Col des Gourses
France, europe
N/A
1.73 m
hard
Year-round
Okay, adventure junkies, listen up! Col des Gourses, nestled in the French Alps' Rhone-Alpes region (Isère département to be exact), is calling your name. We're talking serious elevation here, a whopping 2,565m (8,415ft) above sea level.
Now, this isn't your Sunday drive kinda road. The R1-2 trail, as it's known, is gravel, rocky, and seriously steep. Think all-terrain vehicle territory! This bad boy winds its way up, often stony, dusty, and just plain relentless. It's so intense, it's even used for mountain bike cross-country and the occasional heavy-duty motorized vehicle.
Be warned, this route throws some seriously steep ramps at you. You'll need some muscle and a super low gear to conquer these grades. The pavement ends around 1,730m, but don't worry, the gravel is manageable even on a road bike (if you're feeling brave!), although it gets pretty dusty and remains very steep. Usually, you can tackle this beast in the summer. Though the description cuts off there, the road ends at the Col des Gourses, at an elevation of 2.565m (8,415ft). You'll drive a pretty road, the D26 to get there!
Road Details
- Country
- France
- Continent
- europe
- Max Elevation
- 1.73 m
- Difficulty
- hard
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