giro del nord italia 8 tappa

More than a tourist itinerary, this resembles a mountain stage of the Tour de France. Indeed, three great French mountains are climbed, which I will tell you about during the description.

The start is from the ski resort of La Plagne (famous for Tour finishes), and to begin there is a nice descent towards the valley.

Upon arriving at Aime, one follows the national road N90 towards Moutiers and then continues towards Albertille.

The valley is very beautiful and the road is normal and wide.

After reaching Notre-Dame-de-Briançon, the route becomes more complicated: you turn left and from there start the 25 km climb to 1993 m altitude at the Col de la Madeleine.

COL DE LA MADELEINE

The climb is long, so you should ascend calmly and with agility, otherwise you might face a tough time at the top. For the first 3 km the gradients are between 7% and 9%, then for about ten km they decrease to 5-6%.

After passing through the village of Villar-Benoit (1000 m above sea level) there is a small section with a slight descent, but immediately after you start climbing again gradually because after 2 km at 5% there is a 3 km ramp with an average gradient of 8%. Right after is the hardest part of the climb: 1 km fully at 11% (km 16-17) and following that 3 km on a false flat, but then there is the last 5 km ramp at an average of 8.8% that brings us to the top.

At the top you can stop to recover and take photos of the panorama offered.

After regaining energy, there is a 20 km descent facing La Chambre. The descent is a bit complicated and one must be fully concentrated not to end up in the ravines like Oscar Pereiro did in the 2005 Tour de France.

Arriving at La Chambre, follow the signs for Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and then to Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne always staying on the D1006. This road is useful for eating and recovering before the next climbs.

At Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, turn right and here begins the Col du Télégraphe.

COL DU TELEGRAPHE

The climb is 12 km long, but constant because the gradients throughout the climb range between 5% and 9%. The most difficult sections are the 2nd, 4th, and 6th as the gradients are always between 8%-9%, while the other parts are around 5%.

At the top (1566 m above sea level), there is a very fast 3 km descent towards Valloire during which one can recover before tackling the "Giant of the Alps"...The Col du Galibier.

COL DU GALIBIER

It is 17 km of endless climbing from Valloire to 2646 m above sea level. The stretch outside Valloire is the easiest, but after all the previous kilometers of climbing it can seem tough because it is an endless 5 km straight. The gradients on this stretch are around 5%-6% except for a section at 8%.

After these 5 km begins the real Galibier, 12 km always above 8% where there is no moment of respite except for a small stretch at 6%. If here you go into crisis, the climb seems never-ending even for a pure climber. Actually the steepest part is the last km with a gradient of 11%, but the real difference is made in the previous 11 km. At the top, you can enjoy a panorama of the valley of Valloire and the Col du Lautaret which will be our next stage.

The descent towards Briançon is divided into 2 sections.

The first section is the most difficult, about 10 km a bit technical towards the Col du Lautaret. At 2051 m above sea level at Lautaret, the descent becomes a wide road of about 20 km around 4%-5% descent.

Arriving at Briançon, follow national road D94 then take Rue du Général Barbot and then turn left onto Rue de la République.

Here begins a 1 km climb at 10% that brings us onto the road going to the Colle del Monginevro.

COLLE DEL MONGINEVRO

The Colle del Monginevro is the second longest climb but also the easiest because the maximum gradient reached in its 22 km is only 9.4%.

At 1854 m above sea level at the pass, you cross into Italy passing through Claviere.

The descent towards Cesana Torinese is very short and there is no time to recover the few energies needed to climb towards San Sicario Alto.

After finishing the descent, you turn right following the signs for Sestriere. After the second hairpin, you turn left where the climb towards San Sicario begins.

I do not know the gradients or length of this climb, but one thing I am sure of is that even if it were an overpass, it would become like the Mortirolo due to the fatigue.

The finish is at the Olympic bobsleigh and luge track.

This route is suitable for all people who have a lot of endurance and climbing strength and I recommend doing it because climbing all these mountains and reaching the finish is a feat for professionals.

I advise tackling it in August starting early in the morning around 9:00 because you might find yourself doing the Monginevro at 18:00.

I hope you like this route.

CIAO