Tough at the Top

The Col d'Agnel is another high pass, in the southern Alps, linking France and Italy. The col itself forms the border between the countries. The climb starts in Ville-Vieille, about half an hour north east of Guillestre. Getting to the base of the climb is a bit on an adventure, even in a car. The gorge of the river Guil is stunning, but the road is narrow and clings to the side of a cliff, making passing oncoming traffic difficult. It's often busy. It's part of the ride up the Col d'Izoard, which I did last year, and I didn't repeat the experience. At Chateau-Queyras, the road is very narrow with traffic lights controlling the flow. Expect delays and you won't be disappointed.

There is a large car park on the right at the roundabout where the climb starts in Ville-Vieille. As I was getting the bike ready a group of donkeys and walkers came through. Trekking and hiking seem to be a major activity in this area.

The climb starts easily enough with typical 7% gradients with the occasional kick up to keep your interest. The surface is good and there is shade from trees. After a few kilometres, the road to the col swings left at a rather odd junction just outside Molines-en-Queras. The only real indication is a large sign saying 'Italie'. After the turn, the road enters the village and immediately narrows drammatically. There are roads to the left and right, but no signposts at all. Keep straight on, it is the right way.

Things do get narrow again in some of the other villages further up the valley, but mostly the road is relatively straight and wide. The gradients are quite high, however, and the air is thinning rapidly, so the riding is hard. It's about to get harder. For the last 6 or so kilometres, the gradients average 9% or so with regular ramps at 10 and 11% and at least one that hits 12% for a while. This is one climb that really is tough at the top.

The road up to the Agnel on the French side. It's particularly gruelling for the last 6 kilometres or so.

This section is reminiscent of the top of the Galibier. It's raw and unspoiled, save for a couple of cafe buildings and lots of trails just below the summit. This section is hard, so be prepared. The reward is great views over France and Italy. It was very busy all the way up the climb. It's a popular spot for hiking.

There are lots of ways to get to the top of the Agnel. Angela spotted this group who had ridden over from Italy. Mind you, she might have had an ulterior motive in taking this particular shot!

There's not much space at the top of the Col d'Agnel, not even room for the customary French signposts with which to be photographed. It is an international border, however, so we made do with that.

The road up from the Italian side is, if anything, even steeper.

The route up the Col d'Agnel is available on Garmin Connect.

Rather than do the whole descent, I rode down to a cafe we'd spotted just before the really hard part of the climb began. One orange juice and a Croque Messiure later and I was ready for the drive back.

The route down from the top of the Col d'Agnel is available on Garmin Connect.