Travel

Roads to Ride: Mont Ventoux

Mont Ventoux Tour de France

As part of a series exploring the famous roads of cycling, here is Mont Ventoux. The idea with this series is to discover the road and its place in the world, whether its part in cycling’s folklore or to explore what it is like on a normal day without a race.

Having covered Alpe d’Huez and the Ghisallo so far in this series, Mont Ventoux is different. It dominates the landscape and the road leads to nowhere except summit. Apart from the view there is little at the top, a sky-blue vacuum to be filled by the imagination.

A fixture in the Tour de France and other races this is another Mecca for cyclists who ride up “the giant of Provence” every summer.

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Roads to Ride – Col du Pin Bouchain

Col du Pin Bouchain

As the next in the series of famous roads to ride, here’s a trip to the Beaujolais hills in France for the Col du Pin Bouchain.

“Col what?” you may ask. The Col du Pin Bouchain holds a unique place in cycling history as the first pass ever climbed by the Tour de France, at least that’s what historians think. Given its location and history it should be something special but it turns out to be a road that’s nicer to read about than ride, a place where the past was probably better than the present.

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Spectating Tips For A Grand Tour

grand tour bike race spectating

It’s great to follow a stage race on TV and the web but the race belongs to the roadside crowds more than any remote audience. Watching the race from the side of the road is the best vantage point possible because if offers more than a visual spectacle, you can hear and smell the race too.

But it’s easy to make a few mistakes. Just as racers need info and plans on a mountain stage, spectators can gain from preparing too. Here are some tips for a day spent watching a grand tour, especially for a day out in the mountains.

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Thanks to Velo Veneto

Every sponsor of this site gets a note of thanks and it’s now time to say thanks to travel company Velo Veneto who are here for May. The company offers a range of trips to Italy and beyond with a focus on the Dolomites.

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Roads to Ride: Côte de La Redoute

As the latest in the series to explore the famous roads of cycling, here is the Côte de La Redoute in the Belgian Ardennes. The idea is to discover the road and its place in the world, whether as part of cycling’s history or to look at the route on a day without racing and it is open to all.

La Redoute’s name means “redoubtable” and has long been decisive in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, if not selecting the winner but determining the lead group for the day.

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Roads to Ride: Col du Tourmalet

Col du Tourmalet

As the latest in the series to explore the famous roads of cycling, here is the Col du Tourmalet in the French Pyrenees. The idea is to discover the road and its place in the world, whether as part of cycling’s history or to look at the route on a day without racing and it is open to all.

The Col du Tourmalet is a legendary place for cycling, steeped in history and steep in slope. The first climb above 2,000 metres ever used for a race and with 75 appearances in the race, the most used climb of the Tour de France.

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Roads to Ride: The Arenberg Forest

As the next part in a series exploring the famous roads of cycling, here is the Trouée d’Arenberg in France. The idea with this regular series is to discover the road and its place in the world, whether its part in cycling’s folklore or to explore what it is like on a normal day without a race.

Having covered climbs like Alpe d’Huez and and Mont Ventoux, now it’s time for a piece of flat road.

A fixture in Paris-Roubaix this is a legendary part of the race even if it comes too early to pick the winner. But this only confirms the cobbled sector’s status, it is venerated despite not being crucial to the race.

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How to Watch The Classics

Belgian cycling fans

Going to watch a bike race is not as simple as you might think. Get it wrong and you’ll catch a cold instead of the action. There are some hints, tips and skills that can substantially improve the experience. Given the classics season is upon us again, it’s time to share some of these.

As well as tips for the day, there’s a wider look at travel if you’re coming from near or far, for the day or the trip of a lifetime.

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Roads to Ride: The Poggio

At first glance the Via Duca d’Aosta looks like any normal road along the Italian coast. It sits off the Via Aurelia, the main road that hugs the coastline all the way to France which hums and buzzes with Italian traffic. A few vehicles turn off now and then to take the smaller road named after a Duke who was once Italian royalty. Rusty vans wheeze up the road ferrying supplies for the numerous greenhouses that cover the hillside, growing flowers for export. Only the Via Duca d’Aosta is no ordinary road, it is the Poggio, the final climb of Milan-Sanremo.

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The Longest Race in the World

Milan Sanremo profile

Amongst the Spring classics Milan-Sanremo is the odd one out. For a start the name is genuine. Paris-Roubaix no longer starts in Paris and Liège-Basgtogne-Liège finishes in a place called Ans. The Italian race starts right in the heart of Milan, in between the Parco Sempione and the giant Gothic cathedral.

This is also the longest one-day race on the pro calendar. So long that the event has special dispensation to exceed the UCI maximum distance of 250km. Much of the route is flat but it’s fast and every pedal stroke is like a cent or penny borrowed, each one is added up with an interest rate that’s compounded over the seven hours.

Sometimes you can glance at a race profile in five seconds but this route is so long that it’s full of stories, statues, views, food and more. Let’s take a more detailed look at the route via ten photos.

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