Mountain pass cycling milestones are signposts that provide cyclists with information about their current position with regard to the summit of the mountain pass.[1] They always provide information for cyclists going uphill. Sometimes the signs are two-sided, thereby providing information also for cyclists going downhill.
Mountain pass cycling milestones are particularly useful to cyclists that are not familiar with the climbs. In general, they allow cyclists to schedule breaks as well as to plan food and liquid uptake. They furthermore can serve as motivational landmarks.
Local institutions invest in this cycling infrastructure to offer service to cyclists, thus promoting tourism in their region.[2]
Mountain pass cycling milestones always carry a pictogram of a bicycle or cyclist and specify the following standard information
Additional information found in some cases includes
Typically, the signposts are placed every kilometer such that the slope corresponds to the average across the next kilometer.
Mountain pass cycling milestones have become common in many major mountain passes in the French Pyrenees and Alps. Often their design is chosen to resemble the main features of conventional French milestones, which is a white bottom and a yellow top.
The following table lists mountain passes signposted with cycling milestones, ordered by the height of the summit. If a mountain pass is not included in the table below, that does not imply that it has no cycling milestones. It can likewise mean that is not yet documented in this table.
All signs display the standard information (see above). The table specifies the precision of the slope. Additional information and emblems (if any) are explained in the column with remarks.
| Name | Height | Country | Precision of slope | Example and season | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cime de la Bonette from Jausiers uphill | 2802m (9,193feet) | 0.1% | Emblem left: similar to the one of Jausiers; emblem right: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur; C1: number of road; bold 2: distance from starting point in Jausiers. | ||
| Cime de la Bonette to Jausiers downhill | 2802m (9,193feet) | 0.1% | Emblem left: similar to the one of Jausiers; emblem right: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur; C1: number of road; bold 2: distance to starting point in Jausiers. | ||
| Cime de la Bonette from Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée uphill | 2802m (9,193feet) | 1% | Emblem left: Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur; Emblem right: Mercantour National Park; M2205: number of road; bold 77: distance from starting point of this road. | ||
| Cime de la Bonette to Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée downhill | 2802m (9,193feet) | 1% | Emblem left: Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur; emblem right: Mercantour National Park; M2205: number of road; bold 77: distance to starting point of this road. | ||
| Col de l'Iseran from Bonneval-sur-Arc uphill only | 2770m (9,090feet) | 1% | On the side the logo of Savoie and the number of the road (D 902) is displayed. | ||
| Col de l'Iseran from Val-d'Isère uphill only | 2770m (9,090feet) | 1% | On the side the logo of Savoie and the number of the road (D 902) is displayed. | ||
| Col Agnel from Château-Queyras uphill only | 2744m (9,003feet) | 0.1% | Emblem:Conseil général Hautes Alpes; 2744 m: height of summit; A QR code is included in the lower right. | ||
| Col du Galibier from Valloire uphill only | 2642m (8,668feet) | 1% | On the side the logo of Savoie and the number of the road (D 902) is displayed. | ||
| Col du Galibier from Col du Lautaret uphill only | 2642m (8,668feet) | 0.1% | Emblem:Conseil général Hautes Alpes; 2642 m: height of summit; A QR code is included in the lower right. | ||
| Col d'Izoard from Briançon uphill only | 2360m (7,740feet) | 0.1% | Emblem:Conseil général Hautes Alpes; 2360 m: height of summit; A QR code is included in the lower right. | ||
| Col d'Izoard from Guillestre uphill only | 2360m (7,740feet) | 0.1% | Emblem:Conseil général Hautes Alpes; 2360 m: height of summit; A QR code is included in the lower right. | ||
| Col de la Cayolle from Barcelonette uphill only | 2326m (7,631feet) | 1% | Emblem:Conseil général Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; D902: number of road. | ||
| Col d'Allos from Barcelonette uphill only | 2250m (7,380feet) | 1% | Emblem:Conseil général Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; D908: number of road. | ||
| Col du Tourmalet from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan uphill only | 2115m (6,939feet) | 0.5% | Emblem: Conseil général Hautes-Pyrénées; 2115 m: height of summit. | ||
| Col du Tourmalet from Luz-Saint-Sauveur uphill only | 2115m (6,939feet) | 0.5% | Emblem: Conseil général Hautes-Pyrénées; 2115 m: height of summit. | ||
| Col de Vars from Guillestre uphill only | 2109m (6,919feet) | 0.1% | Emblem:Conseil général Hautes Alpes; 2109 m: height of summit; A QR code is included in the lower right. | ||
| Col de Vars from Jausiers uphill only | 2109m (6,919feet) | 1% | Emblem: Conseil général Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; D902: number of road. | ||
| Col des Champs from Colmars uphill only | 2087m (6,847feet) | 1% | Emblem: Conseil général Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; D2: number of road. | ||
| Col de la Madeleine from La Léchère uphill only | 1993m (6,539feet) | 1% | On the side (here not visible) the logo of Savoie and the number of the road (D 213) is displayed. | ||
| Col de la Madeleine from La Chambre uphill only | 1993m (6,539feet) | 1% | On the side the logo of Savoie and the number of the road (D 213) is displayed. | ||
| Col du Glandon from La Chambre uphill only | 1924m (6,312feet) | 1% | On the side the logo of Savoie and the number of the road (D 927) is displayed. | ||
| Col de la Couillole from Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée up- and downhill | 1679m (5,509feet) | 1% | M30: number of road; bold 11: distance from and to starting point in Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée | ||
| Peyragudes from Col de Peyresourde uphill only | 1620m (5,320feet) | 0.5% | Emblem: Conseil général Hautes-Pyrénées; 1620 m: height of summit. | ||
| Col de Peyresourde from Armenteule uphill only | 1569m (5,148feet) | 0.5% | Emblem: Conseil général Hautes-Pyrénées; 1569 m: height of summit. | ||
| Col du Télégraphe from Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne uphill only | 1566m (5,138feet) | 1% | On the side the logo of Savoie and the number of the road (D 902) is displayed. | ||
| Hourquette d'Ancizan from Payolle uphill only | 1564m (5,131feet) | 0.1% | Summer 2015 | Emblem: Conseil général Hautes-Pyrénées; 1564 m: height of summit. | |
| Hourquette d'Ancizan from Ancizan uphill only | 1564m (5,131feet) | 0.1% | Summer 2015 | Emblem: Conseil général Hautes-Pyrénées; 1564 m: height of summit. | |
| Col d'Aspin from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan uphill only | 1489m (4,885feet) | 0.5% | Emblem: Conseil général Hautes-Pyrénées; 1489 m: height of summit. | ||
| Col d'Aspin from Arreau uphill only | 1489m (4,885feet) | 0.5% | Emblem: Conseil général Hautes-Pyrénées; 1489 m: height of summit. | ||