Col du Ballon d'Alsace | |
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Boutiques and restaurants at the col | |
Elevation | 1,178 m (3,865 ft) |
Traversed by | D465 |
Location | Vosges, France |
Range | Vosges Mountains |
Coordinates | 47°49′13.5″N 6°50′6″E / 47.820417°N 6.83500°E |
The Col du Ballon d'Alsace (1,178 m (3,865 ft))[1] is a mountain pass situated close to the summit of the Ballon d'Alsace (1,247 m (4,091 ft)) in the Vosges Mountains of France. It connects Saint-Maurice-sur-Moselle (Vosges) with Masevaux (Haut-Rhin) and Belfort.
The Ballon d'Alsace was the first official mountain climb in the Tour de France on 11 July 1905[2][3] although the tour had crossed the slightly lower Col de la République (1,161 m (3,809 ft)) in each of the previous two years. The first rider to the top of the Ballon was René Pottier, with the stage being won by Hippolyte Aucouturier. Stage 9 of the 2005 Tour crossed this pass on the centenary of the original climb.