Col du Glandon

Col du Glandon (1924 m) is a high mountain pass in the Dauphiné Alps in Savoie, France, linking Le Bourg-d'Oisans to La Chambre. It is situated between the Belledonne, Grandes Rousses and Arvan-Villards mountain ranges, west of the Col de la Croix de Fer. The road over the Col du Glandon was opened in 1898, although it was not linked to the Col de la Croix de Fer until 1912.

The pass is normally closed from the beginning of November to mid May. It is sometimes used by the Tour de France cycle race, including on the 2013 Tour.

Details of the climb
From La Chambre (north-east) the climb follows the D927. The ascent is 21.3 km long, climbing 1472 m at an average gradient of 6.9%. The gradient increases as the road approaches the summit, with the last two kilometres exceeding 10% with stretches at 12%.

From Le Bourg-d'Oisans the route follows the D1091 through the Romanche valley before joining the D526 after 8 km. The climb starts at the Barrage du Verney from where there is a further 24.1 km to the summit, which is reached shortly after the junction with the route to Col de la Croix de Fer. Over this distance, the height gained is 1152 m; the average gradient is thus 4.8%, although there are some downhill sections en route and a maximum uphill gradient of 11.1%.

In the climb from La Chambre mountain pass cycling milestones are placed every kilometre. They indicate the distance to the summit, the current height, and the average slope in the following kilometre. Such signposting for cyclists has become common in most major mountain passes in the French Pyrenees and Alps.

Tour de France
The Col du Glandon was first crossed in the Tour de France in 1947 in conjunction with the Col de la Croix de Fer when the first rider over the summit was Edward Klabiński. The pass is often used in conjunction with the Col de la Croix de Fer when it is not categorized for the King of the Mountains competition.