France Col d'Allos
Col d'Allos Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

21.5
PDI
10.8 mi
DISTANCE
3,527 ft
GAINED
6.2 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
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Page Contributor(s): Bruce Hamilton and Stacy Topping, Midway, Utah; Lisa Irizarry and Matthew Jiang, NY, NY.

INTRO

Col d'Allos from Barcelonnette climbs 17.4 km (10.8 mi) and 1075 m (3,527 ft) at an average grade of 6.2%, from the Ubaye valley at 1150 m (3,773 ft) to the col at about 2,240 m (7,349 ft). It is one of the great climbs of the Route des Grandes Alpes, and it is easy to reach from Barcelonnette, one of the Alps' real cycling hubs.

The Col d'Allos has been included in the Tour de France 34 times, first in 1911 and most recently in 2015. Between 1911 and 1939 it appeared in the race almost every year. The road itself opened in 1891, and it is narrow in places, so it feels like the old mountain road it is.

The col was closed for about two years by major landslides and reopened in summer 2025. In July and August it is closed to motor vehicles on set mornings and reserved for cyclists, which is by far the best time to ride it; check the Ubaye and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence tourism sites for that season's dates.

PLAN YOUR ROUTE

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The climb averages 6.2% over 17.4 km (10.8 mi), and it is notably even: our data has the steepest half kilometer (0.3 mi) at only 7.7%, the steepest kilometer (0.6 mi) at 7.4%, the steepest 2 km (1.2 mi) at 7.2%, the steepest 5 km (3.1 mi) at 7.0% and the steepest 10 km (6.2 mi) at 6.3%. The first kilometer is an easy 4.5%, then the road steps up to 6.4-7.3% for the next 5 km (3.1 mi).

A genuine breather comes at roughly 6-9 km (3.7-5.6 mi), where the grade drops to 3.6-4.5%. From about 9 km (5.6 mi) to the col the road returns to 5.6-7.2%, with no long flat stretch. Milestones along the road give the altitude, the distance to the top and the average grade for the next kilometer, which makes pacing straightforward.
Roadway: The D908 is paved to the col and narrow in places, with the road opened in 1891. It reopened in summer 2025 after roughly two years of closure for landslides, and it closes for the winter with snow, generally reopening in late spring and staying open through October. Check current status before planning a ride early or late in the season.

Traffic: As a through road between the Ubaye and Verdon valleys on the Route des Grandes Alpes, the col carries regular summer traffic, including many motorcycles, so stay alert on the narrow sections. On the July and August cyclist-only mornings there are no motor vehicles at all.

Parking: The climb starts just southwest of the center of Barcelonnette, at the junction of the D902 and D908, so leave your car in town and roll out from there (Map).
Provisions: Stock up in Barcelonnette before you start, because services along the climb are limited. A mountain refuge sits at the col, but treat its opening hours as seasonal and carry enough food and water for the whole ride.

Gear: With 6-7% for most of the distance and few flat stretches, a compact crankset with a 28 to 32 tooth cog keeps the pace comfortable. The col is at 2240 m (7,349 ft), so bring a windproof layer and warm gloves for the long descent toward the Verdon valley.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
Barcelonnette sits at 1132 m (3,714 ft) in the Ubaye valley and has an unusual history: between 1850 and 1950 many local families emigrated to Mexico, and returning emigrants built the colonial-style villas known as the maisons mexicaines that still stand around town. The town was founded in 1231, and the ski areas of Le Sauze and Pra-Loup lie 5 km (3.1 mi) and 7 km (4.3 mi) away.

This is one of several big climbs around the valley. The Col de la Cayolle starts from the very same junction, the Bonette is a short drive away at Jausiers, and the south side of the Allos, from Colmars, has its own page. Our Cayolle-Allos-Champs route strings three cols into a single 119 km (73.9 mi) day with 3525 m (11,565 ft) of climbing.

To see other climbs nearby, or build a custom route from here, try our Routes in the Area tool.

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CLIMB SUMMARY

Cycling Col d’Allos nord

Ride 17.4 kilometers gaining 1,075 meters at 6.2% average grade.

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.  

The Col d'Allos is a high mountain pass in the French Alps, situated within the Mercantour National Park in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. This pass stands at an elevation of 2,250 meters (7,382 feet) and is noted for its beautiful and challenging terrain.

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

“Between 1911 and 1939, the Col d'Allos barely missed a year in the Tour de France (one of the most popular cols). François Faber was the first rider to cross the pass in 1911 and since then, it has been part of the route 33 times. It was last part of the 2000 Tour, (13th stage) when Pascal Hervé was the first to summit, in 2015 the mountain was again visited by Tour de France at Stage 17 this was won by Simon Geschke.”  Wikipedia - Col d’Allos (as of 2018)

The descent into Barcelonnette is treacherous and was described by Bernard Thévenet as “The most nightmarish moment of the 1975 Tour” - on Stage 15 of that year’s tour on the day Thévenet was first overtaken on Col des Champs by Merckx and later overtook him to take the Tour lead and eventually go on to stand atop the podium that year.

There are 2 routes to Col d’Allos (of course, it’s a pass after all!) - the first is from  Colmars (pop. 384, 2008) which is located in the Alpes-Cote d’Azur Region (southeast) of France, near the Italian border.  Col d’Allos from Barcelonnette (pop. 2,735, 2008) is the third of the traditional clockwise route of trois col loop and is the more difficult of the 2 approaches to the cols at 6.2% v. 4.5% average grade, although this approach is shorter at 17.4 km v. 20.7. Barcelonnette dates back to medieval times and is the largest town in the Ubaye Valley.