Col de la Faucille, a great paved road in the Jura Mountains
Col de la Faucille is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1,323m (4,341ft) above the sea level, located in the department of Ain in the French Jura.
The road to the summi is paved. It’s called RN5. The pass, one of the best know climbs in the Jura Mountains, links Gex in Ain to the towns of Les Rousses and Saint-Claude in Jura. It’s a popular route for cyclists and the route has a fair amount of traffic. A Sunday in March is probably as quiet as it gets – avoid on weekdays as Trucks use this route as a short-cut to Dijon.
The pass has been featured in the Tour de France since 1951. There are 3 routes to reach the summit. Starting from Gex, the ascent is 11.8 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 703 meters. The average percentage is 6 %. Starting from Mijoux, the ascent is 8.5 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 338 meters. The average percentage is 4 %. This is the short easier side of the Col de la Faucille. It is in the shade and is not too steep. It can be busy and is quite narrow in places. And starting from Morez, the ascent is 26.8 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 618 meters. The average percentage is 2.3 %.