Most Spectacular Ride. The most spectacular ride that I did this summer was the Lacets de Montvernier. Lacets means shoelaces in French. The Lacets have 18 shoelace-like hairpin turns in just 3.4km. The climb snakes up a cliff above the Maurienne valley in the French Alps. The pictures speak for themselves.
Most Scenic Ride. This one goes to the Sella Ronda, a loop in the Dolomites. According to long time friend Larry Smith, "Best scenery per kilometer. Best café per mountain pass. Best road surfaces. Best loop ride. Enjoyment every kilometer." I think I have to agree.
Most Traffic. The traffic in the Dolomites and the Italian Alps is horrible in August (and probably July too). Besides an endless stream of cars and camper vans, there are large tour busses trying to navigate two-lane mountain roads—and two lanes often means a one-lane road with a center strip. But the motorcycles are the worst. Many think that they are on a grand prix race course instead of a windy mountain road. It's not uncommon to see one cut the apex of a turn on blind hairpin curve. Rumor has it that the mayors of the local towns in the Dolomites tried to get motorcycles banned, but the that was not an option under the Italian constitution.
Most Difficult Climb. Alberto Contador says that the Hautacam is the most difficult climb of all the climbs in the Pyrénées that are regularly used in the Tour de France. The Hautacam is 16km long with an average grade of 7.6%, but there a 6km in the middle of the climb that average 9%. And there are quite a few sections that have a double-digit percent. A dozen plus members of a Dutch cycling club passed me on the way up. I passed all but 3 of them about 1.5km into the hard section, where they were stopped along side of the road. I never saw them again until cafe at the top of the Col de Tramassel.
Quietest Roads. The roads in the Ariège Pyrénées seem to have the least traffic. On some roads you might only see the postman. Below is a picture of my trusty steed on top of the Col de Port.
Hardest Day. The Col du Tourmalet was probably my most difficult day. The Tourmalet is just a long climb that wears you out. On the plus side, I avoided having an epic day this summer. An epic day usually means bonking on the wrong side of a mountain.
The Best Off-the-Beaten Track Ride. I did a loop around Lourdes. It's a good thing that I had my Garmin with me as it would be very easy to get lost.
Best New Ride. This was a tie between Sella Ronda and Lacets de Montvernier. Maljasset gets an honorable mention. Maljasset is a dead-end climb in the southern French Alps near Barcelonnette. The climb ends at the little hamlet of Maljasset (1915m). The climb is long but pretty gentle except of the 1 km of 11%. Very Alpine!
Beautiful! So glad you didn't fall off the shoelaces!
ReplyDelete