I hadn’t seen Emmanuel in 2 years, and he knows the Cols of the region very well. My challenge was to find a climb from Annecy that he hadn’t cycled that would make him go “wow!” Success.
Author: Will
Will
Happiest while cycling uphill.
From Geneva, it’s only a 90 minute drive (including a dash through the Mont Blanc tunnel) to Morgex, Italy and the base of these two fantastic climbs.
I was the last day of my five-day Haute-Alpes trip. Not much better way to finish than visiting the beautiful and famous Col d’Izoard.
Beautiful vineyards, a challenging climb, a long tunnel, military checkpoints, an alpine dam/lake, and a beautiful castle – this loop has it all. And most of it is virtually deserted!
At 2744 metres, Wikipedia lists Col Agnel as the 3rd highest paved mountain pass in Europe. This monster has been on my cycling list of “to-dos” for ever. Woohooooo!
Above: The Italian side. This is one of the truly great alpine passes. If Napoleon could cross the alps here — on a donkey and not on a stallion — then why couldn’t I? Colle del Gran San Bernando (Col du Grand Saint Bernard en français) is one of the highest Cycling Cols in the Alps at 2,469 metres (8,100 feet). And one of the longest at 45 kms from the Swiss side. This pass has been used for almost 3,000 years to cross the Alps. Julius Caesar crossed with an army in 57 BC. Today, along the route are…
My plan was to use my tired legs to steadily climb the north side of Bonette, descend the south side, and then find an “interesting” way to return.
The quintessential south Alps loop. Three beautiful, long, not-crazy-hard Cols – all above 2000 metres. Approximately 120 kms and 3500 metres of climbing.
I’ve dreamed of doing this gigantic climb for a long time. With 1900 metres of ascent it’s easily the biggest single un-interrupted climb I have done in France.
Map, profiles, photos. Cycling the highest paved mountain pass in Europe. Last weekend this beautiful road was closed to motorized traffic on both sides. Nice!