Cyclingtrippers
Croix de Fer Big Mountain Ride
French Alps

Croix de Fer Big Mountain Ride

A long Alpine ride built around Col de la Croix de Fer from Allemond. It is not always brutally steep, but the scale makes it a proper mountain objective.

Distance
80 to 130 km
Elevation Gain
2,200 to 3,500 m
Ride Time
5.5 to 8.5 hours
Difficulty
Hors Catégorie
Surface
Road
Start
Bourg d’Oisans or Allemond
Best Season
June to September

Croix de Fer is the kind of climb where the average gradient can trick you. The road is long, the elevation adds up and the day becomes hard through accumulation rather than one savage ramp.

The best route idea starts from Bourg d’Oisans or Allemond and uses Croix de Fer as the centrepiece. Depending on your legs and planning, you can keep it as a focused out and back or turn it into a much larger Alpine loop. For most riders, the climb itself is already enough.

How to Build This Ride

  • Start in Bourg d’Oisans or Allemond.
  • Climb Col de la Croix de Fer from the Allemond side.
  • Use the summit as the main objective of the day.
  • Decide whether to return directly or extend into a larger loop.
  • Finish with enough energy for the valley roads back to base.

Villages & Coffee Stops

  • Bourg d’Oisans is the stronger cycling base. Allemond is more direct for the climb. On bigger versions of this ride, plan refuelling before you feel like you need it.

Make it shorter

Start in Allemond and ride Croix de Fer as the main effort, then return by the same side.

Make it harder

Combine Croix de Fer with Alpe d’Huez or Sarenne over a weekend rather than forcing everything into one overloaded ride.

Local Notes

This is a pacing ride. Do not judge it by the average gradient. Long Alpine climbs become difficult because they keep asking small questions for a very long time.

This is a flexible ride idea, not a turn-by-turn route. Use the climbs, villages and notes above to build your own GPX in Komoot, Strava, Ride with GPS or another planner before you ride.

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