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Col de la Croix de Fer (Verney) - Cycling Inspiration & Education
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 พ.ค. 2015
- Nestled in the heart of the Rhône-Alpes and surrounded by a veritable who’s who of mountain peaks like the Galibier and Alpe d’Huez, the Col de la Croix de Fer may not be quite as well known as its more celebrated siblings but that’s not to say it’s any less of a spectacle, quite the opposite in fact. There’s a certain sense of freedom that the Croix de Fer instils deep inside. Is it the personal fulfilment of the challenge ahead or the feeling of escaping the everyday to explore nature aboard two wheels once more? Waterfalls tumbling towards the valley far below with little more than the sound of your own breath for company as the road unfolds to reveal a remoteness that’s sure to soothe your soul. If you ever need to be reminded exactly why you ride a bike then the Pass of the Iron Cross, as it’s known in English, will not only help you find the answer but I’m sure it’ll unlock a few extra secrets along the way.
Start: Barrage du Verney
Length: 27.5km
Summit: 2,067m
Elevation gain: 1,295m
Average gradient: 4.7%
Max gradient: 11%
Special thanks to our partners Mavic, Cannondale, Exposure Lights, Fi’zi:k, Haute Route, La Fuga, Lezyne, Map My Tracks, Muc Off, Scicon, The Sufferfest, Torq Fitness and USE for enabling us to bring these truly special mountains to life for you all. If you're in need of new bike kit in the future and you enjoyed this video then bear them in mind and help keep the wheels turning :-)
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Stay well, ride safe and thank you for watching.
Mike Cotty
The Col Collective
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I’ve watched this video several times over many years. Last week when I turned 40 I fulfilled a lifetime ambition and road up this climb as part of a trip to the Alps. This video and Mike’s commentary truly does the climb justice. Truly wonderful and amazing.
When ever I can't be bothered or like now extremely cold extremely windy conditions keep me from my bike a new upload arrives. Best series of climbs on TH-cam EVER!!
kwacker45 THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
Coffee Head We filmed this at the end of June, the weather is always highly unpredictable. Hope you didn't suffer too badly! Ride safe. Mike
i have ridden this.....as said.....this is why we ride our bikes.....this clmb has everything....its a long haul....it has ups...and downs....open space to blow your mind....scenery to stun and mesmerise....hard climb but the top is majestic...
Alpe d' Huez is legendary and worthy of its reputation. Climbing to the Col du Glandon and Col de la Croix de Fer from Allemont is wonderous. I rode up to the top of the Croix de Fer the morning of stage 19 and the final 2.5 kilometers (from the intersection) was just amazing. You are right about the sense of freedom as that was how it felt while I took in the views (and dodged traffic). I can still fondly recall that climb. Thanks for capturing what it is like to make that ride, Mike.
+coach nealf You're very welcome!
it is so awesome that in France they paved a lot of mountains, road cyclists' heaven
Climbed Croix de Fer in Sept. Had watched this video numerous times in advance to prepare. Exactly as Mike described and even more. Stunning climb. Keep up the good work, videos are top notch.
A great video as always, great editing, music, your instructions ... only there is need to come. Thanks Mike!
David Yamaha Do it David! It's a life changer! Mike
Great video's. Closer to God you can't get!.
Vespucci cook Amen
Brilliant video! I rode it today and your review is spot on. After the sufferfest, the view as you get to the Barrage Grand Maison is spectacular. The second half is the one to enjoy. Even though a long climb, you’ve done the hard kilometres in the first half and now you can enjoy the spectacular views with the lesser gradients (and boy are they spectacular!). Definitely take a jacket as even in mid July when temperatures are about 30 in Allemond it is chilly when descending especially with the wind at that altitude. Great thing about this ride is for large parts it feels like you have the mountain to yourself as it has far fewer riders than the more popular climbs in the region, even though the views here are just amazing.
The other side is just as inspiring, Managed to do both sides of this climb! This side I came directly from alp dhuez and then peeled off for the glandon, then the other side after climbing and descending the mollard, this really is cycling heaven #takemeback!
Did you by any chance ride La Marmotte in 2015 ?
I’ve watched this many time, I love it. It makes me very happy during these awful times. I did this ride September 2018 with nine mates. It is to this day the best day I’ve had on a bike. Clear blue sky’s and 27 degrees it’s just stunning. Like Mike says in the video “ just one of many in the area”. Can’t wait to go back.
Very enjoying to watch. Keep them coming.
cycled this....a great ride....
Awesome and so inspiring. As you say: "One of the best feelings ever ... It is as simple as that"
Drove this a couple years ago in the opposite direction, just stunning views!
I think this is my fav video so far! Really cant wait to do this climb in September now, Keep up the good work Mike!!
Roll on September, you're in for a real treat! Enjoy, Mike
Lovely climb indeed. I rode it in the summer of 2013 at age 17, and will be coming back there in just under two months time for my Marmotte debut. Going to be tough to pace myself and not get over-excited, especially with the openness of the roads and the adrenaline of the "big day". Great video once again, keep 'em coming!
Thomas Coolen You definitely need to try and keep the excitement in check at the start of La Marmotte, I remember the speed we hit the bottom of the climb the first time I did it was like we were only riding one climb! Enjoy the experience, ride safe and don't take too many risks on the downhills. Good luck! Mike
After watching this video multiple times I finally got to ride the croix de fer last tuesday. Because it's really late in the season (mid october) there was nobody, really felt as if I was alone on this world. What a fantastic climb, the video helped me prepare but there was one thing that hase changed. There are roadmarkers now telling you how fare you have to go and how steep the next km is.
Nunca se me olvidará estos lugares tan mágicos.Magdalen, Alpe h'duez,Granom,Glandom,Chaussy y más.Que pasada
Hooked to your videos! Every time I feel lazy, I watch your videos, off I go to train.
Saravanan Kondu Sennappan Beautiful, that's what we LOVE to hear!! Thank you for your support!
Mike you have to have the best job in the world! As has been said below, you keep me cycling when the British winter kicks the will to ride to it's lowest ebb, in the possibly unrealistic hope that one day I'm going to be sat at the bottom of one (or many of these climbs) and just wondering at the gargantuan efforts and staggering satisfaction ahead... keep 'em coming... I need my vicarious fix!!! (PS if you ever fancied doing a DVD of the full, real time 'Marmotte' climbs I'd buy it!!
neuk01642 Glad to hear our videos are helping you, more on the way soon. I put a DVD together covering La Marotte a few years ago, you can find out more at www.cyclefilm.com/dvd-shop/cyclefilm-dvds/vol-3-la-marmotte-france. Allez, allez, allez! Mike
I lost count of how many times I watch this Films , this one in particular was one of the first ones I remember studying !
I eventually made to that area in the hunt to climb and collect my own experience , it was epic , I found lodging at a small village two thirds of the way up Col D' Ornon , (Guy and Helyn know about your legend Mike ! they asked me what made me go there and once I told them the journey was inpired by the Col Collective, they said they knw about you and that you were a bit of a monster , bike riding of course ) .
I rode the Alp d'Huez and had a great beer at the top ,after that i descended part of the way down to find a road ( D211B) that cuts across the mountain side and descends to Le Verney , I rode up to the Top of D526 Col D Glandon , By the way Mike , now I know what you meant , I was hurting and part of the way up ther was a small village , with one restaurant so i had a beer there and kept going , shortly after there was a steep descend with a few sharp corners , killer resting spot , but then soon a syou hit the bottom of that theres the wall , damm no kidding that wall did me in , so after that the raod seem like a never ending tale !!!
I was in my mind aiming to climb to Croix de Fer , but it was such an effort to make it to Glandon that i wouldn have time or the energie to make it back to the lodging at 'Ornon , I was so close but I knew it had to another day , so i rode back and just had time to make it up the 8 k climb to the Le Rivier, Ornon ,
it was the best ride of my whole trip last summer , I lasted 8 weeks , rode Gavia , Stelvio, Ventoux and a few more ... I am on my way back in a month , and this time i plan to go to the Croix first to make sure i can make it !! good luck out there Mike .. pedal hard , it has to be that way ...
Amazing thank you .
You’re very welcome! 🐮
Great bike job! great landscapes! great music!
I'm hooked on TCC vids, for sure. They're great eye candy to watch, and the "education" part with slope, track, food & water stops, etc., is really valuable. But even moreso, there's some great cinematography and editing going on as well -- things that I as a casual viewer didn't appreciate at first, but am seeing more and more as I pay more attention to your shooting style, clip selection, and commentary. Its terrific work and worth the depth of appreciation.
Beautiful aerial footage and location. Amazing. Mike, I'm hurt right now with a slow healing leg injury and can't ride... so your videos are keeping me in the game for the time being. Thanks man
drewmorgan Get well soon Drew, wishing you a fast recovery buddy! Mike
drewmorg i was lost in the mountains at scotland
I rode up this climb in Sep 2016, and absolutely loved it, because it's gorgeous. I vividly remember the steep downhill after Le Rivier de Allemont, then without any transition it's suddenly uphill at 10-11% ! I'm definitely returning to it one day...
pure stunning and a real inspiration thank you.
+Kelly Freckelton So glad you enjoyed it Kelly! Thanks so much for watching :-)
I've done it several times, it's a beatiful climb with lots of great views, 100% recommended.
Another one on the list, love it! So glad there is a channel like this, all the education I need on the cols before I hit the Alps in august. Cheers from Belfast Mike! PS you should come ride giro d'italia northern Ireland June 21st, 177km through some of the best scenery we have to offer! Keep the cols coming :)
andrew reid Cheers Andrew. You have a great area for cycling. I made a trip over a couple of years ago to explore the emerald isle. Fantastic! Mike
De la Croix de Fer, on peut rallier les lacs de barrage ou la Toussuire ! Merveilleuses randonnées !
Great video for a great col
Mike, just did this today! There are “km” with %gradient markers now. Also, the cafe at the top DOES NOT take credit cards as I found out after coffee and pie! I’ll be mailing her €20 tomorrow and a card...
Did it yesterday and the views are stunning
I agree with you. Beautiful climb the Croix de Fer. When I am in the area I love to ride the Alpe d'Huez. Riding as fast as possible to the top. But I find the Croix de Fer more enjoyable, though it is a tough climb. No time pressure just looking around at the stunning views all the way up. I will be there in 1,5 month riding the Marmotte. I have to train on flat roads. No mountains here in the Netherlands. So its good to see these video's. Very motivated. Great job Mike.
Remy Jansen Good luck Remy. Keep on riding! Mike
The Col Collective Thank you!
oh my god they just keep getting better...top job guys
Richy Coles Thank you Richy. Sincerely appreciated. Mike
I hope you will never stop making those amazing videos! In the end of the day you can move to another continent :)
I love these videos and did this climb (slowly) in the summer after watching this several times! Keep up the good work!.
Wow! Beautiful video yet again... I liked how you spaced out the information...Giving the sufferfest info. of incline later, unlike right in the beginning...exactly when you were speaking of the climb 13 kms in :) .... Makes it more relevant... Loved the roads...no boundaries on this one...looked beautiful and smooth...hope it was like that all the way...the waterfalls in the distance and right next to road...reminds me of climbs back in India in Western Ghats...in rains there are multiple waterfalls along the road like that and its heaven to ride bike on those roads...and refreshing as well on the break...The piano in the end gave a wanting feeling to be on the mountains ... Cheers Mike Cotty ...Wonderful effort on your part and your team :)
Rahul Kotabage Thank you sir!
Absolutely amazing scenery at this climb! The Croix de Fer is not as famous as Alpe d‘Huez or the Col du Galibier, but the landscape is phenomenal! I really felt in love with it, when I climbed up this mountain.
Frank Bauer it’s an amazing place Frank! 🙌🏻
Love the music on this one....Used the playlist on my runs :) ... weird with Mike speaking about cycling and I am trying to run ..but really good music to get you going.... Simply superb...as always :)
what is the sound of this video?
Rahul Kotabage since when indians started to cyclw
Rahul Kotabage hahah indian
Beautiful climb, thanks for the tips...I'll be trying it next year
Mike thanks another great video. I’m looking forward to riding it in the etape in 2018
Bravo You are really
talented and nice
man for motivation
to ride bike.
Did this on Wednesday morning from Bourg-d’Oisans after doing Alpe d’Huez the night before......this so much more difficult but both stunning in their own way......
Very helpfull. Thanks!
THE most scenic cycling channel on YT. View in 1080p or you are missing out.
+hitachicordoba So happy you're enjoying the videos!! Thanks for watching, plenty more to come! :-)
There's no 1080p... only 720p available
Stunning!
This broke me last year! We did alpe d'huez in the morning and went pretty hard then decided at the top to do this! Wouldn't have been a problem with preparation but it's extremely long and we didn't know how long we had left to go because we didn't plan to do it. My mind broke before my body. Next year........
Paradise👣🌻💣💥
did it yesterday, such an amazing feeling !
You guys make me wanna buy a good road bike and travel to this places to ride :)
Ilie Danila Go for it! You won't regret it for a moment!
@thecolcollective wonderful videos man keep at it!
Love it.
Thanks guys.
You have nearly done a 'full set' of the 4 rides that I am looking forward to this summer.
Galibier, Alp D'Huez, Col du mollard/croix fer/glandon loop and the video that I am waiting for,,,,,,
Col de la Madeleine.
Is there any plans to do a Madeleine video any time soon?
It is going to be an awesome weekend!
p tay We rode the Madeleine from the north. Absolutely AMAZING! Video will be coming soon!
BRILLIANT! I am REALLY looking forward to it!
Thanks for doing the Facebook Q&A thing the other night, too.
Quite a busy night for you guys I think! 😉
Chapeau!
You are very welcome, we really hope the Q&A helped. Mike
I did this ride last Easter (2015) No one else around and I felt very small and alone. I had to walk around an avalanche blocking the road!
+Michael Bellamy Awesome Michael!!!
Fantastic video Mike, and what beautiful climb. Keep climbing and sharing it with us! By the way, what's the music? really inspiring as well. Take care!
G7777PL1 I absolutely LOVE the music as well (especially the final piano) really happy you liked it! We got both tracks from a royalty free music library, unfortunately to the best of my knowledge they're not commercially available though :-( So sorry about that, Mike
your video's are amazing
The two descents during this climb render the average gradient pretty meaningless. There's 20 steep kilometres here, so careful pacing is essential. Wonderful climb with a good cafe at the top. Also if you take a 400 metre detour just before the top you can bag the Glandon. Two cols for the price of one.
TOP.
Love your vids guys, Would you guys make a etape de tour route video with all the climbs
liam c Hi Liam, I made Etape recon videos for about 6 or 7 years (check out cyclefilm.com for info). This year I wanted to focus on trying to bring The Col Collective to life. If you're looking for an Etape video for this year then what we did in 2012 is really close. More details on the video at www.cyclefilm.com/dvd-shop/cyclefilm-dvds/roads-to-glory-vol-1-alpine-edition. Of course we have also covered some of the climbs during Season One of The Col Collective too. Hope that helps! Ride safe, Mike
Hi. Watched this video as off to the Alps in a month. Sooo looking forwards to it. Random question but can you tell me what the name of the stunning piano song is please? I 'shazamed' it and just get some dance track :(
Hi Mike, me and a friend of mine want to climb this mountain or Col du Glandon this july when Tour will pass there.
What would you recommend?
Thanks.
English isn’t my first language, so please excuse any mistakes.
VavoVideo To be honest you can't go wrong with either the Glandon or Croix de Fer, both are absolutely fantastic! Depending on where you are staying, I'd ride the one closest to you (keep it simple) You won't be disappointed. Or, take an extra day and ride both! :-) Ride safe and enjoy! Mike
when was this filmed? Just about made the summit today (May 21) really wasn't expecting a full on snow blizzard!
Great video as ever - got yourselves a drone now too? Summit shots at the end are stunning.
frankswildy We had a drone for all the climbs, problem was sometimes it was rather windy so it wasn't possible to always use it. Shame as it's undoubtedly my favourite toy in the world, oh after my bike of course :-)
Whyy is French Alps so beautiful?
Hey!! Mike how long did your ride take?
evilrich1 I think on this occasion it must've been between around 2.5 hours with the filming work. Such a wonderful mountain, I'm totally in love with it!
Can you tell us what the main track you selected is? I want more of that music on my playlist.
😀👍
I would like to know about the bike you're using in this video.
pleace, tell me the name of music, its, great for practice cycling!!!
E DIO MALANDRINOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
COL DE LA CROIX DE FER ( LA CHAMBRE) IS THE HARDEST CLIMB. COL DU GLANDON + COL DE LA CROIX DE FER 22 KMS AT 7%
I dit it, 25-5-2018 pff so heavy!!
What is on your wrist Mike?
Matthew Holberton It's a band with personal information on. The one I personally use is the Squarda iD from OneLifeiD. Safety first, especially in the mountains!
How is the car traffic on these road?
+springin2tri Normally really good. The climb you need to watch out for in this area is Alpe d'Huez which is always busy.
after the little descent my garmin says it was 18 %
You look a bit like Rafal Majka in some shots
Alluvial Fan Ha! I'll take that as a compliment, only he is faster ;-)
Just don't wink at the camera like him though!
Ha! I'll remember not to do that ;-)