Travel

Roads to Ride: Blockhaus

Think of a mountain range used by the Giro and the Alps surely come to mind. The Apennines are the poorer cousins and all the more interesting for it. This central ridge, the spine of Italy, includes many good climbs and the Blockhaus is one of the hardest on Italy, not just in the Apennines but as challenging as anything in the Alps. The stats are comparable to Mont Ventoux, the reality is even more of a challenge.

This post was first put online in 2017 ahead of the Giro’s visit, it’s been updated for the 2022 return.

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Roads to Ride: Mikuni Pass

Here’s a look at Mikuni pass in Japan. It’s not famous but it should be the decisive climb of the 2020 Olympic road race, if only for the men, so here are some notes in this climb outside Tokyo which offers double-digit gradients and if that doesn’t take your breath away then the views of Mount Fuji will… as long as the weather’s fine.

This is repost from February 2019 in order to take a closer look at hardest climb of men’s Olympic road race

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Roads to Ride: Col de la Loze

The Col de la Loze is the newest paved climb in the Alps and the high point of the 2020 Tour de France. It’s also a confounding climb and the world’s most sporty cycle path.

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Roads to Ride: The Suc au May

“Remember the name, the Suc au May” said Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme when the route of the 2020 edition was unveiled last October.

Here’s a refresher of the climb on the route of Stage 12 of the 2020 Tour de France, this climb might shape the stage result but has a place in cycling’s history as a focal point of cycling’s supposed “golden age”, an era when the likes of Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault all made their way to an isolated village in central France to be roared on by tens of thousands of spectators.

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Roads to Ride: Val Thorens

The final climb of the final mountain stage of the 2019 Tour de France, the climb to Val Thorens is a giant, 33km long to reach 2,365m above sea level. Here’s a closer look.

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The Mountain Passes of Italy

The Giro continues its foray in to the Alps and tackles the Colle San Carlo today, literally the “Saint Charles Pass”. But isn’t passo the word for a mountain pass in Italy? Yes, it’s the standard terms however Italy, probably more than any other country, has many words for a mountain pass. In English “pass” is widespread, maybe there’s a “gap” here or a “saddle” there, but there are few synonyms. Italy has so many we can go from A-Z and the names often tell a story.

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Roads to Ride: Montoso

The first big climb of the 2019 Giro d’Italia, the climb to Montoso features on Stage 12 from Cuneo to Pinerolo so here’s a closer look. It’s a brute and a lesson to study the route more closely, but also a road to nowhere, or perhaps to the past and Italy’s better days.

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Items of Use

Friends over at cyclingtips have compiled lists of products they’ve liked during the year, eg tech editor James Huang, and so a bit of a copycat article with some things that have been useful for riding and stage previews.

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Roads to Ride: Yamabushi Pass

As part of the series looking at roads featuring in major races, here’s a look at Yamabushi pass. Neither household name, nor familiar in the peloton, this is the first major climb of the 2020 Olympic road races and an ideal day’s ride out of Tokyo too.

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Roads to Ride: Colle San Carlo

A challenging climb that’s part scenic detour, part gymnasium. Off the radar for years, it’s on the route of the 2019 Giro and a rival to the likes of the Mortirolo and Mont du Chat thanks to its relentless gradient and length.

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