COL DU GRAND COLOMBIER
2017 ASCENT/ LENGTH AND GRADIENT :8.5 KM AT 9.9% ALTITUDE :1,501 M/ START: VIRIEU LE PETIT
In 2012, Jens Voigt was in the break which got whittled down on the slopes of the Grand Colombier to him, Michele Scarponi, Luis León Sánchez, Dries Devenyns and the eventual stage winner, Thomas Voeckler. The 2017 stage scales the hardest flank of the climb
“The Col du Grand Colombier holds bittersweet memories for me. I was in the break on that stage during the 2012 Tour and finished third on the day. I was leading alone with 2km to go, but Thomas Voeckler was smart enough to not let me go any further. He chased me back and ended up winning that stage.
“We tackled the Grand Colombier from Culoz and it was a fairly long climb with some steep portions. What saved me was that there was some shade from the brutal sun. Nevertheless I was getting dropped towards the top and chased all down the descent to come back to the leading group. It was a fast and windy descent - if you are brave, you can really let it go. The road was pretty much average, really rough and slow. We can expect a good show on this climb, there will be at least one of the many great Colombian climbers testing his legs right here.”