Col de la Croix de Fer

From Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne the road climbs 29 km at an average of 5.2% to 2,067 m, and the average is meaningless: the profile is a staircase of steep ramps and two long descents, one of them dropping 100 m before the Glandon junction. The last 2.5 km after the Glandon turn-off are steep and open, with the iron cross on the pass in view. A hard day disguised as a gentle number.