Col du Télégraphe, gateway to Valloire and the Maurienne region
Lionel Terrail
Telegraphe Pass
Joris Lesueur alpe4ever

Telegraphe Pass

Before turning to the beautiful village of Valloire

Altitude 1566 m

Massif des Cerces

Département Savoie

North side topo

col du telegraphe - profil versant nord

Your journey has started in Thonon-les-Bains and you're doing the sums: 289 km and almost 7500 m of D+... you haven't even done half the route and just passed the third of the total difference in altitude! But your thoughts are already turning to a mythical climb scheduled for today: the Col du Galibier, a giant at 2642 m in altitude!

But before that, from St-Michel-de-Maurienne, we'll have to climb the stepping stone to the Col du Galibier: the Col du Télégraphe. A wide, well-paved road, multiple switchbacks and a sustained but steady gradient will give you the opportunity to make an "economy" climb in preparation for the link-up with the Col du Galibier. Near the summit, breathtaking views plunge into the Maurienne Valley.

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Val Cenis / Valloire

12 Val Cenis / Valloire

57 km
3 h 49 min
Difficult
Yes, this is a linking stage on the Route des Grandes Alpes®, but not any old linking stage, as here you ride along the edge of the Vanoise National Park, through the heart of the Haute-Maurienne Vanoise area. Leaving Val-Cenis, you begin your descent towards Modane, crossing the pretty villages of Termignon, Sollières-Sardières, Bramans, Avrieux and, if you go a bit away from the route, Aussois. Modane is a town undergoing a major transformation and from which you can cross into Italy via the Fréjus road and rail tunnel. You reach Valloire having scaled the Col du Télégraphe pass, topped by the fort of the same name.

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Joris Lesueur

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