Cent cols approved routes: presentation

In the mapping software OpenRunner,  you can find routes having a more or less distant relationship with those of the Cent Cols with identifiers like « 100 cols », « Cent Cols » and all imaginable variations. These routes are often without the least description, have no consistency between them and could even lead you into dangerous situations. This could be prejudicial to the Club’s image if we don’t make a distinction.

So we have decided to make an official list of Club des Cent Cols routes  offering at the same time a guarantee of interest for cyclists, col collectors and tourists, with a guarantee of security. These guarantees are made possible by all the factors that are necessary to feed this compilation.

Through this list, our objectives are several: 

  • To offer our members   routes, with cols, known to be reliable and accessible to the greatest number.
  • To encourage other cyclists to try mountain cycling by routes that are for the most part rideable. 
  • To showcase some of the passes crossed thanks to the database of pass photos maintained by the members.

The routes on this « CCC approved » list must be easily followed and above all distinguishable from unreliable ones. 

To that end:

  • The Club des Cent Cols website refers to the labelled routes on lists established by country
  • The title of each course opens a descriptive page on the Cent Cols website (see the “description” paragraph below), which also includes a link to the Openrunner file of the course with access to the interactive map, profile and gpx track
  • From the OpenRunner home page, you can also access the complete list of courses approved by the Club des Cent Cols by writing “club-des-cent-cols” (with the dashes) in “Author” and then clicking on “chercher un parcours” (“search a course”).
  • We can also find these approved routes by means of many key words.  

We can recognise with certainty to be in the presence of an official route of the Club : 

  • By the appearance of the Club logo by moving the cursor over the map extract or on the photo in the column on the left.

  • By the systematic mention of« Route by : Club des Cent Cols » under the title of the route in the column on the left

  • Opening the route file, it’s possible to find the Club des Cent Cols  list of routes  by a link at top right

The “route sheet” obtained by clicking on the title in the left-hand column provides links to the Hundred Passes Club website, where the guarantees of cyclotourism interest, the pleasant realisation and safety are detailed.

The display of route types and altitude profile give numerous indications of the quality of the surface, of the gradients and of the altitude at each point on the route. However, this does not mean that they should not take a close look at the course.

  • The description of the routes is accessible via a link on the Club des Cent Cols website:
    • Gives some idea of the route’s touristic interest
    • and the names, the codes, the visuGen links for the cols crossed
    • Specifies the starting point with parking possibilities
    • Gives recommendations for security or technique on the routes taken
    • presents characteristic photos of the route and of some of the passes crossed thanks to the photo library supplied by the club members

The total distance of road, Gravel or off-road routes and the total climbing makes us think that these routes are feasible for all regular practising cyclists. 

We have willingly excluded from Cent Cols approved routes any off-road cols requiring carrying. All the same, there may be some sections of easy pushing, according to each ones abilities (these being of the types R1 or R2, S1 or S2)