Video: Mike Cotty takes on Europe’s third highest road pass – the Col Agnel

What’s the third highest road pass in Europe? Have a gold star if you said the Col Agnel. The road, which straddles the border between France and Italy, has only featured twice in the Tour de France, and once in the Giro d’Italia, but it’s the latest to be tackled by Mike Cotty for the Col Collective.

The Col Agnel made its Giro debut in 2007, on a stage that finished in the French town of Briançon, with Yoann Le Boulanger the first rider to cross it in a Grand Tour.

Its first appearance in the Tour, meanwhile, was on a stage that finished in Italy, at Prato Nervoso in 2008, with its second appearance, in 2011, seeing the climb undertaken on the way to Serre-Chevalier.

According to Cotty, the Col Agnel is “an unbelievable climb, snow-capped peaks, an abundance of nature and a deserted road that looks like it’s been stitched to the side of the mountain with a needle and thread takes you on a journey like never before.” Here he is riding it.

He adds:

Despite being the third highest road pass in the Alps, after the Col de l’Iseran and Passo dello Stelvio, the real beauty of the Col Agnel is its relative unknown status amongst the greats, making it a quiet giant linking the Hautes Alpes in France with the Italian province of Cuneo.

I’ll never forget the first time I rode the Col Agnel many years ago. A friend and I had arrived in Briançon so decided that a ‘leg-loosener’ was in order to shake out an early start and day of travel.

After ascending the northern side of the Izoard and descending towards Ville-Vieille we saw the sign for Agnel/Italy and in our youth (or perhaps naivety) started plugging away not really knowing what we were letting ourselves in for.

Of course, you can’t start a climb and not finish it (they’re the rules) especially when it’s as perfect as the Agnel. The vast expanse of the surrounding snow-capped peaks, abundance of nature and a deserted road that looks like it’s been stitched to the side of the mountain with a needle and thread instills a sense of freedom and wellbeing that’s difficult to beat.

It was only when we met an English school teacher at the summit, and admired the view, that we really understood how magical the Agnel is. 2,744 metres high and with a character like no other, this is one mountain journey you really can’t afford to miss.

Vital statistics

Start: Ville-Vieille
Length: 21km
Summit: 2,744m
Elevation gain: 1,364m
Average gradient: 6.6%
Max gradient: 10%