The Col de la République was the first Col over 1000 metres in the Tour de France, climbed in 1903. And I have the sign to prove it:
Browsing: pilat
As luck would have it, I have a cycling friend in St Etienne (today’s Paris-Nice finish). Philippe kindly invited me to come see the stage with him after first exploring the very interesting hills of the Parc Naturel Régional du Pilat by bike.