col d'Aspin from Arreau uphill only | 1,489 m (4,885 ft) | France | 0.5% |  Summer 2003, still up-to-date | Emblem: Conseil général Hautes-Pyrénées; 1489 m: height of summit. |
Mountain passes that are known not to have cycling milestones
Mountain passes that are known not to have cycling milestones are listed in the following table. Since more and more mountain passes are being equipped with cycling milestones, the table specifies the time when a mountain pass was last seen not to have cycling milestones.
| name | height | starting point | country | date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Col des Champs | 2,087 m (6,847 ft) | Saint-Martin-d'Entraunes | France | August 2014 |
| Col de la Cayolle | 2,326 m (7,631 ft) | Saint-Martin-d'Entraunes | France | August 2014 |
| Col de Valberg | 1,672 m (5,486 ft) | Guillaumes | France | August 2014 |
References
- ↑ "Cycling - Pra Loup". Valée Ubaye. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ↑ "Peak Retreats Alpine activities. From road cycling in a variety of resorts such as Samoens, Les Gets, Vaujany, St Sorlin". Peak Retreats. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
External links
- Rennrad, Pässe, Alpen, Pyrenäen, Touren, Schwarzwald, ... - quäldich.de - das Portal für Rennradfahrer. (In German)
- Climbbybike.com - all cycling cols, tours and cyclo's to climb by bike worldwide