Cycling the Alps – Day 7
Cycling the Alps – Day 7
Alastair McNeill
Day 7 Cycling the Alps on Les Routes Des Grandes Alpes from Geneva to Nice.
Day 7 from Barcalonnette to Saint Martin Vesubie including the climbs of La Col De La Bonette (1700m) and La Col Saint Martin (1050m).
Breakfast in Barcalonette
Originally a trail linking Barcalonette with Nice, the Col De La Bonette was widened into a road and used by successive armies, most recently Napoleon III in 1860, who used it as a vanity project so he could claim the highest paved road in the Alps. This record still stands, and hence it is an immense climb. Famously Robert Millar lead over the summit from the Northern side during the 1993 Tour De France.
Ross was at it again, cleaning his bike
The climb starts from just outside Barcalonette, and goes on for 25km. Initially the road follows a relatively gentle climb parallel to the a gorge, then gets steadily steeper until it is a straight 9 percent into the high mountain. The views are sublime though, after 2 hours of grinding it out, the top comes as a welcome relief.
The climb starts from just outside Barcalonette
Continued overleaf…
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