Good luck to PJ

"epic 23 minute rides to the coffee shop"

lol.

...actually that is a fairly epic ride just for a coffee. I just ride my bike into the kitchen. Takes 3 seconds max.

It'd be epic for murtle.. he'd need to take at least three packs of Drum..

top work.

seems like you achieved so much, yet were hardly away.

I suppose that's the benefit of the european union.

superb work pj, that looks incredible. chapeau indeed. :-)

39 - 25, eh? Wow. I remember absolutely grovelling up there with 39 -26. The Mistral was blowing, which made it a bit harder perhaps.

You beast!

That's my favourite climb(s). I think I prefer going up from Malaucene side tho.

malaucene was closed because of the snow on the other side, away from the sun, and the icy road, so had to go up and back down. was always going to do it from bedoin side, but it being closed gave me the opportunity to do some other riding around provence, up gorges de la nesque.

and so poker-faced about it too! Not a glimmer of any sign of physical exertion on that face, very impressive.

see the fear here?

no, I think you look strangely excited there. A little perplexed, possibly, but not suffering.

thanks stelle crash.

Looks fucking brilliant! Great to hear you conquered it.

impressive! I'd never have the courage. Or I'd do it with that:

Yes. One of the few sports cars I see and actually want. One with some personality.

see the fear here?

Well done Pj make me very envouse.

yeah, well done pj.
and cockoff hippy :p

It is true though, Murt :0p

grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

That looks lovely.
Well done

Ha-ha. You going tonight, murtle? I need you to be my bike's security guard. Bring plenty of baccy!

Just in case anyone thinks that climb is easy - 2 people have died riding it (Simpson and a tourist a few years ago), and Mallejac and Kubler went bonkers after the Tour stage in '55. Having ridden all 3 road routes, I reckon the Bedoin side is easily the hardest. The first time I rode it from that side, I went from flicking over 39 - 18, and thinking 'ooh, this is easy, what's all the fuss about' to sitting under a tree trying to get my lungs back in my chest in about 1km.

Robert Millar said he thought it was the hardest of all the french climbs, and David Millar said that he simply could not understand why anyone would ride up for fun.

And the weather is capricious. It was an etape a few years ago, and the weather went from scorching hot provencal day to sub-zero hail at the top. They closed it, and lots of comps were admitted to hospital with exposure...

not to be trifled with. Ditchling it ain't.

View from Malaucene side:

Another cap doffed here. Wow nice to have encouragement from passing cars.
Allez pj.

Yeah, it's totally different when you are in the mountains in france.

Cars sometimes just follow you, just to check you out.

One time I was riding up some hill near Geneva in a replica 50s shirt, and the old french people were shouting 'allez Robic' at me. I still get a little thrill thinking about that.

Everyone who rides should go and do the french mountains at least one - just to ride over roads with names painted on...

Nice posts Bill. In my experience it's one of the two toughest climbs in France (the north side of the Galibier being the other).

I still can't believe PJ did it on a 39x25. Chapeau!

Have you ridden from up from B d'O? I know it's not as steep, but I wouldn't fancy slogging up there with all the truck traffic. Just the stretch to B d'O from Grenoble was enough for me. I also hate unlit tunnels.

I reckon that Galibier may be a tiny bit harder - but it depends on the weather. Both times up Galibier I had fantastic weather. Riding up to Col de Tempetes from Chalet Reynard into a 50k headwind was no joke.

I did it once (although over two days as I overnighted in Les Deux Alpes). Never again. The tunnels are quite bad and every car sounds like an enormous truck heading straight for you. The traffic seems to be pretty constant too so you don't get any relief.

The Galibier from that side, after the Lauteret, isn't as hard in my opinion, I think because the Lauteret isn't too challenging in terms of gradient and it's only 8 kms to the top.

Forum ride up some cols?

Yes please.