A gorgeous bike climb.

Cycling Col d la Croix de Fer from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne

Fifth longest climb in France.

28.5 kilometers gaining 1611 meters  at 5.2%.

We feel this is the most scenic of the three approaches to the Iron Cross atop Col de la Croix de Fer.

This fantastic climb begins in Saint Jean-de-Maurienne, which we consider to be the center of one of the great climbing areas of the world.  Click here to read more about the Saint Jean-de-Maurienne climbing area and travels through the Saint Sorlin-d’Arves ski resort to the Iron Cross at the top of the climb. There are three routes to the Col de la Croix de Fer (“Pass of the Cross”) and we have charted those in the map in the menu bar at the bottom of this page.

The Pass of the Cross has been featured in the Tour de France

19 times between 1947 and 2020 (most recently in 2017).

There are three popular approaches to the Col: from the East, West and North.  The Northern and Western approaches overlap Col du Glandon.  Here are the basic statistics for the three Croix de Fer climbs, together with the overlap information for Col du Glandon:

• Col de la Croix de Fer East (Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne) -- this is the only route that does not overlap Col du Glandon: 28.5 kilometers gaining 1602 meters at 5.2% average grade.
• Col de la Croix de Fer West (Le Verney): 24.2 kilometers gaining 1489 meters at 5.2%.

• Col du Glandon West (Le Verney): 22.5 kilometers gaining 1365 meters at 5% (all overlapping Croix de Fer West).

• Col de la Croix de Fer North (Saint-Étienne-de-Cuines): 23.2 kilometers gaining 1609 meters at 6.9%.

• Col du Glandon East (Saint-Étienne-de-Cuines): 19.6 kilometers  gaining 1530 meters at 7.4% (all overlapping Croix de fer North).

Climb begins in St. Jean-de-Maurienne, the birthplace of Opinel knives.

Spectacular views on this climb, one of the most scenic in all of France. 

Many grazing livestock along the climb.

Saint-Jean-d’Arves - km 18.5.

Skiing in winter, hiking and paragliding in the off season.

KM markers along the entire route.

TOUR DE FRANCE

It was on the Croix de Fer on Stage 18 (July 22) of the 1986 Tour de France that Greg Lemond and Bernard Hinault distanced themselves from the all others and dueled for the stage win.  Hinault, in search of what would have been a record sixth Tour victory, was trying to make up three minutes lost the day earlier to Lemond on the Col d’Izoard on Stage 17.  He attacked on Col du Galibier and Croix de Fer but could not shake Lemond and the two crossed the line in the same time with Hinault winning the stage, but Lemond the tour.

Gino Bartali and Louison Bobet - Croix de la Fer TdF 1948.

Photo: Silvano Bottaro, Pinterest

Greg Lemond on the Croix de Fer in 1989 (his second of three TdF wins).

Photo:  Steve Selwood

Vincenzo Nibali took heat for looking back at disabled Froome on TdF 2015 Stage 19, then attacking.

Photo:  Albertnet.us

Wikipedia has a good summary of this popular pass:

“Col de la Croix de Fer (English: Pass of the Iron Cross) (el. 2067 m.) is a high mountain pass in the French Alps linking Le Bourg-d'Oisans and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.

The approach from the northeast from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is 29.5 km at an average gradient of 5.5% with some sections at 9.5%, and the one from the southwest from Rochetaillée 31.5 km at an average gradient of 5.75% with short sections in excess of 11%. When coming from Rochetaillée, the road forks 2.5 km before the summit, leading to the Col du Glandon. There is also an approach from the north from La Chambre via Col du Glandon which is the hardest: 22.7 km at an average gradient of 7.0% (this is the route used for the 2012 Tour de France).

The pass has featured in the Tour de France nineteen times since it was first passed in the 1947 tour when the race was led over the summit by Fermo Camellini. It was crossed on Stage 11 of the 2012 race, between Albertville and La Toussuire-Les Sybelles. In the 2015 race it was passed twice in the two finale mountain stages stage 19 between Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire - Les Sybelles, and from the other side in stage 20 between Modane to Alpe d'Huez. The route for stage 20 was changed in June 2015 caused by a landslide in April so Col de la Croix de Fer substitutes both Col du Télégraphe and Col du Galibier.”  

(Wikipedia - Col de la Croix de Fer).