19
PDI
11.1 mi
DISTANCE
3,373 ft
GAINED
5.8 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
Page Contributor(s): Ard Oostra, Montreux, Switzerland
INTRO
This is the classic south-side road up the Montagne de Lure - the version most riders mean when they say they have ridden Lure. From Saint-Étienne-les-Orgues the climb covers 17.8 km (11.1 mi) and gains 1,028 m (3,373 ft) at a 5.8% average, from 690 m (2,264 ft) to 1,718 m (5,637 ft) on the open ridge, where a Montagne de Lure sign and information panels mark the end of our route below the 1,826 m (5,991 ft) Signal de Lure. It ranks #1107 on our list of the world's hardest climbs.
It is a climb of rhythm rather than punch, with more than 20 hairpins. The first 9 km (5.6 mi) hold an almost constant 5-7% through the forest, the crux comes between km 9 and km 13 at 7-8%, and the trees thin out around the Station de Lure near km 14. The last 2 km (1.2 mi) run along the bare ridge at just 1.5-2.5%, with views over the Pays de Forcalquier, the Durance valley and, on a clear day, Mont Ventoux.
Lure is often called Mont Ventoux's little sister, and Paris-Nice has twice finished at the Station de Lure on this road: Alberto Contador won there in 2009, and Richie Porte won in 2013 on his way to the overall title. If you want to go higher than our finish, our Signal de Lure (Saint-Étienne-les-Orgues) page follows the same road and continues to 1,808 m (5,931 ft).
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. The Montagne de Lure from Saint-Étienne-les-Orgues averages 5.8% over 17.8 km (11.1 mi), with 1,028 m (3,373 ft) of climbing. It is long and steady rather than steep:
km 0-9: 5.1-6.9% almost without a break, with the steepest of these early kilometers (km 1-2) at 6.9%.
km 9-13: the crux - four straight kilometers at 7.1-8.0%, starting with the hardest kilometer of the climb at 8.0%.
km 13-15: 5.7-6.8% past the Station de Lure.
km 15-17.8: the ridge, where the grade eases to 4.3% and then 1.5-2.5% to the finish.
The steepest 2 km (1.2 mi) average 7.7%, the steepest 5 km (3.1 mi) 7.2%, and the steepest 10 km (6.2 mi) 6.6%.
Roadway: Paved all the way to our finish on the ridge, with more than 20 hairpins, many of them partly blind, so hold your line on the long descent. The surface is a mix of smoother and coarser asphalt and gets rougher in the upper kilometers. The upper mountain is snowbound in winter, and most riders come between May and September.
Traffic: Light. Most cars are heading to the Station de Lure or to walks along the ridge. In July and August the road from the village to the top has been reserved for cyclists on Monday mornings from 8 am to noon; the arrangement can change from year to year, so confirm it with the Forcalquier Haute-Provence tourist office before planning around it.
Parking: Saint-Étienne-les-Orgues is a small village, so if you drive in, park considerately and roll out to the start on the edge of town. If you would rather stay in a bigger town, Forcalquier is 10 km (6.2 mi) away and the ride over makes a natural warm-up. At the top, the gravel area beside the Montagne de Lure sign is an easy meeting point for a support car.
Provisions: Fill your bottles in Saint-Étienne-les-Orgues. The only stop on the way up is La Sauvagine, the snack bar at the Lure refuge around km 15, and its hours are seasonal, so carry what you need for the whole climb.
Gear: A compact crankset with a 28- or 30-tooth cog covers the 7-8% middle section comfortably. The ridge is exposed and much cooler and windier than the village, so pack a windproof layer for a long descent full of hairpins.
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.
Forcalquier, 10 km (6.2 mi) south of the start, is the natural base, and it pairs especially well with a summer Monday: ride the Lure in the cyclists-only morning window, then roll down for the tail end of Forcalquier's Monday market, a big Provençal market of nearly 200 stalls that fills the town's squares and boulevards until early afternoon. Walk up to the citadel at the top of town for a 360-degree view that takes in the very mountain you just rode, and look into the Romanesque-Gothic church of Notre-Dame-du-Bourguet on the way back down.
A few kilometers south, in Mane, the Prieuré de Salagon pairs a Romanesque church and a Renaissance residence with ethnobotanical gardens - an easy rest-day outing. The abbey of Notre-Dame de Lure, the observatory and the lodging at the Station de Lure are covered on our Signal de Lure (Saint-Étienne-les-Orgues) page, and the quieter north side from Valbelle is on our Montagne de Lure (Valbelle) page.
The ridge can be windy and far colder than the valley, so check current conditions before you go with our Weather tool.
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Tigerwanito
The 'montagne de Lure' is like the lesser-known little sister of the 'mont Ventoux' (you can easily see it from the top), but less steep/challenging... and also (way!) less crowded: a perfect choice for misanthropic cyclists!
(and a good warm up... before tackling its 'big brother') ;-)
