Cime De La Bonette-Restefond on:
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Col de la Bonette (el. ) is a high
From the south, the climb starts at Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée and is long. Over this distance, the climb is (an average percentage of 6.4%). On the climb to the actual Col de la Bonette, there is one short section at over 10%, but on the loop around the Cime de la Bonette, the gradient reaches 15%.
From the north, the climb starts at Jausiers and is long. Over this distance, the climb is (an average percentage of 6.6%), with the steepest sections at 9%.
On both sides mountain pass cycling markers are placed every kilometre. They indicate the current height, the distance from the start, the distance to the summit, the average slope in the following kilometre, the number of the street, as well as the distances to villages and cities connected by the pass. They provide information for cyclists going up- and downhill.
Preview of Bonette Stage in 2008 Tour de France
Motorbiking in the Alps
Map of the Col de la Bonette and the Col de RestefondCol de la Bonette on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)Cycling up to the Col de la Bonette: data, profile, map, photos and description
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonette Mercantour National Park Mountain passes of the Alps Landforms of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Landforms of Alpes-Maritimes Mountain passes of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Transport in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...
in the French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
Alps, near the border with Italy. It is situated within the Mercantour National Park on the border of the departments of Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, it ...
and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP (; oc, Aups d'Auta Provença; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the west ...
. The road over the col is the seventh highest paved road in the Alps.
Col de Restefond
The passage over the Col de la Bonette is often mistakenly referred to as the ''Col de Restefond
Col de Restefond (el. ) is a high mountain pass in the French Alps, near the border with Italy. It is situated on the flanks of le Restefonde within the Mercantour National Park in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
The actual pass is si ...
'', and in the 2008 Tour de France
The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th running of the race. The event took place from 5 to 27 July. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regu ...
the summit was referred to as the ''Cime de la Bonette-Restefond''. Stage 16 of the tour approached the summit from Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée (south-east), and after reaching the Col de la Bonette, took a loop round the Cime de la Bonette reaching the summit of , which is the highest point reached by the Tour de France, before re-passing the Col de la Bonette. On the descent to Jausiers, the actual Col de Restefond was then passed on the right approximately 1 km from the summit.
“Highest road in Europe”
The two kilometre long teardrop shaped loop around the Cime de la Bonette peak () from either side of the pass is the highest paved through route in the Alps. A signpost at the foot of the climb makes the claim "''Col de la Bonette – Restefond, 2802 m above sea level, highest road in Europe''". This claim is incorrect for various reasons. The actual Col de la Bonette rises to , but there are three Alpine road passes whose altitudes are higher: Col de l'Iseran (), Stelvio Pass () and Col Agnel (). There is also the road to Veleta (Sierra Nevada), Spain (nearGranada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
) which reaches but it is not a through road.
The road around the Cime de la Bonette reaches an altitude of , but this is not a " pass", but merely a scenic loop. It is, however, the highest asphalted road in France and is the highest through road in Europe.
Details of the climb
From the south, the climb starts at Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée and is long. Over this distance, the climb is (an average percentage of 6.4%). On the climb to the actual Col de la Bonette, there is one short section at over 10%, but on the loop around the Cime de la Bonette, the gradient reaches 15%.
From the north, the climb starts at Jausiers and is long. Over this distance, the climb is (an average percentage of 6.6%), with the steepest sections at 9%.
On both sides mountain pass cycling markers are placed every kilometre. They indicate the current height, the distance from the start, the distance to the summit, the average slope in the following kilometre, the number of the street, as well as the distances to villages and cities connected by the pass. They provide information for cyclists going up- and downhill.
Tour de France
The pass has featured in the Tour de France four times (1962, 1964, 1993 and 2008). In1962
Events January
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* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
and 1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
, the race was led over the summit in both years by Federico Bahamontes, approaching from the south in 1962 and from the north in 1964. Robert Millar led over the summit (from the north) in 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
.
In 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
John-Lee Augustyn
John-Lee Augustyn (born 10 August 1986) is a South African former professional road bicycle racer. His former teams include Team Sky, Barloworld and . Following a hip resurfacing operation in 2011, he moved to the UCI Professional Continenta ...
led over the mountain (from the south), before falling on the descent to Jausiers.
Appearances in Tour de France
References
External links
Preview of Bonette Stage in 2008 Tour de France
Motorbiking in the Alps
Map of the Col de la Bonette and the Col de Restefond
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonette Mercantour National Park Mountain passes of the Alps Landforms of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Landforms of Alpes-Maritimes Mountain passes of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Transport in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur