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Aube · Champagne · Category 4

L'Escargot deMontgueux

Montgueux → Top · The Champagne spiral

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Technical data
The technical sheet
248 m
Altitude
Montgueux plateau
2.36 km
Distance
Depuis 158 m
90 m
Elevation gain
Total elevation gain
3.8 %
Avg. gradient
Max 8% · Inside bend
-5 °C
Min. temp
Possible in winter
Cat. 4
Difficulty
Steady, technical
Elevation profile
Montgueux → Sommet
Distance -
Altitude -
Local gradient -
158m → 248m Total distance
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< 3% 3–5% 5–7% 7–9% 9–11% 11–13% > 13%
L'Escargot de Montgueux · Aube · Champagne
History & Legend
The Champagne Spiral

The Montgueux plateau overlooks the Troyes plain at 248 metres, a modest altitude, but enough to glimpse the Champagne vineyards as far as the eye can see. The Escargot owes its name to its spiral route winding up the hillside over 2.36 km. A technical climb, steady at 3.8%, that hides a final inside bend at 8%.

Montgueux is a wine terroir classified in the Coteaux Champenois, a little-known appellation producing still wines beneath the famous bubbles. The Chardonnay vines line the Escargot road. In autumn, the harvest is in full swing as cyclists climb, the scent of grapes accompanies the effort.

The Montgueux hill is a local benchmark for cyclists in the Troyes area. Easily reached from town (8 km), it lends itself to interval training. Regulars link it with the neighbouring Rampe for a full loop of the plateau, 4 km of cumulative climbing across two ascents.

Regional
The Troyens
The Escargot has been the training ground of the Aube cycling clubs since the 1970s. No grand Tour here, just thousands of training rides.
Every spring
The Audax riders
The Coteaux Champenois Randonnée has passed by the Escargot and the Rampe since 1988. Hundreds of riders climb it every 1st of May.
Gravel & MTB
The new riders
Since 2020, gravel riders have discovered Montgueux. The vineyard tracks around the plateau offer ideal terrain for mixed road-trail rides.
Local records
Strava Leaderboard
The Escargot Strava segment has over 3,000 attempts. The record stands under 5 minutes, an average of 28 km/h on the spiral.
The Anecdote

Montgueux is the home village of Jean-Pierre Garnier, former CEO of GlaxoSmithKline and a passionate cycling fan. He helped maintain and signpost the plateau's roads in the 2000s. But the real local celebrity remains the Champagne hillside: this terroir, overlooked by the great houses, produces Chardonnays that some Paris sommeliers keep as their private preserve.

Scenery & Sensations
What you will experience
The Côte des Bar Vineyards
The Escargot winds through the Chardonnay vines. The neatly aligned rows descend towards the plain. In June, the shoots are tender green. In September, the bunches are heavy and the scent of grapes fills the climb. An agricultural, soothing landscape, the opposite of the mineral deserts of the great Alpine passes.
The View over the Champagne Plain
At the top of the plateau, the Champagne plain stretches endlessly to the north. Troyes and its slate roofs 8 km away. On a clear day, you can make out the hills of the Montagne de Reims on the horizon. A discreet but immense panorama, typical of the Champagne you cross without seeing from the motorway.
L'Escargot de Montgueux · Aube · Champagne
Practical tips
Before you go
Best time
Early on a weekday, outside the harvest (avoid September-October, harvest lorries). The road is narrow in the spiral bends. Any season, accessible all year round.
The hidden trap
The final inside bend at 8%, after a long climb at 3.8%, you're not ready for it. Keep something in reserve for this finish. Watch for loose gravel in autumn after the harvest.
Refuelling
No water point on the route. Set off well stocked from Troyes or from the Montgueux village square. Fountain at the Montgueux town hall, 200 m from the start.
Weather & conditions
Champagne is an easterly-wind corridor. The Montgueux plateau is exposed. In winter, frost makes the road slippery. The hill is open all year but take care from November to March.
Access & parking
Free parking on the Montgueux village square. From Troyes, the D1 towards Saint-Lyé then Montgueux. A26 access, Troyes-Nord exit, 6 km away. Cycling from Troyes is possible via a partial cycle path.
The MyKollectOr terminal
The MyKollectOr marker stands at the top of the Escargot, on the plateau side. Scan it before heading down or linking up with the Rampe, your Champagne feat is recorded.

Your feat engraved in metal

2.36 km, 90 m of climbing, the Champagne spiral. Your name on the Montgueux Escargot medal.

Order the medal Download the GPX