Few cycling roads anywhere have as strong a visual identity as the Lacets de Montvernier: 18 hairpin bends stacked on a sheer cliff face in the Maurienne valley, forming what looks from above like a giant staircase of tarmac. Since 2015, this image has become one of the most recognisable in cycling, well beyond the Tour de France alone.
Eighteen hairpins clinging to the cliff
Completed in 1934 after six years of construction, the road originally connected the perched village of Montvernier, previously isolated, to the valley floor below. Over just 3.4 km, it climbs 277 m at an average of 8.1%, threading its 18 numbered hairpins along a limestone cliff face, with sections approaching 13%. The road stays narrow throughout this stretch, adding to the drama of the climb without making it dangerous on a bike.
The climb keeps going up to Col du Chaussy
The hairpins are only the first act: beyond Montvernier, the road continues climbing through alpine pastures and forest all the way to Col du Chaussy, at 1,533 m. In total, from Pontamafrey down in the valley, that’s 13.8 km for 1,030 m of elevation gain, averaging 7.5%. The profile is uneven: very steep through the hairpins, then more rolling, before kicking up again in the final kilometres to the pass.
A Tour de France fixture
The climb made its first appearance on the Tour de France on stage 18 in 2015, between Gap and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, won by Romain Bardet. The top of the hairpins, only about ten kilometres from the finish, played a key role in how the stage unfolded, giving television cameras aerial shots that have since become iconic.
Getting the ride right
A compact or triple crankset is strongly recommended to handle the steepest sections of the hairpins without overexertion. The road is narrow here — it’s best to climb early in the morning, when tourist traffic is still light, especially in summer.
When to go
June to September, since the road is closed or barely rideable in winter beyond Montvernier because of the altitude of Col du Chaussy.
Good to know
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, just a few kilometres away, offers a wide choice of accommodation and bike rental shops used to a cyclosportive clientele, with convenient access to other Maurienne passes such as Col de la Croix de Fer or Col du Glandon to extend a col-hunting trip.
