MenuChallenge du “Septentrion”
Bernard Pommel (CC3094) offers us this challenge:
Climb all the cols to the north of a line joining Hendaye (FR) to Devin (-Stralsund-DEDE), i.e. 99 cols including 76 road cols and 23 off-road, spread over 5 countries.
Three other lines (Hendaye – Dunkirk (FR), Hendaye – Bremerhaven (DE), and Hendaye -Travemünde (DE) allow the Challenge du Septentrion to be subdivided into 4 sectors and 4 levels of success.
This challenge is open to members and non-members of the Club des Cent Cols.
Contact : septentrion@centcols.org
Goals
The creation of the Septentrion Challenge of the Club des Cent Cols obeys several objectives largely determined by listening to the members of the Club des Cent Cols, by observing particular or original riding practices of certain cyclists and finally by the precepts of the cycletourism.
One of these objectives is to rebalance the interest of climbing cols in geographic areas thathave little compared to the high mountain ranges (Alps, Pyrenees, etc.), generally more numerous in cols in our catalogues.
Rather than the infinite increase in the number of cols, many of us have long been committed to the achievement of a geographically or culturally determined goal. The Challenge du Septentrion was inspired by this.
Encouraging the discovery of new landscapes and places by the desire to travel the small roads in search of rarer, or more confidential or secret cols, is to transmit the spirit of cycletourism.
It seemed interesting to us to also offer this Challenge to non-members of the Club des Cent Cols in order to allow them to start a gentle “collection of cols”, in their home areas or in their holiday destinations, make it flourish at any age according to their desires. We bring them our expertise on the cols of many countries and we provide them with sophisticated IT tools.
By this means, we hope to promote the joys and pleasures of discovery and cycling.
How it works
The Club des Cent Cols has created the Septentrion Challenge, a challenge which is obtained after climbing all the cols contained in a specific geographic section: the North of the Hendaye (FR) – Devin (-Stralsund-DE) line (76 road cols, 24 off road), section itself subdivided into four zones; the cols are those registered in the Club’s col catalogues of the countries concerned at the time of the Challenge’s creation. The number of cols in each geographic area varies by area, the total in the four areas is 99.
When all the cols of an area are climbed, the participant obtains the Bronze level. He obtains the Silver level for climbing all the cols of two zones, Gold for that of three zones, and the Septentrion Challenge (“Platinum”) is obtained when the participant has climbed all the cols of the four zones.
• The challenge is open to members and non-members of the Club des Cent Cols.
• To register for the Challenge, you must: complete the registration form accepting these rules
• The goal of the Challenge is to do all the cols of a given geographical area. The list of cols is established by the Club des Cent Cols according to strict criteria of topography and toponymy.
• Each col climbed in this area is declared as such on the good faith of the participant.
• There is no time limit.
• A patent is granted when all the passes in the area concerned are climbed.
- The list of Challenge cols in Excel format can be downloaded here.
Please note : the 99 cols listed in this Challenge were all found in various catalogues at the time of the making of the Challenge, and this list is fixed.
If afterwards new editions of the catalogues contain new cols in the Challenge’s zone, these cols will not count for the Challenge.
- An annual declaration of achievement should be sent in Excel file format to the challenge organiser: septentrion@centcols.org who will check the results and establish the “Roll of Honour”
- A number will be assigned to each participant in order of inscription
- A number will also be assigned on reception of a declaration of completion of the Challenge.
- Participants can print a “Septentrion Challenge -Platinum Diploma” themselves, or have it sent to them by the organiser at a cost of 6 Euros (this sum includes the cost of the special paper, and printing and postage), or receive it by hand at one of the meetings of the Club.
- A “Roll of Honour” of the holders and participants in each challenge (showing their progress) will be established and will be available for view on the Club’s website. This list will be published in the Club’s annual Revue, subject to the agreement of the participant.
Description of the challenge zones
The geographic section and the four zones of the Challenge are determined by four straight lines (drawn on a “large circle” on the CCway tool of the Club des Cent Cols) between Hendaye and:
Dunkirk (FR)
Bremerhaven (DE)
Travemünde (DE)
Soothsayer (-Stralsund-DEDE)
The zones are of course located north of the lines.
The relevant cols are those located in Continental Europe.
The border lines of the zones are indicative, and vary according to their means of cartographical creation and representation. What counts is the official list of cols in the Challenge.
Table of the number of passes by zones
| Zone | 1 – Dunkerque | 2 – Bremerhaven | 3 – Travemünde | 4 – Devin | Total |
| Total général | 13 | 18 | 18 | 50 | 99 |
| France | 13 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 39 |
| Belgique | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Pays Bas | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Allemagne | 0 | 0 | 7 | 39 | 46 |
| Luxembourg | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Table of the difficulty of the passes by zones
| Zone | 1 – Dunkerque | 2 – Bremerhaven | 3 – Travemünde | 4 – Devin | Total |
| Total général | 13 | 18 | 18 | 50 | 99 |
| Routiers | 13 | 16 | 16 | 31 | 76 |
| Muletiers | 0 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 23 |
Liste des cols concernés en annexe à la fin du document.
List of extra cols in the Challenge’s zone appearing after its creation (non-Challenge cols) in the annexe at the end of this document.
Rules of the challenge
The challenge is open to members and non-members of the Club des Cent Cols.
• To register for the Challenge, you must: complete the registration form accepting these rules
• The goal of the Challenge is to make all the passes of a given geographical area. The list of passes is established by the Club des Cent Cols according to strict criteria of topography and toponymy.
• Each pass climbed in this area is declared as such on the good faith of the participant.
• There is no time limit.
• A certificate is granted when all the cols in the area concerned are climbed.
Annexe : liste of cols and their zones
| Zone | N°Zone | Nom | Code |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col Saint Martin | FR-14-0162 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col du Menez-Hom | FR-29-0211 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col de Toullaëron Odé Toull al Laeron |
FR-29-0266 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col du Trévézel | FR-29-0344 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col de Trédudon Odé Trédudon |
FR-29-0361 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col d’Ardenay | FR-49-0075 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col des Ruaudières | FR-53-0239 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col de Saint Sulpice | FR-53-0246 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col de Berjou | FR-61-0226 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col Haut | FR-62-0108 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col des Quatre Vents | FR-62-0159 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col de la Source | FR-72-0243 |
| Dunkerque | 1 | Col de la Croix Lamare Col de la Croix de la Mare |
FR-72-0273 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col de la Croix Jubaru | BE-WHT-0099 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col de Suary | BE-WNA-0198 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col du Marly | BE-WNA-0205 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col de la Charlerie | BE-WNA-0225 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col de Ronchinne | BE-WNA-0240 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Pas Saint-Rémy | FR-02-0123 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col du Liry | FR-08-0295 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col de Sury | FR-08-0297 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col du Loup | FR-08-0383 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col du Châtain-Besson | FR-16-0235 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col de l’Esse | FR-45-0133 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col de Berthen en Flandre | FR-59-0109 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col du Long Buisson | FR-59-0145 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col des Six Chemins Col des Cinq Chemins |
FR-62-0136 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col du Manet | FR-78-0170 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col des Sarrazins | FR-86-0094 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Col du Chenat | FR-86-0229 |
| Bremerhaven | 2 | Beezerpoort | NL-OV-0019 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Pas Bayard | BE-WLX-0329 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Col du Rideux | BE-WLX-0370 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Trou du Loup | BE-WLX-0464 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Krusenpass | DE-NI-0160 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Walllücke | DE-NW-0128 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Wüsterhöhe | DE-NW-0210 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Kammerforster Höhe | DE-NW-0330 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Schmelzplatz Franzosenhohl |
DE-NW-0335 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Wolfsplatz | DE-NW-0361 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Kartsteinhöhe | DE-NW-0498 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Col de Cheveuges | FR-08-0282 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Col de la Marfée | FR-08-0312 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Col de Laval | FR-10-0181 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Col du Pilori | FR-36-0252 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Pas de la Mule | FR-87-0433 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Col de la Sablonnade | FR-87-0480 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Sätelchen | LU-WI-0360 |
| Travemünde | 3 | Pas van Wolfhaag | NL-LI-0270 |
| Devin | 4 | Rammelsloch | DE-HE-0367 |
| Devin | 4 | Braunschweiger Tor | DE-HE-0375 |
| Devin | 4 | Haincher Höhe | DE-HE-0578 |
| Devin | 4 | Richtplatz | DE-HE-0750 |
| Devin | 4 | Große Grube | DE-HE-0798 |
| Devin | 4 | Wierser Tor | DE-NI-0166 |
| Devin | 4 | Vorbergsplatz Luhdener Pass |
DE-NI-0204 |
| Devin | 4 | Nienstedter Pass | DE-NI-0276 |
| Devin | 4 | Lauensteiner Pass | DE-NI-0278 |
| Devin | 4 | Wormsthaler Tor | DE-NI-0348 |
| Devin | 4 | Kreuzplatz Wülpker Pass |
DE-NW-0186 |
| Devin | 4 | Nammer Pass | DE-NW-0187 |
| Devin | 4 | Oberstehöhe | DE-NW-0215 |
| Devin | 4 | Stürtzplatz | DE-NW-0258 |
| Devin | 4 | Sattel | DE-NW-0315 |
| Devin | 4 | Margarethenhöhe | DE-NW-0323 |
| Devin | 4 | Passhöhe Gauseköte | DE-NW-0350 |
| Devin | 4 | Hexentanzplatz | DE-NW-0359 |
| Devin | 4 | Wilhelmshöhe | DE-NW-0372 |
| Devin | 4 | Wilhelmshöhe | DE-NW-0380 |
| Devin | 4 | Deuzer Höhe | DE-NW-0382 |
| Devin | 4 | Wasserscheide | DE-NW-0422 |
| Devin | 4 | Hexentanzplatz | DE-NW-0440 |
| Devin | 4 | Krombacher Höhe | DE-NW-0457 |
| Devin | 4 | Wasserscheide | DE-NW-0485 |
| Devin | 4 | Passhöhe Stimmstamm | DE-NW-0540 |
| Devin | 4 | Potsdamer Platz | DE-NW-0588 |
| Devin | 4 | Sattelbogen | DE-NW-0599 |
| Devin | 4 | Hömbergsattel | DE-NW-0622 |
| Devin | 4 | Sattel Himmelskrone | DE-NW-0641 |
| Devin | 4 | Rösbergsattel | DE-NW-0684 |
| Devin | 4 | Minenplatz | DE-NW-0687 |
| Devin | 4 | Helleplatz | DE-NW-0752 |
| Devin | 4 | Unterer Burbecker Platz | DE-NW-0774 |
| Devin | 4 | Reiler Hals | DE-RP-0204 |
| Devin | 4 | Blickhauserhöhe | DE-RP-0246 |
| Devin | 4 | Eichenplatz | DE-RP-0313 |
| Devin | 4 | Döttinger Höhe | DE-RP-0545 |
| Devin | 4 | Potsdamer Platz | DE-SL-0404 |
| Devin | 4 | Col de Laléger | FR-23-0606 |
| Devin | 4 | Col du Maupuy | FR-23-0631 |
| Devin | 4 | Col du Rolet | FR-24-0194 |
| Devin | 4 | Col des Etots | FR-55-0196 |
| Devin | 4 | Col du Bouleau | FR-55-0327 |
| Devin | 4 | Col de Scharren | FR-57-0340a |
| Devin | 4 | Col de la Roche | FR-87-0456 |
| Devin | 4 | Col de Crémant | FR-89-0206 |
| Devin | 4 | Col Lopert | LU-DI-0334 |
| Devin | 4 | Hals | LU-ME-0235 |
| Devin | 4 | Col Schaarfesuebel | LU-ME-0368 |
Annexe : list of 5 cols (as at the end of September 2022) appearing in the Challenge’s zone since its creation (non-Challenge cols).
| FR-16-0139 | Col de la Bergère | FR-16-0139 |
| FR-51-0188 | Col de Trigny | FR-51-0188 |
| FR-51-0196 | Col des Abeilles | FR-51-0196 |
| BE-WLX-0468 | Col de Lamormenil | BE-WLX-0468 |
| BE-WLX-0488 | Col de l’Haussire | BE-WLX-0488 |
| DE-NW-0465 | Rahrbacher | DE-NW-0465 |
| DE-NW-0705 | Ziegenhellenplatz | DE-NW-0705 |
| DE-NW-0275 | Klingenpass | DE-NW-0275 |
Challenge ranking
