France is home to some of the longest most brutal climbs in the world. The hardest is not one to the Gibby or even outdoes. It’s the colder loos. Only fully paved to the summit in 2018 and making its tour to France debut in 2020. The climb has already earned repeat appearances in 2022 and again in 2025. For our trip this year, we took on the Corvel side ahead of stage 18. A stunning steady ascent for the first 22 km before the road kicks up with ramps of over 20% in its final stretch. Tricky, attritional, but the hardest climb in France, not quite. The real menace is the western approach via Marabel. The first 18 km feels familiar. Steady gradients winding through ski towns. But once you leave Marbel, things get ugly fast. The road narrows, becoming a dedicated cycle track closed to regular traffic. From there, it takes the most direct line to the top, throwing up gradients of over 20% again and again and again. The final four km are some of the toughest I’ve ever ridden. After the steady grind below, it feels like stepping into six frantic rounds in the octagon after already surviving a 12 round slug with a heavyweight. But when you finally reach the summit a couple of hours after setting off, you’ll have achieved something remarkable, and the views are every bit as rewarding.
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