Author: Will

The goal was to climb another high alpine Piemonte unpaved military road, but I would get slightly lost. So, below, the blue track is my route, but the red track is what YOU should ride if you do this great route. I’ll explain below. I started in Bardonecchia. Behind a sports complex parking lot, is an unpromising looking tiny dirt road entering a forest. It’s extremely steep at first but ride-able. After several hairpins, I came to an intersection with a fort clearly labeled in the other direction. I didn’t give it a second thought and continued following the GPS…

The other day I had a super fun ride in the Chartreuse Alps with a couple of Canadian friends. While pedalling I decided I’d write a quick article summarising several of the best routes in the region (feel free to suggest any other ride ideas). The Chartreuse Alps is the big massif between Chambéry and Grenoble. It is home to the head monastery of the Carthusian order – Le Monastère de la Grande Chartreuse (built 1084) – famous for its Chartreuse liqueur. The region has plenty of great cycling most famously the main D512 road running through the middle of…

A few years ago, Doreen and I hiked up to Lac de Gers. As we reached the plateau with the lake we were passed by a mountain biker. “How the heck did he get up here,” I thought to myself. And of course I added the lake to my “to-do list.” I started near Samoëns. The first four kilometres or so are on the road to Plateau des Saix (Samoëns 1600), a very challenging road bike climb – details here. The route then turns off onto little forest road that soon becomes unpaved (and very muddy after all the recent…

Another fairly big climb in Valle d’Aosta, Italy. The weather has been tough recently and there were storms in the forecast, so I took few photos in an attempt to beat the rain. This climb is 18.5 kms long, and goes to the end of the paved road. But an unpaved road goes much higher. But given the dark clouds, I took the road bike. If you have ever driven through the Aosta valley you have likely seen Fort Bard perched above the auto-route. The climb starts at the base of this fort. Most of the climb is on a…

Hyperbole Alert: This is one of the best loops I’ve ever cycled. The ride includes: 1. A quiet 3rd way up Colle Fauniera (2481 metres) – the fifth highest paved road in Italy. 2. Fifteen (amazing) kms along unpaved old military roads (always above 2000 metres). 3. A descent down what may be the best +2000 metre paved climb that no-one knows. 4. 11 mountain passes (all labeled on the map) – admittedly, many traversed to, not climbed. Mountain Higher author Daniel Friebe described Fauniera as “maybe the most alluring and unspoilt pass around 2500 metres in the Alps.” Indeed.…

Forty-Six hairpins! My favourite type of cycling is on high un-paved mountain roads. No traffic, usually very remote. Heaven. And many of the best are old military roads along the French/Italian alpine border. See here for several more of these rides on much higher roads. This ride climbed both sides of Col de Tende, as well as exploring the military ridge roads on either side. I started on the Italian side near Limone Piemonte. To warm up there are 8 very nice numbered hairpins on the main road. On the map below, note where I turned off onto a quieter…

Trivia: Name a climb south of Annecy with virtually the same stats as Alpe d’Huez yet double the hairpins. Oh, and with almost zero traffic. If you didn’t guess Col de l’Arpettaz, don’t worry, not too many other people seem to know about this superb climb. I’ve put the map next to encourage you to zoom and count the hairpins. What a great road. Cycle Route 3590924 – via Bikemap.net Markus and I started near Annecy so we could enjoy the wonderful Annecy bike path. It’s a repurposed old railway line – fantastic. Near Annecy it can be popular (busy),…

Col du Galibier is still officially closed above the tunnel, but I thought I’d have a look, to enjoy the snow and see if I could reach the summit. I’ll keep this post short as it was overcast , and I’ve probably written far too many articles about this great climb. But hopefully the photos below are worth sharing. Some old Galibier posts that might be of interest: Galibier: A Complete Look – Details all three Sides (has some good snow/sun photos). A slightly crazy 4th way up – bypassing Télégraphe A Brief History of Col du Galibier Cycling Galibier…

This is a fun time of year to visit very high roads just as they open. Snow everywhere. I like to find new climbs, but I always remind myself to remember to revisit the best stuff. And I guessed that the recently opened Italian side of Colle del Gran San Bernardo would still have have plenty of white stuff (this route also visits the best part of the Swiss side). On the Swiss/Italian border, Colle del Gran San Bernardo (Col du Grand St. Bernard en français) is the 7th highest paved pass in Italy, and the 3rd highest in Switzerland.…

Le Semnoz is the mountain on the west side of Lake Annecy. Here are details of 5 routes up this great climb.