Col de Néronne

The Col de Néronne is a mountain pass located in the Massif Central in France. At an altitude of 1,241 meters, it is situated in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in the Cantal department, on the border of the communes of Saint-Paul-de-Salers and Le Falgoux.

Col de Néronne
Col de Néronne Location of Col de Néronne
Elevation	1,241 m (4,072 ft)[1]
Location	Cantal, France
Range	Mounts of Cantal (Massif central)
Coordinates	45°09′17″N 2°35′32″E

Geography

It is located on the edge of the communal forest of Le Falgoux and within the Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Natural Park.

History

Initiated by workers who were building the Aigle Dam, a group of Resistance fighters, notably led by André Decelle [fr] (alias Commander Didier),^[2] gathered and trained in the burons near the pass. After a significant airdrop of weapons on July 14, 1944, as part of Operation Cadillac, more than 1,000 men gradually became operational.^[3]

One of the burons has been turned into a museum of the Resistance, initiated by the Amicale des Compagnons du Barrage de l’Aigle.^[4]

Cycling

It was used by the Tour de France in 1959, 2004, 2016, 2020, and 2024.^[5]

Year	Stage	Category	Start	Finish	Leader at the summit
2024	11	2	Evaux-les-Bains	Le Lioran	Ben Healy (IRL)
2020	13	2	Châtel-Guyon	Puy Mary Pas de Peyrol	Maximilian Schachmann (GER)
2016	5	3	Limoges	Le Lioran	Thomas De Gendt (BEL)
2004	10	2	Limoges	Saint-Flour	Richard Virenque (FRA)
1959	14		Aurillac	Clermont-Ferrand