16.4
PDI
7 mi
DISTANCE
2,601 ft
GAINED
7 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
INTRO
Eleven sundials by artists including Jean Cocteau decorate the walls of Coaraze, and most riders who pass through are on their way somewhere else. This climb starts a few kilometers beyond the village, at the hamlet of L'Engarvin, where the D15 turns uphill toward the Col Saint-Roch - the back way into the Lucéram and Turini hills, and a much quieter one than the roads up from L'Escarène.
It's 11.3 km (7.0 mi) to the Baisse de la Cabannette, with 793 m (2601 ft) of climbing at 7.0%. The D15 climbs a steady 7-9% for 5 km, mostly in the open with Coaraze's valley dropping away below, past a radio mast to a high point of about 995 m at Le Savel. You roll gently down to the Col Saint-Roch at 988 m, join the D2566, and the hardest part is still ahead: 4.3 km at 8.8% in hairpins up to the baisse, with the steepest kilometer at 10.5%.
Below the col you'll likely have the D15 to yourself. Above it you're on the road from Lucéram to Peïra-Cava and the Col de Turini, so expect the odd motorbike or sports car enjoying the bends - still quiet by Riviera standards. There's nothing at the top but the junction with the D21 coming up from the Pas de l'Escous; Peïra-Cava is a short ride further up the D2566 if you want a café.
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. From L'Engarvin at 580 m the D15 climbs at 6.3%, 7.8%, 8.7%, 7.4% and 8.1% for the first five kilometers, with a few short 9-10% pitches in the bends, to about 958 m at km 4.9. The next kilometer eases to 4-5% up to the high point at Le Savel (about 995 m, km 5.8), then the road drops gently for 700 m to the Col Saint-Roch at 988 m (km 6.5).
On the D2566 the gradient goes straight back up: about 7% for the first 500 m, then kilometers of 8.9%, 8.5%, 10.3% and 6.9% to the top. The steepest kilometer, from about km 9.1, averages 10.5%, and a 250 m stretch around km 9.5 reaches 12.4%. The last 400 m are flat at the baisse, 1364 m.
Overall: 11.3 km (7.0 mi), 793 m (2601 ft) of climbing, 7.0% average.
Roadway: Paved throughout. The D15 is a two-lane road with a center line, rock netting on the cliff side and guardrails on the drop. The D2566 above the Col Saint-Roch is a wider road with a better surface and a long run of photogenic hairpins. The upper road can see snow and ice in winter - check the Alpes-Maritimes Inforoutes 06 service before an off-season ride.
Traffic: Very light on the D15, which mostly serves Coaraze's scattered hamlets. The D2566 sees more, as the road from Lucéram to Peïra-Cava and the Turini, and summer weekends bring motorbikes and sports cars, but it's still a quiet road.
Parking: Coaraze has free parking all year in the village. We'd park there and ride the few kilometers north to L'Engarvin, which doubles as a warm-up, rather than look for a space at the hamlet.
Gear: Save your lowest gear for the D2566 hairpins, where the 10-12% pitches arrive with 6 km of climbing already in your legs. The D15 is mostly open, so carry plenty of water on a hot day.
Provisions: Nothing on the climb. Fill bottles in Coaraze, the last village before the start, or in Contes further down the valley. If you need food at the top, Peïra-Cava is a short ride up the D2566 from the finish.
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.
Coaraze is one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France, perched at about 650 m above the Paillon valley. Walk its lanes for the sundials - eleven of them, by Jean Cocteau, Ben, Sosno and Ponce de León - and look into the Chapelle Bleue, painted inside with frescoes by Ponce de León. The village grows olives for Nice PDO oil, holds an olive tree festival in summer, and you can book an oil tasting at a local grove.
Three roads meet at the Col Saint-Roch: this one from Coaraze, the D2566 up from Lucéram (our Baisse de la Cabannette (D2566) page, which covers L'Escarène and Lucéram) and the single-lane road over the Col de la Porte from Lantosque (our Baisse de la Cabannette (Lantosque) page). From the finish, Peïra-Cava and the Col de Turini are covered on our Pas de l'Escous and Col de Turini (La Bollène) pages.
To string a few of these together from Coaraze, open Routes in the Area on this page.
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