A route favored by Napoleon Bonaparte, and Hannibal with his elephants at the start of the Second Punic War. It’s also the recurring theme at the top of Mont-Cenis. On the French side, the climb starts deep into the Maurienne valley, in Lanslebourg at the bottom of the highest pass in Europe, Col de l’Iseran. Isolated and surrounded by big mountains, Lanslebourg is still a busy place and popular with mountaineers. Mont-Cenis connects the French Maurienne Valley with the Susa Valley in Italy.

From Lanslebourg, it’s a short, easy climb. It resembles a better version of the popular Villard-Reculas climb towards Alpe d’Huez, which many col hunters know. From the top, there is a diversion to a hidden gem, Petit-Mont-Cenis, which is also a Deux Mille col.