Col Saint-Martin of Col de la Colmiane

The Col Saint-Martin, or Col de la Colmiane, is a pass in the Southern Alps at an altitude of 1,503 meters above sea level, in the department of Alpes-Maritimes, France. It offers year-round road connections between the Tinée valley in the west and the Vésubie valley in the east.

Tour de France

The Saint-Martin pass was climbed in the 1975 Tour de France during the famous Nice-Pra-Loup stage, legendary for the failure of Eddy Merckx and the takeover by Bernard Thévenet. Lucien Van Impe crossed this pass in the lead 2.

Paris-Nice

This pass was on the program for the 7th stage of Paris-Nice 2017, classified in the first category, between Nice and the Col de la Couillole, climbed via the southeastern slope. The following year, La Colmiane was at the finish of the 7th stage of Paris-Nice but on the western slope. Simon Yates attacked in the final kilometers, won the stage and simultaneously took the yellow jersey, lost by Luis Léon Sanchez.

In 2020, in the specific context of the coronavirus pandemic that forced the cancellation of the traditional last stage ending in Nice, the 7th stage of Paris-Nice was the last of the race. 4 km from the top, Nairo Quintana won the stage. Maximilian Schachmann retained his yellow jersey despite a final attempt by Tiesj Benoot in the final kilometer.

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