100 Greatest Cycling Climbs of the Tour de France: A cyclist's guide to riding the mountains of Le Tour
By Simon Warren
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About this ebook
Simon Warren
Simon Warren has been obsessed with cycling since the summer of 1989 after watching Greg Lemond battle Laurent Fignon in the Tour de France. A few weeks later, he rode his first race, a 10-mile time trial on the A1 from Newark to Grantham and back, and was hooked for life. Although not having what it took to beat the best, he found his forte was racing up hills, and so began his fascination with steep roads. After years in the saddle, up and down the UK, his quest to discover Britain’s greatest climbs resulted in 2010’s bestselling 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, followed to date by a further 14 guides to vertical pain. Covering the British Isles, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain, Simon has now been riding and racing up hills and mountains for over 30 years. He gives talks, guides rides, has written columns for magazines and in 2020 released his first book of cycling routes, Ride Britain. Simon splits his time between working as a graphic designer and running his 100 Climbs brand, and lives in Sheffield on the edge of the Peak District with his wife and two children.
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100 Greatest Cycling Climbs of the Tour de France - Simon Warren
2
About the Author
Simon Warren has been obsessed with cycling since the summer of 1989 after watching Greg Lemond battle Laurent Fignon in the Tour de France. A few weeks later, he rode his first race, a 10-mile time trial on the A1 from Newark to Grantham and back, and was hooked for life. Although not having what it took to beat the best, he found his forte was racing up hills, and so began his fascination with steep roads. After years in the saddle, up and down the UK, his quest to discover Britain’s greatest climbs resulted in 2010’s bestselling 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, followed to date by a further 14 guides to vertical pain. Covering the British Isles, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain, Simon has now been riding and racing up hills and mountains for over 30 years. He gives talks, guides rides, has written columns for magazines and in 2020 released his first book of cycling routes, Ride Britain. Simon splits his time between working as a graphic designer and running his 100 Climbs brand, and lives in Sheffield on the edge of the Peak District with his wife and two children.
100 GREATEST CYCLING CLIMBS OF THE TOUR DE FRANCE
SIMON WARREN
First published in 2014 by Frances Lincoln. This edition first published in 2024 by Vertebrate Publishing.
VERTEBRATE PUBLISHING
Omega Court, 352 Cemetery Road, Sheffield S11 8FT, United Kingdom.
www.adventurebooks.com
Copyright © 2024 Simon Warren.
Front cover: Col de l’Iseran.
Photography by Simon Warren unless otherwise credited.
Simon Warren has asserted his rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as author of this work.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978–1–83981–235–4 (Paperback)
ISBN: 978–1–83981–236–1 (Ebook)
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic or mechanised, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without the written permission of the publisher.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
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FOR CHAR, LUX, AND RYDER
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Contents
About the Author
Prelude
Living the dream
The Marmotte
Instructions
Pyrenees
1 Port de Larrau
2 Col de Soudet
3 Col de Marie Blanque
4 Col d’Aubisque
5 Col du Soulor
6 Hautacam
7 Luz Ardiden
8 Col du Tourmalet
9 Col d’Aspin
10 Pla d’Adet
11 Col d’Azet
12 Col de Peyresourde
13 Port de Balès
14 Superbagnères
15 Col du Portillon
16 Col de Menté
17 Col des Ares
18 Col de Portet d’Aspet
19 Col de la Core
20 Guzet-Neige
21 Col de Latrape
22 Col d’Agnes
23 Port de Lers
24 Mur de Péguère
25 Col de Port
26 Plateau du Beille
27 Ax 3 Domaines
28 Port de Pailhères
29 Col d’Ordino
30 Andorre-Arcalís
Massif Central
31 Col de Vendeix
32 Col de la Croix Saint-Robert
33 Col de la Croix Morand
34 Super-Besse
35 Col des Pradeaux
36 Col de la Croix de l’Homme Mort
37 Col de la République
38 Col de la Croix de Chaubouret
39 Col de l’Œillon
40 Col d’Entremont
41 Col de Prat de Bouc
42 Pas de Peyrol
43 Côte de la Croix-Neuve
Vosges
44 Col du Donon
45 Col du Calvaire
46 Collet du Linge
47 Col de la Schlucht
48 Col du Firstplan
49 Col du Platzerwasel
50 Grand Ballon
51 Ballon d’Alsace
52 Ballon de Servance
53 Planche des Belles Filles
A spectator’s guide to le Tour
Jura
54 Côte des Rousses
55 Col de la Faucille
56 Col de la Croix de la Serra
57 Col du Berthiand
58 Col du Grand Colombier
59 Mont du Chat
Alpes du Nord
60 Col du Corbier
61 Avoriaz
62 Col de Joux Plane
63 Col de la Colombière
64 Semnoz
65 Col de la Croix-Fry
66 Col des Aravis
67 Col des Saisies
68 Cormet-de-Roseland
69 Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard
70 Col de Tamié
71 Col du Grand Cucheron
72 Col du Granier
73 Col du Cucheron
74 Col de Porte
75 Col de la Madeleine
76 Courchevel
77 La Plagne
78 Col de l’Iseran
79 Col du Mont-Cenis
80 La Toussuire
81 Col du Glandon
82 Col de la Croix de Fer
83 Alpe d’Huez
84 Col d’Ornon
85 Les Deux Alpes
86 Col du Télégraphe
87 Col du Galibier
Alpes du Sud
88 Col du Lautaret
89 Col du Granon
90 Sestriere
91 Col d’Izoard
92 Col Agnel
93 Col du Noyer
94 Col de Manse
95 Col de Vars
96 Pra-Loup
97 Col d’Allos
98 Cime de la Bonette
99 Col de la Lombarde
100 Mont Ventoux
Checklist
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Prelude
The Tour de France was conceived in 1903 when, according to legend, the struggling newspaper L’Auto was looking for a promotional vehicle to boost its sales and ultimately to put its rival Le Vélo out of business. Its creation is popularly attributed to Henri Desgrange but the idea, the spark – that came from a young journalist, Géo Lefèvre. His suggestion of a six-day race around the whole of France was jumped upon by the editor Desgrange and with the paper’s accountant, Victor Goddet, keen to bankroll the affair, the Tour de France was born. Back in those early years the riders covered stage distances that would make Audax riders wince, over roads unfit for 4x4 vehicles on bikes you wouldn’t salvage from a skip. The first race was won by Maurice Garin who covered the 2,428 kilometres at an average speed of 25.68km/h which is quite pedestrian compared with the current average speeds that are just shy of 40km/h.
Over the years, the format of the route, the formation of teams, and the distances covered were in constant flux as the race sought the perfect solution. It wasn’t until 1919 that the first iconic yellow jersey, the ubiquitous symbol of the Tour, was awarded and not until 1969 that the race settled into the format we are all familiar with today. Later still, in 1975, the polka dot jersey was introduced. Fought for on the roads in this book, it is awarded to the rider with the most points in the mountain classification. A system was devised to categorise each climb relating to the car gear required to drive up its slope; a 4th category could be crossed in 4th gear and so on. The lower the number the more points are awarded up to the Hors Catégorie: roads so hard they’re beyond classification.
The first ‘mountain’, a road over 1,000 metres to be crossed by the Tour, was the Col de la République (see page 92), in the inaugural race in 1903. Having coped with that challenge, two years later it was time to test the riders on a real climb, the Ballon d’Alsace (see page 122), up to a height of 1,178 metres. Desgrange saw the climb as more of an experiment and stated that no one would be able to ride over it, but one man, René Pottier, proved him wrong.
The real watershed moment arrived in 1910 when the race was sent over the high passes of the Pyrenees, starting with the Col de Peyresourde (see page 40) and finishing four mountains later in Bayonne after crossing the Col d’Aubisque (see page 24). It all but destroyed the riders but it made the race, and it was on that day that the Tour really began. There was no looking back; the next year the Alps were introduced with an ascent of the Col du Galibier (see page 204) and anyone who wanted to win the Tour had to learn – A to climb, and B to descend these formidable roads.
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Living the dream
What a summer, what an amazing summer; it was the chance of a lifetime. The task: to ride and document 100 mountains from the Pyrenees to the Vosges to compile the book you hold in your hand. I’d written books on the ‘tiny’ hills of Britain and Belgium, but this was a whole different ball game – these roads were colossal by comparison. You could argue that the book should have just been called The Greatest Cycling Climbs of France, but would they be household names if it wasn’t for the race? The Tour was, is, and forever will be the world’s greatest sporting event and these roads are its building blocks, its beating heart. To ride these climbs is to ride in the shadows of giants, to add your tyre tracks to those of the hundreds of battles that have taken place on the very same slopes. Some higher, some steeper, many famous and some seemingly insignificant, but all are essential in creating the legend that is the Tour.
On top of my very first mountain; I’m in the white cricket hat and, yes, denim-look Lycra!
To be expected, choosing the climbs wasn’t easy as the race has crossed a vast amount of cols over its 100-year history and at times tough choices had to be made. In listing