Road Bike Kit - Col de Braus

About the Mountain

The Col de Braus is located in the Provence Cote D'Azur region near the Southern coast of France in the Provence Alpes Cote D'Azur.

It can be very hot in this region so bear this in mind, depending on what time of year that you attempt the ascent of the Col de Braus. The classic side of the Col de Braus starts in L'Escarene while the other side begins in Sospel. The climb begins with a steady gradient of around 5 to 6% and hovers around the average gradient of 6.5% before reaching, closer to the summit, a section of tight knit switchbacks where the gradient ramps up to 13% plus, the maximum gradient for the climb.

The summit is at 1005m which is not as high as some of the climbs located in the Alpes but it has a descent amout of elevation gain at 653m. There is a monument to cyclist Rene Vietto, a local area cyclist, at the summit of the Col de Braus. Rene Vietto sacrificed his own chances in the 1934 Tour de France to help his leader.

As well as being used several times in the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, the Col de Braus road is also used in the Monte Carlo Rally.