· 4 min read
The Col du Pain next to Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux and the Cauberg
The Col du Pain is the one climb in Tour du Pain: 974 metres long with 73 metres of climbing, two hairpins and snow near the top. We put it next to three real climbs that every cyclist knows, Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux and the Cauberg, on the same scale. It's small. It's also steeper than you'd think, and it climbs more than the Cauberg.
The numbers, side by side
The Col's numbers come straight from the game's code: the climb is timed from the "Début du Col" banner to the summit line, 974 m with 73 m of height gained. The real climbs come from their Wikipedia pages (links at the bottom).
| Climb | Length | Height gained | Average gradient | Hairpins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Col du Pain (Tour du Pain) | 974 m | 73 m | 7.5 % | 2 |
| Cauberg (Valkenburg) | 1.2 km | 69 m | 5.8 % | |
| Alpe d'Huez (from Le Bourg-d'Oisans) | 13.8 km | 1,120 m | 8.1 % | 21 |
| Mont Ventoux (from Bédoin) | 21.8 km | 1,617 m | 7.4 % |
At the same scale the Col du Pain is a small gold triangle in the corner. Ventoux is 22 times longer and climbs 22 times higher. That's the honest picture, and we drew it that way on purpose.
Where the Col wins
Look at the average gradient column again. The Col's 7.5 % is a touch steeper than Ventoux from Bédoin (7.43 % on Wikipedia) and only 0.6 points softer than Alpe d'Huez. It's a lot steeper than the Cauberg's 5.8 %, and it gains 4 m more height in 226 m less road.
The game builds it from straight legs at 7.8 %, two hairpins that ease to 4.5 % so you can breathe, and a last ramp of 9.5 % to the line. The Cauberg's steepest bit is 12 %, so the Dutch climb keeps that record.
How many Col climbs make an Alpe d'Huez?
You can't ride the Col twice in a row; it's a branch off the 8.3 km lake loop. It turns off at 4.9 km, climbs to the top, drops down the back on its own road and joins the loop again at 5.3 km. A lap that takes the Col is 9.93 km and climbs about 102 m: 73 m on the timed climb, a little on the way to its foot, and about 26 m on the loop itself, mostly the viaduct over the lake.
- Alpe d'Huez: 1,120 m ÷ 102 m is 11 laps with the Col, about 109 km. The real thing is 13.8 km.
- Mont Ventoux from Bédoin: 1,617 m ÷ 102 m is 16 laps, about 159 km. That's nearly a 100-mile ride to match one mountain.
- The 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez: at two per climb you'd need 10.5 climbs, so 11 laps again. The numbers agree, which pleased us more than it should.
- The Cauberg: one Col climb covers it, with 4 m to spare.
How long does it take?
We ran the game's own physics for a 75 kg rider on an 8 kg bike, riding steady from the foot to the line. At 200 W the climb takes about 5 minutes 20 seconds. At 250 W it's about 4 minutes 19, and at 300 W about 3 minutes 39. Your own time depends on your weight and your watts, and the weekly leaderboard shows who went fastest; the week's best wears the polka-dot jersey.
One honest note: the gradient changes your speed in the game, but your smart trainer still feels flat on the Col. In ERG mode you hold your target power, as you would in an ERG workout. If you don't know what you can hold for five minutes, a ramp test gives you an FTP to start from.
So, is it a real climb?
It's a short one. Think of it as a hard four to six minutes with a crowd, a snowline and a timer, about the size of a climb in an Ardennes classic. It won't make you an Alpe d'Huez rider in one go, but eleven laps with the Col would, at least on paper. Each climb also earns one extra baguette in the game, on top of the one every 5 km.
You can try the turn-off in the demo without a trainer, or open the game and take it on your next lap.
Sources
Real-world numbers checked on 8 November 2026: Alpe d'Huez on Wikipedia (13.8 km, 1,120 m, 8.1 %, 21 hairpins), Mont Ventoux on Wikipedia (from Bédoin 21.8 km, 1,617 m, 7.43 %) and the Cauberg on Wikipedia (1.2 km, 69 m, 5.8 %, steepest 12 %). Col du Pain numbers and climb times are from Tour du Pain's course and physics code. The profiles of the real climbs are drawn at their average gradient.