The Col du Galibier is probably the toughest part of the Marmotte cyclosportive as you ride into the realm of thin air that saps away all your energy in real life. It starts hard out of the ski resort of Valloir but then flattens out for a while before a steady valley ride to the well known bend at Plan lechat. Its here that things suddenly change & roads become much steeper. A few bends further up & your into the snow line. Its now that you can start to spot the top of the steepest part of the Galibier high above. It’s a fairly hard climb now with almost no place to rest & the sight of the top so far away can crack the weak willed! This epic ride ends after descending down both the Galibier & the Col du Lautaret at Lac du Chambon.Marmotte 4 - Alpe d'Huez is next