Cycling Col de la Cayolle
Ride 20.5 kilometers gaining 1,225 meters at 6% average grade.
Col de la Cayolle is a famous mountain pass located in the French Alps, specifically in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes departments. The breathtaking scenery is one of the main draws for cyclists who want to experience the natural beauty of the French Alps. Daniel Friebe writes of Cayolle-Allos-Champs in the second of his fabulous cycling duology, Mountain Higher:
“There are not many places in Europe where the cyclist with a head for heights can spend an entire day on a bike, cover barely a metre of flat terrain and conquer three or more giant passes en route to exactly where they started.” p. 186.
Ride clockwise from Barcelonnette first over Col Cayolle, then Allos and finally Champs before connecting the dots back again in Barcelonnette - PJAMM’s Cayolle-Allos-Champs page. In July and August te Col d’Allos is open only to bicycles on Friday mornings from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. - talk about bike friendly!
Tour de France
Cayolle:
“The Cayolle Pass has been crossed three times by the Tour de France and has been ranked twice in the 2nd category and once in the 1st category. Here are the runners who crossed the first pass: