Featured in the Tour de France over 60 times, the Galibier may just be the Tour’s most iconic climb. For many years it was the undisputed physical peak of the Tour de France, reaching an altitude of 2,642m!

It was first featured in the Tour on July 10, 1911. On that day, only three riders managed to get their single-speed bikes up the sloppy mud road to the summit without walking.

The Col du Galibier can be climbed from the north or the south. Zwift’s segment takes it on from the south, just like pros in the Tour’s 2024 edition did in stage 4. This segment is actually just the final portion of the stage’s much longer climb (23km) which combines the Col du Lautaret and the Col du Galibier. (The Col du Galibier section begins at an altitude of 2,058 meters!)

Galibier trivia: this was the favoured climb of Tour de France founder Henri Desgrange. In 1949 a memorial to was erected to him on the southern side near the entrance to the tunnel, and whenever the tour crosses the Galibier, a wreath is laid on the memorial.

Here’s the IRL segment: