| Col du Ballon d'Alsace | |
|---|---|
 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 |
  Col du Ballon d'Alsace Location of Col du Ballon d'Alsace | |
The Col du Ballon d'Alsace (French pronunciation: [kɔl dy balɔ̃ dalzas]; 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.
- ^ Woodland, Les (2003). The Yellow Jersey Companion to the Tour de France. Yellow Jersey Press. p. 262. ISBN 0-224-06318-9.
- ^ "Year 1905". History of the Tour de France. www.letour.fr. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ "L'Histoire 1903–2008" (PDF) (in French). Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived from the original (pdf) on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2012.