Oisans mountain passes · Cycling
Col du Lautaret
The grand gateway from Oisans to the Briançonnais region: a long, steady climb alongside the Romanche up to 2,058 m.
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Live weather
Real-time · Open-Meteo. The mountain top weather often differs from the valley.
Climb profile — Bourg-d’Oisans
Calculated from our GPX track (IGN altitude). Segments coloured according to the gradient.
Gradient kilometre by kilometre view details
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How long does it take to go up?
Estimate based on your power-to-weight ratio (physical model, validated against real times). Indicative only.
Cycling the Col du Lautaret from Bourg-d’Oisans
The Col du Lautaret (2,058 m) is the main gate of the’Oisans towards the Briançon region. Since Bourg-d'Oisans, we go all the way back up the valley Romanche — the Combe de Malaval, its tunnels, the Chambon reservoir, La Grave and its view of the Meije — up to the col: 36.8 km and 1,494 m of ascent an average of 3.6 %. A long climb smooth and rolling, ideal for discovering high mountains without steep gradients.
Difficulty
The gradient remains gentle (rarely more than 8 %: here, the difficulty comes from distance, from the’altitude final and, often, of vent facing you up the valley in the afternoon. Bring water and a windbreaker: the upper Romanche is exposed, and it quickly gets chilly at the pass. The road surface is good and the tunnels are lit.
An iconic crossroads
At the summit sits the famous Alpine botanical garden and the Tour de France monument. The Lautaret is also the tipping point towards Col du Galibier, whose final ramp starts right here, and a key stage of the Route des Grandes Alpes. From the col, you can descend back to Briançon or continue towards the giant Galibier.
Frequently asked questions
What is the altitude of the Col du Lautaret?
The peak reaches a height of 2,058 m, one of the most accessible mountain passes over 2,000 metres in the Alps.
Is the Col du Lautaret difficult by bike?
No, the gradient is gentle (an average of 3.6 %): the difficulty lies in the length (36.8 km) and the altitude, not the percentage.
Can we follow on with the Col du Galibier?
Yes: the final ramp of the Galibier starts directly from the Col du Lautaret, 8 km higher up.
Neighbouring cols — Romanche, Lautaret & Écrins
Route © OpenStreetMap contributors · Altitude © IGN RGE ALTI · Max gradient over 100 m : climbfinder.