{"id":334,"date":"2026-08-08T11:40:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tourdoisans.com\/cols-les-plus-durs-oisans\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:43:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:43:41","slug":"cols-les-plus-durs-oisans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tourdoisans.com\/en\/hardest-cols-in-the-oisans\/","title":{"rendered":"The hardest cycling cols in Oisans (ranking)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oisans is a paradise for climbers... and a terrain of suffering for anyone looking for the ultimate challenge. Between the high-altitude giants, double-digit walls and long, endless ascents, what are the hardest cycling cols in the Oisans<\/strong> Here is our ranking, from very hard to extreme.<\/p>\n\n

How do you measure the difficulty of a mountain pass?<\/h2>\n

Difficulty is not just about the gradient. It combines the length<\/strong>, the average percentage<\/strong>, the steepest passages and the\u2019altitude<\/strong> (the air becomes thinner above 2,000 m). To compare objectively, we rely on the index Bicycle<\/strong>, displayed on each col sheet, which synthesises these parameters into a single figure.<\/p>\n\n

1. The Galibier from Oisans, the endurance test<\/h2>\n

By its length and altitude, the Col du Galibier<\/a> from Bourg-d\u2019Oisans it is a real feat of endurance: over 45 km of cumulative climbing along the Romanche and the Lautaret, up to 2,642 m. The difficulty comes as much from the distance as from the lack of oxygen in the final stretch.<\/p>\n\n

2. The Col du Sabot, the high-altitude wall<\/h2>\n

One of the highest road passes in Is\u00e8re (2,100 m), the Col du Sabot<\/a> It covers nearly 17 km at an average gradient of 8 %, with a slope that never lets up and total solitude high above Vaujany. A little-known test of one\u2019s mettle.<\/p>\n\n

3. Cross of Iron, the long, implacable one<\/h2>\n

Hors cat\u00e9gorie over nearly 27 km, the Col de la Croix de Fer<\/a> features an irregular profile, broken up by short descents that break the rhythm and make the effort more treacherous than it seems.<\/p>\n\n

4. Villard-Notre-Dame, the wild wall<\/h2>\n

Most stiff<\/strong> of all : Villard-Notre-Dame<\/a> climb up to 17 %<\/strong> over its 100 hardest metres, on a narrow road punctuated by unlit tunnels. Short, but brutal and technically demanding.<\/p>\n\n

5. Oz-en-Oisans, the express slap<\/h2>\n

Proof that a climb doesn't need to be long to hurt: the direct ascent of\u2019Oz-en-Oisans<\/a> It averages nearly 11 % over 5.5 km, without a single flat stretch to catch your breath.<\/p>\n\n

Extreme warnings<\/h2>\n

The Lake Besson<\/a>, which extends Alpe d'Huez up to 2,070 m, and the adventurous Col de Solude<\/a> (mixed route to be done on a gravel bike) complete this panorama of the region's toughest climbs.<\/p>\n\n

Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n

What is the steepest mountain pass in Oisans?<\/h3>\n

Villard-Notre-Dame<\/a>, with sections reaching up to 17 % on the toughest 100 metres.<\/p>\n

What is the highest mountain pass in the Oisans?<\/h3>\n

The Col du Galibier<\/a> (2,642 m); the Col du Sabot<\/a> (2,100 m) is one of the highest road mountain passes in Is\u00e8re.<\/p>\n

How do I know if a collar is too stiff for me?<\/h3>\n

Compare the FIETS index and the average gradient on each fact sheet, and progress step by step using our guide which mountain pass to climb according to your level<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Ready for the challenge? Find all the profiles and the level of difficulty on the Oisans mountain passes page<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Galibier, Sabot, Croix de Fer, Villard-Notre-Dame, Oz\u2026 our ranking of the hardest mountain passes in Oisans by bike, according to the FIETS index.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-evenements"],"yoast_head":"\nLes cols les plus difficiles de l'Oisans \u00e0 v\u00e9lo (classement) - Tour d'Oisans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tourdoisans.com\/en\/hardest-cols-in-the-oisans\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Les cols les plus difficiles de l'Oisans \u00e0 v\u00e9lo (classement) - Tour d'Oisans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Galibier, Sabot, Croix de Fer, Villard-Notre-Dame, Oz\u2026 notre classement des cols les plus durs de l'Oisans \u00e0 v\u00e9lo, selon l'indice FIETS.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tourdoisans.com\/en\/hardest-cols-in-the-oisans\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tour d'Oisans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T11:40:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T17:43:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tourdoisans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cols-les-plus-durs-oisans.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"901\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Billy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Billy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tourdoisans.com\\\/cols-les-plus-durs-oisans\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tourdoisans.com\\\/cols-les-plus-durs-oisans\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Billy\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tourdoisans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e38a9f4693e6b8c71411b1188a183f44\"},\"headline\":\"Les cols les plus difficiles de l’Oisans \u00e0 v\u00e9lo (classement)\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-08T11:40:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-08T17:43:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tourdoisans.com\\\/cols-les-plus-durs-oisans\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":516,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tourdoisans.com\\\/cols-les-plus-durs-oisans\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tourdoisans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/cols-les-plus-durs-oisans.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"\u00c9v\u00e9nements\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tourdoisans.com\\\/cols-les-plus-durs-oisans\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tourdoisans.com\\\/cols-les-plus-durs-oisans\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tourdoisans.com\\\/cols-les-plus-durs-oisans\\\/\",\"name\":\"Les cols les plus difficiles de l'Oisans \u00e0 v\u00e9lo (classement) - 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