On 6 September, the Haute Tarentaise will launch the first edition of «La Bernardette», a new cycling climb connecting Séez to the Petit Saint-Bernard pass.
There are the legendary passes that you climb for the time. And then there are those that you climb for the pleasure of the journey.
With «La Bernardette», the Haute Tarentaise has chosen the second option. On Sunday, 6 September 2026, the cyclists will set off from See to join the Little St Bernard Pass, at an altitude of 2,188 metres, on a road exceptionally closed to car traffic.
The programme includes: 24 kilometres of climbing and 1,285 metres of positive elevation gain in the heart of one of Haute Tarentaise's most beautiful landscapes.
But here, no rankings are planned. Nor any podium. Each person will climb at their own pace, with the only adversaries being the slope and, above all, themselves.
A hill steeped in 2000 years of history
Because the Petit Saint-Bernard pass is not like other passes. Long before cyclists, it already saw merchants, pilgrims, armies and travellers crossing, linking Tarentaise to the Aosta Valley.
Located on the border between France and Italy, this Alpine pass has been one of the main gateways through the Alps since antiquity.
Even today, its ascent retains something special. The road gradually winds above the valley, crosses the high-altitude hamlets and slowly gains the wide open spaces that characterise the mountainside leading to the pass.
With an average gradient of 4.5%, the climb remains accessible to many cyclists, a far cry from some of the legendary climbs in alpine cycling.
The Haute Tarentaise, a cycling paradise?
With this first edition, the territory also continues his strategy around cycling.
After the development of gravel routes, Whether it's mountain biking, electric mountain biking, or scenic valley cycle routes, the creation of «La Bernardette» completes an already particularly rich offering for two-wheel enthusiasts.
The choice of the Petit Saint-Bernard is anything but trivial. Less publicised than some giants of Tour de France, it nevertheless possesses all the ingredients sought after by enthusiasts: a long, steady climb, spectacular panoramas, and a genuine heritage dimension.
Enough to convince you to get started, next September 6th?
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