Col de la Loze

The Climb: Brutal Walls and Breathtaking Rewards

Don't let the smooth tarmac fool you. The Col de la Loze is considered one of the hardest road bike climbs in France. The ascent from Brides-les-Bains covers 22.6 kilometres with nearly 1,700 metres of elevation gain at an average gradient of 7.5%, but the final stretch over the new path is where things get savage. Frequent and violent changes in gradient — what Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme called "a series of walls" — include sections exceeding 20%, with one infamous ramp at 23% just before the summit.↗↗↗

The path begins in forest above the Méribel Altiport neighbourhood, then winds through alpine meadows where views open up progressively. At the top, a panoramic sweep over the Mont Blanc range, the Méribel valley, and the Grande Casse makes every aching quad worthwhile. For those who want the spectacle without the suffering, electric mountain bikes (VTT à assistance électrique) are recommended, allowing riders of all levels to experience the summit's grandeur.↗

Tour de France Legacy

Within months of its opening, Col de la Loze hosted the 2019 Tour de l'Avenir. Then came the Tour de France itself — and it never left. In 2020, it was the highest point of the entire race (Souvenir Henri Desgrange) when Colombian Miguel Ángel López soloed to victory on Stage 17. The 2023 edition brought it back as a categorised climb on the route to Courchevel, won at the summit by Felix Gall. In July 2025, Stage 18 from Vif saw Australia's Ben O'Connor triumph at the col once again, cementing its place among the modern classics of Grand Tour cycling.↗↗↗

Routes and Itineraries

Several cycling routes converge on the col, catering to different appetites for suffering:↗

The direct ascent from Les Allues (Méribel) to the summit is 14 km with 1,204 m of positive elevation gain — the most iconic version and the one that professional climbers face. From Brides-les-Bains in the valley floor, the full climb extends to 22 km with 1,717 m of ascent. For a circular tour, the discovery loop connects Courchevel le Praz to Méribel over the col (35 km, 1,050 m of gain). The ambitious Grande Boucle covers 62 km and 1,970 m of climbing, looping through Courchevel le Praz, the Col de la Loze, Méribel, Brides-les-Bains, and La Thuile before returning to the start.↗↗

Visiting: Practical Information

The voie verte is open from approximately 30 June to 15 October, weather and snow permitting — the season is short at this altitude. Access is free. The path is not open to pedestrians or pets; it is exclusively reserved for cyclists (road bikes and e-MTBs). In winter, the same corridor between Méribel and Courchevel transforms into a ski piste with extraordinary views, connected by chairlifts and surface lifts.↗↗

The base town for the Méribel-side ascent is Les Allues, part of the Méribel resort area in the commune of 73550. The nearest rail access is at Moûtiers, from which it is roughly a 30-minute drive to Méribel village. The path can also be approached from Courchevel's side, where the descent toward the Praz district offers a spectacular plunge back to lower ground.↗

Why It Matters

Col de la Loze represents something rare in the Alps: a mountain road built not for cars but for the purest form of human-powered (or e-assisted) travel, set at an altitude that rivals the most legendary passes in France. It gives everyday cyclists access to the same terrain that defines Grand Tour races, in a traffic-free environment where the only sounds are breathing, wheels on tarmac, and wind across the alpages. Whether you arrive by road bike legs on the day, by e-MTB for the views, or by chairlift in winter for the ski descent, the col delivers an alpine experience that is genuinely unlike anything else.↗↗