Télégraphe and Galibier from Saint-Michel: 35 km, two climbs, one plan

The Galibier is 2,642 m high, on the border between Savoie and the Hautes-Alpes, and from Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne it is one of the longest days of climbing in the Alps: 34.8 km and 2,085 m of height gain, according to the Valloire tourist office. It is really two climbs. First the Col du Télégraphe through the forest, then a short descent to Valloire, then the Galibier itself, getting steeper all the way to the top. Here is how the road is built, how to spread three hours of effort across it, and what to know about the tunnel, the season and the car-free mornings.

The climb, in three parts

Our track on this page measures 35.7 km and 2,090 m of climbing, close to the official figures. Its steepest kilometre is 9.9%.

• Saint-Michel to the Télégraphe: the forest. The tourist office calls the first climb fairly regular, averaging 7.25%. Take the descent and the 17.8 km above Valloire off the official total and it is about 12 km long. The Fort du Télégraphe, a historic monument, stands at the col.
• The drop to Valloire. From the Télégraphe the road descends about 5 km into Valloire. It is a welcome rest and a chance to eat, but it also cools your legs. Don't stop for long.
• Valloire to the Galibier: the real climb. From Valloire it is 17.8 km to the pass, with gradients that rise as you go. Our track shows the first 6 km out of Valloire at around 4–5% up the valley, then 7% and more, and the last eight kilometres or so at 7.5–9%. Plan Lachat, where the Savoie department's car-free closures begin, is the landmark for the hard part, and most of it is above 2,000 m.

How to pace a two-climb day

For most amateurs this is a ride of three hours or more uphill. The common mistake is treating the Télégraphe as a climb to race. It is the approach, and the Galibier will charge you for every minute you gained on it.

• Ride the Télégraphe at endurance effort. Somewhere around 75% of FTP, comfortably below the power you would hold on a one-hour climb. Our guide to pacing a climb with power explains why even pacing wins on long climbs.
• Eat in Valloire. You are about halfway through the climbing. A long climb like this needs 60–90 g of carbohydrate an hour from the start; fuelling long rides has the numbers.
• Lift the effort only above Plan Lachat. If you have anything left, this is where to use it.
• Expect fewer watts at the top. The final kilometres are at 2,300–2,600 m, and the same breathing gives less power up there. Ride by feel and see altitude for amateurs for why.
• Take warm clothes. You will descend from 2,642 m, whatever the weather in Saint-Michel. A jacket and full gloves weigh little.

Why it is the Galibier

The Tour de France first crossed the Galibier in 1911, and the Valloire tourist office records Émile Georget as the first rider to climb it. Since then the race has gone over it 62 times, and it has been classed hors catégorie since 1979. The Hautes-Alpes department describes it as the Alpine col the Tour has used most.

Just below the pass on the southern side stands a monument to Henri Desgrange, who created the Tour in 1903 and directed it until 1939. It was inaugurated in 1949. The most recent visit the tourist office lists is 2 July 2024, when Tadej Pogačar covered the last 8.5 km in 20 minutes 50 seconds.

When to go, and what to watch for

• Season. The Galibier is closed in winter, and the Savoie department decides when it opens. Valloire Tourisme says it is usually open from the end of May to the beginning of November. The tunnel a few bends below the pass reopens first, and the summit road follows one to two weeks later; in 2026 they were due on 29 May and 5 June. The Télégraphe is open all year: it is the only way into Valloire in winter.
• Car-free mornings. The Savoie department runs Le Galibier aux Vélos on a few summer days, closing the road between Plan Lachat and the summit to motor traffic from 9:00 to 12:00. In 2026 there were three dates, in June, July and August. Check savoie-route.fr for the next ones.
• Make it a bigger loop. Over the top, the road drops to the Col du Lautaret. Strong riders combine it with other big climbs nearby, such as the Col de la Madeleine; see a first Alps trip in one week for how to fit them together.

Ride it in Moveee Indoor

The route on this page is the real road from Saint-Michel over the Télégraphe, down to Valloire and up to the pass, with its height at every point. In Moveee Indoor your smart trainer reproduces that gradient as you ride, including the descent in the middle, and the world around you is built from map data of the real place. It is the ideal place to rehearse the discipline this climb asks for: an easy Télégraphe and a strong finish.

Ride it with a plan, say 75% of FTP to Valloire and 85% above, and compare the two halves in the saved power data afterwards. It runs in the browser or as the Mac and Windows app. Prefer your own device? Download the GPX above and load it into any app that rides GPX files.

The short version

34.8 km and 2,085 m from Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne to 2,642 m, in two climbs with a descent to Valloire between them. Ride the Télégraphe gently, eat in Valloire, and save your effort for the steep last kilometres above Plan Lachat. Check the opening, take warm clothes for the descent, and if you can, ride it on a car-free morning.