The road to the summit, 2006	A lonely climb…
An option for amateur riders is to ride the Col from Bourg d’Oisans at the foot of l’Alpe d’Huez to Le Grand-Bornard.  This approach is definitely the scenic route, but it is far from gentle. Official statistics say that the northern slopes are the more difficult, with 30kms of climbing at an average of 5.1%, pitching over 6-7% for the last 7km. The scenic route from the south is, in comparison, around 27km at 4.7% on average. There are, however, plenty of sections close to 10% and even a kilometre of 12% to negotiate halfway through the climb.
Several ways to the top(s)	Le Summit
The run up the valley from Bourg d’Oisans offers the chance to warm up the legs, as well as to grab supplies from Allemont where the local boulangerie/patisserie offers an excellent selection. As the gradient starts to climb, views over the Lac de Verney reservoir can be had before the road disappears into the tree line.  It is long, steady climbing where a good rhythm will suffice. There are short hairpin descents after the village of le Rivier de Allemont, which pitches up at 12% (there are warning signs!) on the other side for around a kilometre. There are also some steeper sections close to the Lac de Grand Maison, which is a nice place to admire the spectacular alpine scenery now that the road has left the forest behind and is winding up the craggy pasture mountainsides.  With 1km to go, there’s the turn off to the left for the Col du Glandon, whereupon the looming summit of the Croix de Fer beckons.

Elevation Profile from La Chambre (3km from St-Etienne-de-Cuines) to Col du Glandon

21.5km route from La Chambre (3km from St-Etienne-de-Cuines) to Col du Glandon

3km from La Chambre to St-Etienne-de-Cuines

29.9km route from St-Etienne-de-Cuines to Col du Glandon

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