Every year local cyclists shake their heads at cowardly Tour de France organizers that run the Tour right by this Jura giant, but refuse to climb it. It’s just too steep!
October is a great time to cycle this legendary volcano – not too hot, although pretty chilly at the top.
The road wasn’t crowded but there were still plenty of cyclists – mainly foreigners that were here for one reason – to climb Ventoux.
View Larger Map Larry’s Excuses NOT to climb Joux Plane: 1. It’s too sunny, I can’t see in the glare. 2. I don’t ride counter clockwise. 3. Joux Plane, Schmoo Plane 4. My easiest gear is 39 X 25 5. etc. Actually Reason 4 is a fair point and he was truly brave on some [...]
Perhaps the best three days of (challenging) cycling I have ever done. Even a lousy photographer like me couldn’t help but take some great pictures – it’s paradise here.
Col de l’Iseran appeared in stage 9 of the 2007 Tour. Formerly, the highest road in Europe, 2007 is the 70th anniversary of the opening of the road over this legendary mountain pass. The gift shop t-shirts still claim it to be the highest. Still, at 2,770 metres (9000 feet) it is high. Click here [...]
Doreen and I are on a five day vacation in the Vanoise Alps (France near Val d’Isere). The plan today was to park near the base of Les Arcs at Bourg St Maurice so Doreen could climb this long, challenging, but never too steep climb to our hotel while I biked across the valley and [...]
My Fat Cyclist Jersey arrived and i was thrilled to christen it by riding up the Cormet de Roselend, a beautiful climb that was part of Stage 8 of this year’s Tour de France via the classic north route via Col du Meraillet. Fat Cyclist is a terrific cycling blog run by the Fat Cyclist [...]
Col du Galibier via Col du Telegraphe is the biggest climb in France in terms of altitude gain. I can get to the base of Telegraphe from home in an hour forty-five – as it starts right next to an autoroute – sweet.
What a great Bastille Day. Doreen and I cycled up the Col de la Colombiere to watch the Tour de France. People and cyclists everywhere and hot! We rode up with Brian – his first week in Geneva and already cycling mountains. Martin and Barry took the train from Geneva and bravely rode all the [...]
View Larger Map Every now and then the cycling gods frown upon us. The plan was to meet Scott (a New Zealander traveling across Europe) in Morzine. It was rainy, and Morzine is at about 1000 metres so it was pretty cold. Traffic made me a bit late and when I pulled up – there [...]
