From the Croix de Fer to the Télégraphe and the Galibier, the Maurienne is surrounded by what are almost certainly the most beautiful and most spectacular passes in the Alps.
And it’s these “Cols” that have written, and continue to write, the somewhat vertical story of this amazing area.

The Maurienne’s high passes have long been important trade routes between France and the rest of Europe, and traffic levels were once very high. For example, it is estimated that 50,000 travellers and 30,000 tons of merchandise crossed the Col du Mont-Cenis in 1860. Goods included argentiferous lead, salt, wood and silk en-route for Lyon, all of which was transported on men’s backs, by mule or by wagon. However, the commercial importance of the high passes declined rapidly at the end of the 19^th century when the building of the railways and the first transalpine tunnels provided easier passage, leading to an explosion in commerce.

Much later, the creation of the Route des Grandes Alpes greatly enhanced the renown and prestige of the Maurienne’s passes. Inaugurated in 1937, the Route des Grandes Alpes is a tourist route from Nice to Thonon-les-Bains over the highest passes in the French Alps.
But these remote and wild passes truly won their spurs through the selflessness and suffering of the riders in the Tour de France, and the names Iseran, Glandon, Madeleine and Galibier have been written large into the annals of cycling via the exploits of some of the sport’s greatest champions.
 

Summits: the abodes of gods, fairies and demons

In ancient times it was believed that exceptional summits were the abodes of the gods. The Gauls considered Mont Blanc to be a sort of Olympus; in the Bible, God appeared in the Sinai; and the Nepalese and Tibetans call Mount Everest Chomolungma, the mother goddess of the winds.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the solitude and remoteness of the high passes of the Maurienne gave rise to numerous legends.
The wyvern was a two-legged lizard with the wings of a bat that guarded a treasure and lived in mountain lakes near the high passes and summits. It was also sometimes described as a sort of fairy.
However, true fairies are rare in the folklore of the Maurienne, as local myths tend to prefer tales of omnipotent beings that dwell on the summits, commanding storms, watching over mines and crystals and hunting chamois above the clouds. Nevertheless, there is a legend that tells of two fairies who lived in the mountains above Saint-Sorlin and who had a recipe for making a superb tomme cheese. Unfortunately, this secret was lost when the fairies disappeared.
Access to the passes was guarded by devils in the form of clawed dragons with the wings of a bat. They were considered to be as hard as stone, even if they were in the service of a feudal lord. “Bouames” are savage little creatures that appear in myths throughout Isère, the Maurienne and Savoie, exhibiting various degrees of physical deformity from area to area. In the Eau d’Olle Valley, at the foot of the Croix de Fer, they were notorious for kidnaping children. Fairies, bouames and wyverns have now deserted the cols and summits, and today’s legends are written in the sweat of the riders of the Tour… But Zian des Alpes, a Maurienne storyteller, continues to tell of the “fairy of the Croix de Fer, who watches over travellers and gives new strength to cycling’s heroes…”
 

A journey by bicycle

On a sunny summer’s morning, they wheel out their bikes for a great adventure in the heart of the Alps. Already, after the first few hairpins, the peloton draws out, begins to fray. At the front, three riders break away, looking to conquer the yellow jersey.
Despite the enormous crowd lining the road, the riders are on their own, facing the colossal struggle that lies ahead, the slope they have to climb, the great pass they have to overcome. On the other side, after the Col de la Croix de Fer, lies another valley, hopes of victory and, at the end, possible glory. But, for now, each rider has to battle on under the burning sun, alone on this hellish climb.
Alone? Perhaps not… An old legend tells of “the Fairy of the Col de la Croix de Fer”, who watches over every passing traveller, invisibly perched on her little cloud. But… In a moment of intense effort, the rider gives his last drop of energy, pushed on by the cheers of the crowd… and the fairy kindles a light in his heart. She, the Fairy of the Col de la Croix de Fer, encourages him, accompanies him through his trials. And when the liberating descent begins, she leaves him, whispering her love in his ear:

GO… The road is still long, the route to victory is hard but you will triumph. GO… I am with you. GO…
So, hammering on his pedals with renewed energy, the cyclist launches himself down the slope, forgetting his suffering, his heart glowing with exultation.
The Tour de France has its history; the Tour de France has its legends. Here, in the Arvan and Villards Valleys, we simply tell of the little fairy that watches over riders that cross the Col de la Croix de Fer.
Zian des Alpes 18^th July 2006
Legend devised and told for the passage of the Tour de France

French text published in Destination Maurienne Magazine n°12 - summer 2009