At barely 6 km, La Planche des Belles Filles is no Alpine giant. Yet this modest Vosges ski station above Plancher-les-Mines has become, since 2012, one of the most feared judges of the modern Tour de France.
A short climb with a rare violence
From Plancher-les-Mines, the road climbs 6.05 km for 494 m of elevation gain, averaging 8.2%. Far from regular, the profile steepens sharply through the ski station, where several bends brush against 20% gradient. Over such a short distance, this irregularity turns every acceleration into a threshold effort, with no real flat stretch to recover before the summit.
Six Tour de France appearances since 2012
La Planche des Belles Filles owes its fame to six Tour de France appearances between 2012 and 2022. It was here, in 2012, that the very first summit finish on the climb took place: Chris Froome won the stage, while Bradley Wiggins took the yellow jersey he would not relinquish all the way to Paris. Vincenzo Nibali claimed a stage win here in 2014. Then, in 2020, the “Super Planche” served as the ultimate judge during the final mountain time trial, where Tadej Pogačar overturned Primož Roglič’s lead and seized the yellow jersey in a stunning upset, on the eve of the finish in Paris.
Getting the ride right
A compact or triple crankset lets you get through the ski station’s steepest ramps without blowing up before the summit. A GPS bike computer helps pace such an irregular profile, where it’s easy to go out too hard on the first kilometre, which rolls more gently than what follows.
When to go
April to November, as the road is generally rideable from spring onward. The station, open in winter for skiing, returns to a quiet calm the rest of the year, offering a peaceful ascent outside the big cycling events.
Good to know
Plancher-les-Mines sits roughly thirty kilometres from both the Ballon d’Alsace and the Grand Ballon, two other emblematic Vosges climbs, making it easy to build a weekend around the range’s summits.
