22.5
PDI
14.8 mi
DISTANCE
4,270 ft
GAINED
5.2 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
Page Contributor(s): Ian Dennis, Occidental, CA, USA
INTRO
Col de Turini is the most famous mountain pass behind the Côte d'Azur, and this eastern approach from Sospel is its longer, quieter face - 23.9 km (14.8 mi), gaining 1,302 m (4,270 ft) at a 5.2% average grade to the col at 1,616 m (5,302 ft). It's the mellower of the climb's two sides: where the western approach from La Bollène-Vésubie holds a steady 7-8% for its final stretch, this one spends its first half winding gently along the Bévéra and Piaon valleys before the real climbing starts.
The lower half is the scenic highlight. The road threads the narrow Gorges du Piaon on a shelf blasted into the rock, passing beneath the Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Ménour - a small 17th-century sanctuary perched on an outcrop at 780 m, next to an old stepped aqueduct bridge - before reaching Moulinet, a quiet stone village roughly at the halfway point. From Moulinet the character changes completely: the grade settles into a sustained 7-8% for the final 12 km, switchbacking up through beech and then conifer forest with barely a flat meter until the col.
The col itself is a motorsport pilgrimage site - its hairpins have decided the Monte Carlo Rally's outcome for decades, run at night with spectators lighting the road with high beams, and the pass has featured in the Tour de France four times, most recently in 2024. Sospel and the Bévéra valley took real damage in the October 2020 floods of Storm Alex, along with the neighboring Roya and Vésubie valleys; the valley has largely rebuilt since, and a stop in Sospel's old town is a small way to support that recovery.
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 climb splits cleanly into two halves. From Sospel (350 m) to Moulinet, roughly the first 12 km, the grade is mild and rolling - a series of gentler hairpins through the Gorges du Piaon that rarely exceeds 4-5%, with occasional short flat or downhill sections. From Moulinet to the col, the second 12 km holds a sustained 7-8% through forest, with the steepest kilometer of the climb - reaching 8.0% - inside this upper section. There's no long section anywhere near the 9%+ range; the difficulty here is the sustained mid-grade forest section stacked on top of an already long day, not any single brutal ramp.
Roadway: The D2566 is paved the entire way from Sospel to the col and is in good condition, including through the Gorges du Piaon's rock shelf and the upper forest hairpins. It's open to cycling year-round at these lower elevations, though the upper, shaded stretch near the 1,616 m col can hold snow or ice into spring and see it return by late autumn. The road closes to general traffic for the Monte Carlo Rally's night stage each January - check the Alpes-Maritimes département's road status site if you're planning a winter visit.
Traffic: Light for most of the year. The gorge section sees some local and tourist traffic in summer, and motorcyclists treat the whole pass as a pilgrimage road on weekends, but volumes are modest compared with the Vésubie side. Traffic thins out further above Moulinet, where the road is really just serving the pass itself.
Parking: Sospel's old town, at the base, has on-street parking near the river and the historic toll bridge - arrive early on weekends, when day-trippers from Nice and Menton fill the center. Moulinet, at the roughly halfway point, is a smaller and quieter place to park if you'd rather ride only the steeper upper half.
This is a long day - pack for a full alpine outing rather than a quick climb. Bring enough water and food for over two hours of riding, since Moulinet, at the halfway point, has the last reliable services before the col; the summit hotels near the top have historically offered food and drink in season, but hours can be unpredictable outside summer. A layer for the descent is worth the extra weight - even in summer, 1,616 m with wind exposure near the col is a different climate than sea-level Sospel. Standard gearing works for the lower gorge section, but a compact or wide-range cassette makes the sustained 7-8% upper half considerably more comfortable.
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.
Sospel is one of the more overlooked old towns in this corner of the Alpes-Maritimes - a 13th-century toll bridge across the Bévéra, a former cathedral, and medieval fortifications that mostly survived even after heavy WWII damage. It's a quieter, less touristy base than Nice or Menton, with the added benefit of sitting right at the foot of the climb. From the col, riders have options the rally drivers don't: continue toward the Authion massif and its old military forts (see our Col de Turini (La Bollène) page for that detour in depth), or descend the western side toward La Bollène-Vésubie for a point-to-point with a car shuttle. Riders planning a multi-day trip to this corner of France can see the other cols radiating from the Turini massif with our Routes in the Area tool before picking a base.
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zesoloist
There are markers although they are not at the km remaining. They vary .1-.3 above; ie 14.2km. No grade though. Get a GPS device for that. Some of the scenery on the exposed parts have a view but most of the time your in the forest. Fairly steady. Just settle in. Now the descent to Luceram is sweet. So. Many. Lacets. And not a single car either way when I dropped down.
MethowBiker
Focus on the last 12 km from Moulinet. The overall distance from Sospel is 22 km, but the first 10 km of that is just the warmup. Unlike other TDF climbs, there's no marker each km to give you info on grade. The 12 km from Moulinet is a steady 8-9%. You get a break on hairpins if you take them wide. Restaurant at the col allows for recharging and a toilet. If you descend to return to Nice area via the Vesubie river, that downhill is steep and technical.
