Crossing between France and Italy, Col de la Lombarde (or Colle della Lombarda) is a high mountain pass above the French ski resort Isola, and above the Italian mountain resort of Vinadio, famous for its historic Forte. We’ve done this climb as a two day trip over the border, making the most of the amazing area and places to see. Basing yourself at Vinadio, cycle the col to France, stay overnight at Isola and then cycle back. This way you get to experience all aspects of this amazing climb and the wonderful villages in this border mountain area.
Route Information
Stats 86 km & 2988 m
Refreshments & Where to Stay
Good accommodation options exist on both sides of the border. Click the link at the foot of this page to visit Booking.com. Refreshments along the way are available at Isola 2000 ski resort on the descent into France, but are limited elsewhere on the route. On the ride back, a detour to the Sanctuary of Sant ‘Anna Vinadio is a wonderful place to stop off at and refresh yourself.
Character
This route, whilst picturesque and beautiful is a challenging and tough Italian cycling route into the mountains. Unlike many Italain pass cycle routes, refreshments are limited and you need to be prepared. However, it’s an awesome 2 day cycling route between Italy and France, enabling you to immerse yourself in the mountain culture.
Route
1. Set off from the small historic mountain town of Vinadio and head to the SP255 mountain road. Be careful of traffic between the two countries on the road.
2. Blue road signs by a small white villa indicate the road and sign you to the col and give you the distance – 22km.
3. Hairpins lower down lead you upwards through trees, as the road steepens and becomes more isolated.
4. Reaching the summit, there’s a large area for cars and tourists, but not much else. Now and then a cafe truck will offer refreshments, but we recommend descending to the ski resort at Isola 2000, some 5 km below the summit.
5. Once refreshed, continue the tight and twisting descent on this narrow but good road and enjoy an overnight stay in the beautiful French village of Isola, before riding back over in the morning – unless you want a really epic day 😉
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