Ballon d'Alsace from Courgenay

A long day out from the Swiss Jura into the Vosges, finishing on the Ballon d'Alsace — the first mountain climb ever used in the Tour de France.

The Ballon d’Alsace needs no introduction: it was the first real mountain the Tour de France ever climbed, back in 1905. This route approaches it the quiet way, rolling out of Courgenay through the Ajoie farmland before crossing into France and picking up the long, steady drag toward the summit.

The ride

The first 40 km are deceptively gentle — small ring, coffee pace, one bakery stop in Delle that you should absolutely not skip. The climbing starts in earnest after Giromagny, where the road tilts up through beech forest in a series of well-graded switchbacks.

The climb itself averages around 6% and never bites much harder. It’s a rhythm climb: find your gear, settle in, and enjoy some of the best-surfaced tarmac in the Vosges.

Worth knowing

• Water: fountains in Giromagny and at the summit café.
• Best season: May to October. The top can be cold and foggy even in summer — pack a vest for the descent.
• Surface: flawless tarmac the whole way.