Col de l’Izoard
Cottian Alps
The southern approach passes through the barren and fascinating landscape of the Casse Déserte, just below the summit. The road was built by the French army in the late 19th century and widened in the 1930s.
The Col de l’Izoard is one of my personal favourites among the French mountain passes. The photo was taken a few days after the Tour de France stage over this pass – it has been crossed more than 30 times in the history of the Tour. I wanted to photograph the traces of the cycle race that can be seen on the tarmac – but without the crowds and all the parked campervans along the road.
There were a few cyclists out and about too, and luckily the light that day was almost perfect and just to my taste: soft and ideal for bringing out the colours of this extraordinary landscape.






























