Race Atlas
Famous roadAlps (Hautes-Alpes), France

Col de Vars

Mountain pass — 2,109 m

Show it on the map
Days recorded
5Grand Tour days on this road
Open on the map
4stages we hold the route for
Years covered
1953–2024first to most recent
Sides raced
2directions in the record

A high pass on the classic 'Route des Grandes Alpes', linking Guillestre in the north with the Ubaye valley and Barcelonnette in the south. Almost always paired with the Col d'Izoard, it has featured in the Tour more than thirty times since 1922.

The record

Raced here

4 of 5 open on the map

Every Grand Tour day recorded on this road, newest first. The ones we hold the route for open on the map with that stage selected; the rest are the archive’s own account, most of them from before route data existed.

  1. 2024

    Tour de France · Stage 19

    Won by Tadej Pogačar

    Guillestre (north)

  2. 2019

    Tour de France · Stage 18

    Won by Nairo Quintana

    Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye (south)

    Over the Vars, Izoard and Galibier, Quintana attacked on the final climb and soloed down to Valloire for a memorable stage win.

  3. 2017

    Tour de France · Stage 18

    Won by Warren Barguil

    Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye (south)

    On the road to the first-ever summit finish on the Izoard, the race crossed the Col de Vars; Barguil won atop the Izoard and sealed the mountains classification.

  4. 2016

    Giro d'Italia · Stage 20

    Won by Rein Taaramäe

    Guillestre (north)

  5. 1953

    Stage 18 · Gap → Briançon

    Won by Louison Bobet (FRA)

    Jesús Loroño attacked on the Col de Vars; Louison Bobet dropped him on the descent and soloed over the Izoard to take the yellow jersey — the first of his three consecutive Tour victories.

Often ridden with

A Grand Tour stage rarely settles for one col. Col de Vars has shared a day's racing with each of these roads.