Col de Joux Plane

The gradient is relentless averaging out at 8.9% over a distance of 11.1km for an altitude gain of 989 meters to reach the summit at 1700 meters. These statistics apply to the most popular way to tackle the climb which is to mimic the tour route from the village of Samoens as apposed to the opposite direction straight out of Morzine.

The road rises instantly in a shock contrast to the D907 valley road from Taninges, probably the flattest piece of road for miles around, and continues thereafter with the only easier section at Les Turches before half way. The lower slope is often shaded by trees with more exposed sections near the summit. Along the way there are spectacular but brief views of Mont Blanc at a number of hairpins, the brilliant white of the mountain in contrast to the trees in the immediate foreground. Frequent changes of gradient make it all the more difficult and there is a sting in the tail. Having reached the summit of the Joux Plane itself and starting what you may think is the decent proper through the Chavannes ski area it becomes apparent this is a false dawn as the road pitches up again for a nasty but fortunately very short section to the summit of the Col du Ran Folly.

Fitness permitting the climb will take anything from around 50 minutes for a very fit rider trying very hard to around 70 minutes for fit rider at a less enthusiastic pace. At the end of a long ride or for those a little less fit this climb could take up to 90 minutes. Floyd Landis allegedly took 38 minutes to crest the summit during the 2006 Tour. Some feat at the end of a 100 miles stage during the third week of the Tour!

This climb is rich in Tour de France lore being the only place where the seven times Tour winner Lance Armstrong was put on the ropes by rivals to his throne. It was the final climb on stage 16 of the 2000 Tour de France from Couchevel to Morzine. Lance Armstrong cracked on the climb and Jan Ullrich took over a minute out of the American. Armstrong had already done the work to win the Tour de France but described the stage as 'the hardest day of my cycling life'.

After all that pain you’d like to think you were in for some gain. And you are as the decent into Morzine town is among the best in the area. The road drops away from the summit under the ski lifts into a hairpin bordered by a low concrete barrier. From here the road descends in a sinuous fashion making for some high speed cornering punctuated by the odd hairpin to reduce the speed. The decent can be bumpy in places and does have some blind bends but there are plenty of fast open corners which are much more fun and technically demanding than late braking into a slow speed hairpin bend. Lower down there is flatter section at the Grand Pre ski area before again hitting the higher speeds through the farming areas marking the upper reaches of Morzine before emerging at the roundabout right in Morzine itself. I’m not sure how long a fairground ride lasts but you have approximately 8 minutes of high speed fun to drop from top to bottom!

Distance - 52km

Time - 2-3hrs

Vertical gain - 1250m

Highest Point - 1700m Col de Joux Plane