Author: Will

Col d’Izoard is one of the legendary cycling climbs in France. Last week my Swedish friend Jens and I cycled it the day before its appearance in the 2017 Tour de France. I’ve written about it a few times before, so I’ll mainly just post some photos here. But first: a few fun Izoard facts: The name Izoard “perhaps” comes from the German name Isoward – “Iso = Iron” and “Ward = Gardien” – an old warrior name The road was built from 1893-97 by the French military. The monument at the summit (1934) is dedicated to Général Berge and…

This is one of the great gravel cycling climbs in France. Formerly the highest road in France, both sides are huge, beautiful, and quiet. The route du Parpaillon was built between 1891 and 1911 by the French military to link the Ubaye and Embrun valleys. The high point of the road is the tunnel – 520 metres long. At 2643 metres it is 1 metre higher than Col du Galibier. The geographic col is above the tunnel (2780m). Last week I rode the south side, and in 2012 I rode the north side. I’ll provide details of both sides below.…

A sign at the very start of the road to Cime de la Bonette declares it to be the highest (paved) route in Europe. Pico de Veleta in Spain is in fact the highest. But, Bonette is still impressive, and the highest paved road in France (2802 metres). Last week I rode the north side of this south French Alps giant with my friend Jens, descending through an interesting unpaved valley. I’ve been here a few times, so I thought I’d document four different ways up this great mountain: The north paved side. The south paved side. Via Col de…

Col de la Cayolle is one of three high passes heading south from the Ubaye valley towards the Mediterranean along with Col de la Bonette, and Col d’Allos. In the early 1900s, for military reasons, the old mule trail over Cayolle was the first to be made into a road. It is currently part of the Route des Grandes Alpes linking Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) and the Mediterranean. Different from many high climbs, one could argue that the best part of the road to Col de la Cayolle is the lower kilometres through the beautiful Gorges du Bachelard. It’s a…

My great friends Jens is visiting from Sweden. We are down in in the south French Alps to ride some of the wonderful and high climbs in the region. Col d’Allos is not a bad way to start. A 3D video of the ride: See this post for details of one of the best loops in the south French Alps: Col de la Cayolle, Col des Champs, and Col d’Allos. 120 kms, 3500m ascent, quiet, beautiful roads. I love this climb. Beautiful cliff stretches, some hairpins, plenty of fantastic views. And a nice restaurant near the summit. We turned around…

A few years ago I started writing articles at Podiumcafe.com about the best cycling climbs in France ignored by the Tour de France. See here or here for examples. That first article in 2011 had Mont du Chat and Grand Colombier at the top of the list. Happily, since then, Grand Colombier has become almost a Tour regular (’12, ’14, ’17), and Mont du Chat featured in the 2017 Tour after only one previous appearance more than two decades ago. But that list also included the excellent Plateau/Col des Glières. On the very edge of the north Alps, it has…

Col de la Madeleine is one of the most famous climbs in France with distance/ascent statistics rivalling Mont Ventoux and Col du Tourmalet. My goal today was to ride my preferred north side (less developed, fun final few kilometres), while visiting a not-well-known paved side climb along the way – Refuge du Logis des Fées. Last year I detailed four ways up Col de la Madeleine – three paved and a fantastic unpaved route – see here. A 3D Video of ride: At 25 kilometres, the north side is 6 kilometres longer than the classic south side. As the profile…

There is only one paved road that connects the Tarentaise Valley and the Beaufortain Valley to the north: the beautiful Cormet de Roselend. And expert cyclotourists know the part paved / part gravel alternative via Cormet d’Arêches. But I wanted to search for another way over these mountains. Or at least a more adventurous route to Cormet d’Arêches. But road bikers, don’t leave yet because this route starts with a terrific paved climb. A 3D Video of ride: Starting from Aime (see map at bottom), the first few paved kilometres share the route to Cormet d’Arêches in the above link.…

Col de l’Iseran is the highest paved mountain pass in Europe (2764 metres). It’s a beautiful road, but similar to many famous passes along the Route des Grandes Alpes it can suffer from loud summer traffic: motorcyclists love this road. So what could be better than a day where the route is closed for 6 hours? Sunday morning from 8am to 2pm the north side above Val d’Isere (16 kms below the summit) and the south side above Bonneval-Sur-Arc (13 kms below the summit) was bike-only …. and there were friendly Gendarmes to enforce the closure. Much appreciated. See here…

Central Switzerland has some of the highest and most beautiful cycling climbs in the Alps. Here, I’ll discuss the most famous with a few loop ideas, and tips of lesser-known route extensions. I am not trying to make a comprehensive list for the region. However, of course, please feel free to comment on any favourite roads that I have excluded. Furka, Nufenen, & Gotthard Passes Loop The red loop on the above map. Cycle Route 4066745 – via Bikemap.net This must be the quintessential Swiss Alp Cycling loop. Note, while it doesn’t matter where you start, the important thing is…