Cycling in the high mountains. Alps, Dolomites, Pyrenees etc

I've been in Italy a week and if you're anything like me you'll have been blowing so hard on the way up you'll be thankful for the cooling effect. I took arm warmers to the top of Stelvio, put them on at the top but took them off almost immediately as they weren't needed. I've not worn any gloves or socks all week either and no base layers.

And if it happens to rain I'd just sack it off and go back down as the descent in the rain ain't going to be much fun anyway.

Ventoux is only 1900m high, unless there's bad weather you'll be fine.

We've been high on Croix de Fer and Galibier which are higher (Galibier a lot higher) and they were fine. I did use a wind jacket for the descent down to the Lauteret but took it off then as I was too warm.

Old Skool.

Buy a newspaper.

Shove it inside the front of your jersey.

Re-cycle the newspaper, or re-use it another time.

unless you fancy all three in a row of course in which case, good luck.

Worth doing. It's a long day, but a good day.

Agreed. Bedoin is the famous one side, Sault is the easiest and has lavender fields, but Malaucene was my favourite.

Also agreed with both the above - Malaucene side massively benefitted from being virtually deserted compared to the Bedoin side as well, in both directions.

State of the world... I read that as 'refugees'.

How fat are you?

My logic for road climbs is that, even if it's freezing at the top, by the time you get to the top you're warm so just turn around and belt down. Piece of piss. Take some washing up gloves if you want to feel your fingers.

Pic: 2022-09-09

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Both of those I've been up in miserable weather in summer kit.

I think we rode the Galibier the day after or the day before people had to be carried off it during that Tdf stage sportive thing. It was snowing. CdF back in 2009 was pretty fucked - I was the only one that went up in a rain storm (obvs, I'm a fucking idiot) and, guess what? It's a LOT colder coming down than riding up. Something I didn't really think about as a fat flat track specialist with little experience in the mountains. I had borrowed someone's jacket/gilet but still had summer gloves, etc. That stands out as being properly grim descent but fun to think about because I didn't (quite) die. :D

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ooh yeah, days I've been cold and wet in the alps. Lets see..

top of Lauteret/bottom of Galibier 2011 and the clouds are drawing in and it gets wet and windy. Me and my two boys in picture spent a good hour or two sheltering in the lea of these cars waiting for le tour to arrive

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2013 col de la Madeleine and we climbed it in 30 degree heat only for it to start raining heavily at the top. Like a seasoned pro I had my arm warmers and rain jacket and gloves in my back pocket but felt obliged to share them out between my two boys (out of picture) and so had a freezing descent at the bottom of which I was within a whisker of hypothermia (back up to 25 degrees c but shivering violently and had the heater on in the car for the next hour until my core temperature returned to normal).

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Morzine 2014, pic speaks for itself. It started raining a day and a half after we arrived and didn't stop until we headed home

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Ah I remember this season well. I broke my arm early doors and sat in my Montriond prison cell while it rained for 6 weeks. Helped with the FOMO anyway as it pissed and pissed constantly.

yup, I went back the following year and it was 40 degrees all week and almost unbearable in body armour and a full face lid but it was better than the rain.

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loving these !

me freezing on galibier last year, i am wearing every piece of clothing i took on that trip

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You’d plenty of insulation.

I think I need that Alkoholika shirt in my life.

Obvs. That's why my first question was

How fat are you?

I'm quite not fat. It's nice to read all the stories, thanks all. Now just need to decide whether I go on Sat or Mon.

Pizzeria Camping was closed so started the ascent of Passo Giovo when I'd usually be having a beer

Stelvio a couple of days later

I can do Stelvio too. It pissed down at the bottom but was actually lovely at the top.

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@pastry_bot always had waffle ice cream at Thusis.

quality of road on that one is very Italian 🤌

Shiny and smooth. I think every country in europe has better roads than here

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I think every country in europe has better roads than here

Yup. Not a high bar, admittedly, but it's so noticeable when you go abroad and then return (to the UK)