Road Porn

Tourmalet

Of all the breathtaking vistas you could choose for the Tourmalet you pick one that includes the eyesore that is La Mongie!

A lot of greenery in this thread

Do we need a Tourmalet only thread?

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Of all the breathtaking vistas you could choose for the Tourmalet you pick one that includes the eyesore that is La Mongie!

It's like a city in the sky.

Happy?

It's like a shit hole in the sky.

Agreed.

no idea where....

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mazf70rtCG1rtksiio1_1280.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maa167an2n1qzyul1o1_1280.jpg

I think the bottom one is Luz Ardiden in the Pyrenees.

Supprised not to have seen Col de Sarenne (the back way up Alpe d'Huez) yet. Epic climb. Tough as hell. I didn't get any photos as I was to ddep in the pain cave to think about it. Apparently it's pretty gnarly as a descent.

There's no apparently about it, it is very gnarly as a descent.

#handsstillacheatthememory

i think this was after reaching malham cove. yorkshire dales.. a leg breaking climb 1:7 most of it

I love Malham Cove. Got there the easy way last time, climbing up Gordale Scar.

Bike tour of t'Dales on agenda for 2014 pre/post Tour Grand Depart I reckon!

There's no apparently about it, it is very gnarly as a descent.

#handsstillacheatthememory

Ha! We rode over the top and back down to Bourg via Huez village, so never got to do the descent. It's the toughest climb I've ever done for sure!
We did Alpe d'Huez in the morning, and were told by some locals at the top that Sarenne was a nice alternantive way up, so we went back down to Bourg and straight back up Sarenne.... I was not expecting it to be that hard at all!

If that's the back way to Huez wtf did I climb and post above?

The climb was OK the descent was much more fun.

Go Cadel

https://mobile.twitter.com/Earth_Pics/status/307566003431305216/photo/1

If that's the back way to Huez wtf did I climb and post above?

The climb was OK the descent was much more fun.

Go Cadel

The road you posted is either the D211B that runs from Huex village to Vaujany, or the D211A which goes from the damn below Les Deux Alpes to La Garde. The Col de Sarenne is above Alpe d'Huez, out past the airstrip along a road full of huge storm drains. The descent that Rob posted also comes out by the damn below Les Deux Alpes.

To be sure.

Where in Ireland (?) is this?

id give it a go with some decent brakes, to be honest, getting up looks impossible on anything without some real compact gears

I would rather go up than down to be honest. Proper steep descents on road bikes seem nothing other than lethal to me. Brake pads would melt before you were half way down. If you had disc brakes, they would get super hot and also stop working properly I imagine.

I would rather go up than down to be honest. Proper steep descents on road bikes seem nothing other than lethal to me. Brake pads would melt before you were half way down. If you had disc brakes, they would get super hot and also stop working properly I imagine.
On my first descent of Tourmalet I sat up and put the dynamo on to increase drag, by 2/3rds way down I had serious brake fade and came very close to a tour bus on one of the hairpins

I would rather go up than down to be honest. Proper steep descents on road bikes seem nothing other than lethal to me. Brake pads would melt before you were half way down. If you had disc brakes, they would get super hot and also stop working properly I imagine.

As usual, you know not what you speak of.

I've done hundreds of alpine descents on a road bike and have never had any issues with brake pads melting.

I kept my mouth shut because I haven't ever done 'proper' descents, but surely manufacturers take things like massive fuck-off alpine descents into account when creating pads. In testing they will quite probably push them way beyond the limits of what you can put into them, as in most industries.

Sustenpass Switzerland

The road you posted is either the D211B that runs from Huex village to Vaujany, or the D211A which goes from the damn below Les Deux Alpes to La Garde. The Col de Sarenne is above Alpe d'Huez, out past the airstrip along a road full of huge storm drains. The descent that Rob posted also comes out by the damn below Les Deux Alpes.

Might be the D211B. We were staying in Le Verney.

Where in Ireland (?) is this?

Somewhere between Lisburn and Galway I think.

As usual, you know not what you speak of.
I've done hundreds of alpine descents on a road bike and have never had any issues with brake pads melting.

Neither have I and I reckon I test brake pads a bit more than this bag of skin and bones.

Descending is the reward for hauling your carcass to the top.

After climbing col de la Lombarde (italy) all morning, surrounded by fricking huge black flies.. Descent into Isola (france) on a very sketchy road, reckon it was a blue ski run.

winter sports is meh..

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