Col du Glandon

It may often be an appetiser at the Tour but the Glandon serves up a feast

- MARK BAILEY

The 24.1km thread of road that weaves up the southern flanks of the Col du Glandon presents an ever-shifting photo reel of Alpine peaks, forested slopes, crashing waterfalls and glittering reservoirs, culminating in a euphoric summit-top panorama that stretches all the way to the giant ice-white Mont Blanc.

Situated between the Belledonne, Grandes Rousses and Arvan-Villards mountains, the 1,924m Glandon is twinned with the 2,067m Col de la Croix de Fer, which can be accessed along the same southern roads, before you simply divert east for the final 3km stretch to the neighbouring summit. The two fabled cols are together known as the Orthrus of the Alps, after the two-headed dog of Greek mythology, with the twin fangs of rock ready to gnaw at the legs of any cyclist who dares to venture here.

Not just a warm-up act

Part of the Dauphiné Alps, which erupt out of the Savoie region of France, the hulking Glandon has graced the Tour de France on 14 occasions. The gruellingly long southern route packs in 1,152m of vertical ascent and some surprisingly steep ramps. But this route’s richly photogenic landscapes and gentle average gradient of 4.8% have ensured that the Glandon is often regarded, surprisingly and inaccurately, as something of an amuse-bouche: a palate-awakening Alpine appetiser to be savoured before the hearty main course is served on the Glandon’s steeper, flashier neighbours, such as Alpe d’Huez in the south or the Col de la Madeleine in the north.