The unusual name of the pass comes from the alpine settlement "Roseland" on the western ramp, which was flooded when the reservoir was built in 1960. After crossing the upstream Col du Meraillet (1,605 m), the Lac de Roselend has since provided cyclists with a breather from the climb to the top of the pass. You lose around 20 metres in altitude on the short descent to the lake, along the banks of which the road meanders. In the Tour de France, the Roselend is not in the Hors category (exceptionally difficult) but in the first category due to its even gradient and not too steep ramps. The eight per cent mark is only just exceeded in a few short sections. In the Tour's route plan, the scenic pass is usually only the prelude to a mountain finish, for example up to Les Arcs.
If you already know the standard route over the Roselend, you can alternatively take the 1,703 metre high Col du Pré on the western ramp to the lake. Although the little road is a little more challenging with a few ten per cent sections, it is nice and narrow and much less busy. What's more, at the end of this variant you roll directly over the dam wall. The eastern ramp from Bourg St. Maurice is also scenically beautiful, but doesn't have an attraction like the lake. At kilometre seven, the hearts of serpentine fans will beat faster as the route climbs through ten hairpins in close succession. There are two short flat sections to recover a little. The sign at the top of the pass once again provides food for thought: at 1,968 metres, it is exactly one metre higher than many maps.
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