The Col de Porte (elevation 1,326 m (4,350 ft)) is a mountain pass situated in the Chartreuse Mountains in the Isère department of France, between Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse to the south and Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse to the north. It sits on the D512 between Grenoble and Chambéry, and prior to 1998 was often crossed in conjunction with the Col du Cucheron and the Col du Granier.[2]

Col de Porte
The col seen from the north
Elevation1,326 m (4,350 ft)[1]
Traversed byD512
LocationIsère, Rhône-Alpes, France
RangeChartreuse Mountains
Coordinates45°17′24″N 5°46′01″E / 45.29000°N 5.76694°E / 45.29000; 5.76694
Col de Porte is located in Alps
Col de Porte
Col de Porte
Location of Col de Porte

To the east is Chamechaude, the highest summit in the Chartreuse Massif. There is a small ski resort situated near the col.[3]

Cycle racing

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The Col de Porte is regularly used in the Critérium du Dauphiné. In the sixth stage of the 1977 Critérium, Bernard Hinault fell on the descent from the Col de Porte leading to Grenoble when he was alone in the lead, 1'40" ahead of his competitors. Despite the fall, he won the stage at Bastille in Grenoble ahead of Lucien Van Impe and Bernard Thévenet.[4][5]

Details of the climb

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From Grenoble, to the south, the climb via the D512 is 17.7 km (11.0 mi) long, gaining 1,116 m (3,661 ft) in altitude, at an average gradient of 6.3%, with the steepest section being at 10%. 2.5 km (1.6 mi) from the summit, it passes the Col de Palaquit (1,154 m (3,786 ft)).[6]

Tour de France

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The pass was first included in the Tour de France in 1907,[7] after which it was used in the next three tours, and then not again until 1947.[8]

Appearances in Tour de France since 1947

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Since 1947, the passages which have been categorized have been:[9]

Year Stage Category Start Finish Leader at the summit
2020 16 1 La Tour-du-Pin Villard-de-Lans   Pierre Rolland (FRA)
1998 16 1 Vizille Albertville   Stéphane Heulot (FRA)
1989 19 1 Villard-de-Lans Aix-les-Bains   Pedro Delgado (ESP)
1978 17 1 Grenoble Morzine   André Romero (FRA)
1971 10 1 Saint-Etienne Grenoble   Luis Ocaña (ESP)
1970 12 1 Thonon-les-Bains Grenoble   Eddy Merckx (BEL)
1968 18 1 Saint-Etienne Grenoble   Roger Pingeon (FRA)
1965 17 1 Briançon Aix-les-Bains   Julio Jiménez (ESP)
1963 15 1 Saint-Etienne Grenoble   Federico Bahamontes (ESP)
1962 19 1 Briançon Aix-les-Bains   Raymond Poulidor (FRA)
1961 9 2 Saint-Etienne Grenoble   Charly Gaul (LUX)
1958 21 1 Briançon Aix-les-Bains   Charly Gaul (LUX)
1951 21 1 Briançon Aix-les-Bains   Bernard Gauthier (FRA)
1948 14 2 Briançon Aix-les-Bains   Gino Bartali (ITA)

References

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  1. ^ IGN map
  2. ^ "Col Hunting in the Chartreuse Alps". cycling-challenge. 21 August 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Col de Porte". www.coldeporte.fr. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  4. ^ "Bernard Hinault-Crashes over a cliff. Critérium du Dauphiné 1977". ciclismopassion. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Dauphiné Libéré : chute de Bernard Hinault" (Video) (in French). www.ina.fr. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Col de Porte - Grenoble". www.climbbybike.com. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  7. ^ Woodland, Les (2003). The Yellow Jersey Companion to the Tour de France. Yellow Jersey Press. ISBN 0-224-063189.
  8. ^ "Le col de Porte" (in French). memoire-du-cyclisme. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Le col de Porte dans le Tour de France depuis 1947" (in French). ledicodutour. Retrieved 18 July 2014.