Southeast slope of Col de la Couillole
Lionel Terrail
Col de la Couillole 1618 m
Philippe Lemonnier
Passing the Col de la Couillole
Lionel Terrail

Col de la Couillole

Not to be confused with Col de la Cayolle

Altitude 1678 m

Massif du Mercantour-Argentera

Département Alpes-Maritimes

West slope topo

col de la couillole - profil versant ouest

From Beuil, it's a not too long climb of 7.4 km, but quite irregular. You'll start with a short descent. This is followed by a 2.5 km climb with a fairly steady gradient - between 5 and 7%. A further descent takes you to the bottom of the Vallée de la Conche. Then the slope resumes with 1.3 km at 5%, followed by a 1.6 km flat at 1.5%. Make the most of it, as a 725 m long, 7.5% gradient is the final climb up to the Col de la Couillole at 1678 m altitude. At the summit, a restaurant and an unfortunately blocked view.

Topo east side

col de la couillole - profil versant est
From St-Sauveur-sur-Tinée, the menu is salty! It's a long climb of 15.7 km for 1170 m of D+ at... 7.5%! A figure that suggests that you're in for a big effort. In fact, the gradient doesn't drop below 7%, rising to 8.5% for the final 1.3 km! There are a few distractions on the program: tunnels, rocks (beware, it's a real oven on a sunny day) and the picturesque village of Roubion (you'll have to make a little detour to the center of town to find a fountain).

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Valberg / Saint-Martin Vésubie

25 Valberg / Saint-Martin Vésubie

59 km
3 h 47 min
Difficult
A superb stage on the Route des Grandes Alpes®, with grandiose landscapes, views to the Mercantour’s summits, vast red cliffs, villages either nestling down in the valleys or perched on cliffs. Among them, Roubion, a medieval eagle’s eyrie with narrow lanes, is well worth a detour, as is Saint-Martin-Vésubie, a wonderfully colourful village located either at the start or end of this sporty outing, requiring almost 1600m in shift in altitude. There are two passes to conquer: the Col de la Couillole (1678m), between Valberg and the Tinée Valley; and the Col Saint Martin (1503m), which, with the little mountain resort of La Colmiane beside it, links Tinée and Vésubie Valleys.

Author

Joris Lesueur

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