Col d'ÈzeCat 2
- 9.47 km
- Length
- 5.0%
- Average
- 474 m
- Elevation gain
- 8.7%
- Steepest 500 m
- 500 m(sign)
- Summit
Èze is at its steepest straight away. The first two kilometres out of Nice sit at close to eight per cent, and then it eases off gradually. The fourth and fifth kilometres are the shallowest on the whole climb, and it is easy to think the worst is behind you. Right after them comes the steepest stretch, at eight and a half per cent. The rest holds at around six per cent until it flattens at the top. The last kilometre is nearly level, and a short section actually goes downhill.
How long will Col d'Èze take you?
A rider at 3.0 W/kg takes about 39 minutes to climb Col d'Èze.
Put in your weight and the average power you hold on the gradient. We add 9 kg for bike and kit. The model works the time out from physics, and it has been tested against real rides.
Riders
The road
Paris–Nice finished with a time trial up Èze from 1969 to 1995. Merckx won the first, and Sean Kelly won five.
There is no official record for the climb, and the reason is the same as on Madone: the start and finish have moved over the years. Wikipedia gives Bradley Wiggins at 19:12 in 2012, while a segment site gives Tadej Pogačar at around fifteen minutes in 2023. The two figures do not describe the same stretch.
Between 1998 and 2011 the race used the climb on an ordinary final stage instead. The road is signed as a Route du Tour de France.
The climb
Èze climbs straight out of Nice. The first two kilometres are the steepest on the climb, and you are at close to eight per cent before you have left the city behind.
The third kilometre eases to a little over six per cent, and the fourth and fifth drop below four. This is where you can take back what you spent at the start.
Then comes the ramp. A stretch halfway up measures eight and a half per cent over half a kilometre, and it is the steepest half-kilometre on the climb. After that the gradient sits at around six per cent for three kilometres.
The last kilometre is nearly level, and a short section goes downhill before the top.
