Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Get the App

Routes

Road cycling routes

France

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Lüders

Mélisey

Col du Ballon d'Alsace – Ballon d'Alsace loop from Mélisey

Routes

Road cycling routes

France

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Lüders

Mélisey

Col du Ballon d'Alsace – Ballon d'Alsace loop from Mélisey

Hard

5.0

(7)

661

riders

Col du Ballon d'Alsace – Ballon d'Alsace loop from Mélisey

04:16

82.2km

1,400m

Road cycling

Hard road ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: March 28, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Parc naturel régional des Ballons des Vosges

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

13.3 km

Col de la Chevestraye

Mountain Pass

32.4 km

Col du Ballon d'Alsace

Highlight (Segment) • Mountain Pass

The ascent of the Ballon d'Alsace from Sewen stretches over 13 kilometers.

This 9-kilometer segment includes 700 meters of elevation gain, an average of 7.5%.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

41.6 km

Ascent to Ballon d'Alsace

Highlight (Segment) • Climb

Great route very nice view above.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

43.8 km

Here René Pottier conquered the first pass of the Tour de France on July 11, 1905. The Ballon d'Alsace then remained unrivaled for five years - until the much harder passes in the Pyrenees were discovered.

At 1,247 meters, the pass is by no means the highest in the Vosges and today no one would include it on the list of important passes - but there is still a certain magic about it.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

43.8 km

Borne René Pottier

Highlight • Other

René Pottier was the first to cross the Ballon d'Alsace in the Tour de France in 1905 (supposedly at an average speed of 20 km/h) and thus became cycling's first unofficial mountain king. In his honor, a stone with an inscription and his photo was placed at the top of the Ballon d'Alsace pass. However, in 1905 he did not win the stage over the mountain or the Tour de France itself - he had to retire due to an injury. In 1906 René came back, was first at the top of the pass again and was then also at the front in Paris. In his Tour victory he also won five stages, four of them in a row. Perhaps he could have repeated his success more times. In January 1907, just six months after his Tour triumph, Pottier took his own life by hanging himself in the garage of the bicycle factory whose bikes he rode. Employees found him hanging on the hook where his bike used to hang. Lovesickness was assumed to be the reason. He was 27 years old.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

44.5 km

Rue du Ballon d'Alsace.

Highlight (Segment) • Mountain Pass

The Ballon d'Alsace from Saint Maurice sur Moselle is 9 km long with a total drop of 621 m. The average gradient is 6.95 with a maximum gradient of 13.8%

The route features stunning mountain scenery and features frequently in the Tour de France.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

53.3 km

Hautes Vosges Greenway

Highlight (Segment) • Other

Well-developed former railway line, i.e. regular gradients, few crossings and good asphalt.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

61.9 km

Col des Croix

Highlight • Mountain Pass

From Le Thillot, the Col des Croix stretches for 4 kilometers, with 184 meters of vertical drop, for an average of 4.5%.

The summit which is located at 679 meters was crossed during the Tours de France 2014 and 2019.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

82.2 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

74.1 km

5.79 km

2.05 km

298 m

Surfaces

76.8 km

5.43 km

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (1,170 m)

Lowest point (330 m)

Weather

Monday 25 May

30°C

14°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 7.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Edit route

Download GPX

Move start point

Embed on a website

Report an Issue

Nearby routes

Hard

4.5

981

Ballon d'Alsace and the Lakes Loop

03:45h

72.9km

1,150m

Hard

4.9

4,424

Ballon d'Alsace – Col du Ballon d'Alsace loop from Trois-Chênes

05:48h

106km

2,120m

Hard

4.9

3,738

Col du Ballon d'Alsace – Ballon d'Alsace loop from Fresse-sur-Moselle

04:49h

82.8km

2,000m

Hard

4.5

487

La planche des belles filles — Loop from Malsaucy

02:55h

54.9km

940m

Moderate

5.0

102

Loop of the Petite Finlande starting from Faucogney-et-la-Mer

01:53h

34.7km

720m

Hard

4.4

1,352

Col du Page Memorial (957 m) – Col de Bramont loop from Bussang

03:32h

62.4km

1,390m

Hard

4.9

1,267

La Planche des Belles Filles – Ballon de Servance loop from Servance-Miellin

04:35h

71.8km

2,050m

Hard

5.0

Col du Mont de Fourche — loop from Remiremont

03:22h

63.7km

1,120m

Moderate

4.0

Loop of the Waters starting from Luxeuil-les-Bains

02:01h

46.0km

430m

Moderate

5.0

La Mer Loop Trail

01:10h

23.6km

370m

Moderate

4.6

1,144

Hautes Vosges Greenway – Voie Verte des Hautes Vosges loop from Bussang

02:53h

71.3km

430m

Moderate

4.3

Loop of the Monts de l'Ognon starting from Villersexel

01:51h

40.6km

430m

Col du Ballon d'Alsace – Ballon d'Alsace loop from Mélisey

Col du Ballon d'Alsace

Ascent to Ballon d'Alsace

Ballon d'Alsace

Borne René Pottier

Rue du Ballon d'Alsace.

Hautes Vosges Greenway

Col des Croix

Nearby routes

Sign up or log in to keep exploring this route

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️