Col de Turini
Mountain pass in the French Alps From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Col de Turini (el. 1607 m) is a high mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Alpes-Maritimes in France. Situated entirely in the Arrondissement of Nice, the road connects Lantosque in the commune La Bollène-Vésubie with Sospel in the commune Moulinet. It is the major road link between the river valley of the Vésubie and the Bévéra valley. It is notorious for its many hairpins and scenic landscapes.
| Col de Turini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Elevation | 1,607 m (5,272 ft) |
| Location | Alpes-Maritimes, France |
| Range | Alps |
| Coordinates | 43°58′40″N 07°23′30″E |
  Col de Turini Location of Col de Turini | |
The Col de Turini features every year in the Monte Carlo Rally, held in January, as the setting of a 31-kilometre (19 mi) stage. The stage is run from La Bollène-Vésubie up to the summit of the mountain pass, and descending to Sospel, or the reverse trajectory.[1] Known for its narrow road with many hairpin turns, the Col de Turini is the technical centrepiece of the rally. Until a few years ago, race pilots drove up the mountain pass at night, with thousands of fans watching the so-called "night of the long knives" as it was called, due to the strong high beam lights cutting through the night.
The Col de Turini featured in the first episode of Top Gear series 10 when the presenters intended to search the greatest driving road in the world.[citation needed]
The Col de Turini is occasionally included in cycling races. The western side of the col, starting in Lantosque in the Vésubie valley, is 15.3 km with an average gradient of 7.2%. The southeastern ascent, starting in Sospel, is 24 km with an average gradient of 5.2%. Both ascents have a maximum gradient of 9%.
It featured four times in the Tour de France, always mid-race: in 1948, 1950, 1973 and 2024.[2] In 2019, the Col de Turini was included in the Paris–Nice stage race. It hosted the finish of the seventh stage, climbed by its western ascent.[3]
Appearances in the Tour de France:
| Year | Stage | Start | Finish | Leader at the summit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 12 | Sanremo | Cannes |  Louison Bobet (FRA) |
| 1950 | 15 | Toulon | Menton | Jean Robic (FRA) |
| 1973 | 10 | Embrun | Nice |  Vicente López Carril (ESP) |
| 2020 | 2 | Nice | Nice | Anthony Perez (FRA) |
| 2024 | 20 | Nice | Col de la Couillole |  Richard Carapaz (ECU) |
Appearances in Paris–Nice:
| Year | Stage | Start | Finish | Leader at the summit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 7 | Nice | Col de Turini |  Daniel Martínez (COL) |
| 2022 | 7 | Nice | Col de Turini |  Primož Roglič (SLO) |
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
