Col de Joux Plane
Is Col de Joux Plane the toughest climb in the Tour de France? It may not be a question asked in traditional Tour literature, but anyone who has ridden over this steep and sinuous pass and then hurtled down into Morzine has certainly considered it.
Okay, the numbers don’t exactly back this up: a variety of better known climbs are longer and higher than Col de Joux Plane; others have a steeper average gradient than 8.5% gradient; yet more have harder sections than the 12.5% gradient you hit 1 km from the 1691 m summit. However, Joux Plane does somehow seems a lot harder on the road than any kind of numerical breakdown might suggest.
And let’s not forget, Col de Joux Plane broke Lance Armstrong - his only true collapse in the mountains during his seven-year reign, on Stage 16 of the 2000 Tour - and Laurent Fignon – he nearly lost the yellow jersey in the final mountain stage of 1983. Such shocks have solidified the reputation of Joux Plane in the minds of many.