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Car-free passes 2026Col'Attitude - 11 "biker only" days in the Vosges mountains

Gitta Beimfohr

 · 26.04.2026

Free ride in the Vosges. From June to September on special days.
Photo: Daniel Sommer
14 Vosges pass roads will be closed to car and motorbike traffic for the "Col'Attitude" in summer. Spread over 11 days. Cyclists will have the tarmac hairpin bends and Alsace idyll all to themselves. The Col du Calvaire and Col du Louschbach combo will kick things off on 7 June.

Of the 120 mountain passes that wind their way through the Vosges, a handful are closed to car and motorbike traffic every summer under the umbrella of the Col'Attitude to open them up exclusively for cyclists - apart from the days when the Tour de France rushes through the Vosges. Then certain classic passes, such as the Ballon d'Alsace, the steep La Planche des Belles Filles (often a decisive mountain finish), the Grand Ballon (highest Vosges pass at 1423 metres), the Col de la Schlucht, Petit Ballon and Col du Platzerwasel can of course also be closed to normal public traffic.

Col'Attitude - 14 passes in 11 days

But between 7 June and 27 September, a total of 14 Vosges passes will be open exclusively to cyclists of all categories on 11 days. The selection of car-free passes is different every year. This year, legendary Tour passes are once again included, but it is mainly the smaller passes that meander through particularly idyllic countryside. The race kicks off on 7 June with the combination of the two passes Col du Calvaire (1134 m) and Col du Louchpach (984 m). Connections that either lead up to Lac Blanc via the scenic Pays Welche or via the pass road in the forest (Col du Louchpach).

  • Date: 7 June 2026 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  • Starting locations: Orbey and Plainfaing

1. from Orbey: Col du Calvaire - Lac Blanc

  • Starting point: Orbey
  • Length: 10 kilometres
  • Uphill: 580 metres in altitude
  • Difficulty: medium

2. from Plainfaing: Col du Louchpach - Lac Blanc

  • Route: Plainfaing - Le Rudlin / Étang des Dames
  • Length: 12 kilometres
  • Uphill: 436 metres in altitude
  • Difficulty: medium

If you want to take on the complete Col'Attitude challenge, you should mark these dates in your diary. A well-filled credencial (a kind of stamp book for the experienced passports) will give you the chance to win prizes at the end of the season.

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All passes and dates of the Col'Attitude 2026:

  1. Lac Blanc / Col du Calvaire / Col du Louschbach / 7 June
  2. Col du Loosthal / 28 June
  3. Planche des Belles Filles / 7 July
  4. Col des Pandours / 19 July
  5. Col du Haag / 9 August
  6. Col du Firstplan / 16 August
  7. Col du Ballon d'Alsace / 23 August
  8. Col du Wintersberg / 30 August
  9. Hartmannswillerkopf / Col du Silberloch / 5 September
  10. Col Amic / 13 September
  11. Col du Petit Ballon / 27 September

Info: vosges massif.com, visit.alsace

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Gitta Beimfohr

Gitta Beimfohr joined the BIKE travel resort during her tourism studies when the Strada delle 52 Gallerie on the Pasubio was closed to mountain bikers. Since Gitta crossed the Alps twice at racing speed, she has favoured multi-day tours - by MTB in the Alps or by gravel bike through the German low mountain ranges.

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