Orcières-Merlette
7.1 km at 6.7%, summit at 1,825 m. Cat 1.
- Length
- 7.1 km
- Average gradient
- 6.7%
- Height gained
- 476 m
- Summit
- 1,825 m
- Steepest km
- 8.4% measured on the route
- Category
- Cat 1
The climb
Orcières-Merlette climbs 7.1 km at an average of 6.7%, gaining 476 m to a summit at 1,825 m. It is an unusually even climb — the per-kilometre gradients cluster tightly around the average, so what the number says is what the road does.
The hardest kilometre measures 8.3% and comes in the middle third of the climb, and 1 kilometre of the ascent averages more than 8%.
At this height altitude starts to take a measurable edge off sustained power. In ProPace's stage data it appears on the single stage listed below.
Stages that climbed it
| Stage | Date | Summit at | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour de France 2026, stage 18: Voiron → Orcières-Merlette | 23 July 2026 | km 185.7 | Cat 1 |
Stages since 2024 whose route climbed to this summit, matched on ProPace's route data. Category as listed for that stage where the roadbook data is in the app.
In ProPace you ride the whole stage, this climb included, against a pro reference in the real wind from the day. How the simulation works is set out in How much slower than a pro are you?
Ride the stages over Orcières-Merlette against a pro in ProPace. Free on iOS.
