Your bike in front of a col sign

[woodbutcher]

I like your Col collection and l quite see why a Col (de la) nago is the only possible bike for you

 

[briantrumpet]

This morning's pleasant, gentle col. Still waiting for others to supply the giants!

 

[briantrumpet]

The Humble Tumble.

I think I might make it a mission to find the lowest col in my bit of France that is marked by a sign. I've got one in mind that is about 350m... which almost counts as 'below sea level'.

And here it is. It's actually about 90m below the altitude of my house. I like the fact that someone's gone to the trouble of hand-painting the altitude on.

So the challenges are to find cols higher than my highest so far (1402m) and lower than my lowest (409m).

 

[Vertego]

You're a very lucky man, Brian. The elevation at home is about 115m and the highest 'col' nearby is about 40km away, topping out at 263m. And we don't get any signs!

 

[Donger]

Not labelled as a "Col" ..... but who said Belgium is flat? This climb is 170m higher than anything in Wales:

 

[briantrumpet]

Not labelled as a "Col" ..... but who said Belgium is flat? This climb is 170m higher than anything in Wales:
View attachment 366492

Bonus marks for originality!

 

[briantrumpet]

A quiet one today:

I've just had a rough count-up, and I think I've got at least 42 cols within a day's riding from here, and about 25 of those over 1000m. When I return to Devon, I think I've got two, and neither more than 300m.

 

[Donger]

1,150 metres up on the Col de La Forclaz above Lake Annecy. Just minutes away from starting off downhill and immediately seeing a brake pad spitting out sideways and flying down the mountainside. Shortly followed by desperate metal-on-metal braking that pulled me up just short of the first bend and left my front wheel looking like a first year metalwork project .... burrs of shredded metal sticking out all around the rims! Had to walk down this one .... until I got a lift from a mad German hang gliding firm shuttlebus driver at breakneck speed. Scarier than the brake failure incident:

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Time for another from me. This was the Passo di Gavia (2600m). I did a loop starting and finishing in Bormio, and including a climb up the Mortirolo from Grosio, then up the Gavia.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

A quiet one today:

View attachment 366693

I've just had a rough count-up, and I think I've got at least 42 cols within a day's riding from here, and about 25 of those over 1000m. When I return to Devon, I think I've got two, and neither more than 300m.

Yes, I'm very jealous of you living near the Vercors regional park. By the way, where's that col? I can't even find it on Google Maps.

--> never mind: I found it using a general search. For some reason, the col name isn't in Google Maps.

 

[briantrumpet]

Yes, I'm very jealous of you living near the Vercors regional park. By the way, where's that col? I can't even find it on Google Maps.

--> never mind: I found it using a general search. For some reason, the col name isn't in Google Maps.

It's not even named on the IGN Top100 map... but my map reading suggested there must be one there. The col itself is uninspiring, but a nice ascent from Villard, and speedy descent (once it heads north) to St Martin-en-Vercors. The day's ride is here, and includes the fabulous Gorges de la Bourne: https://unanglaisendiois.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/plan-a-a-vercors-fest/

Vercors is a great place to go when it's hot, but miserable once it gets a cloud cap - might as well be on Dartmoor.

 

[Vertego]

It's not even named on the IGN Top100 map... but my map reading suggested there must be one there. The col itself is uninspiring, but a nice ascent from Villard, and speedy descent (once it heads north) to St Martin-en-Vercors. The day's ride is here, and includes the fabulous Gorges de la Bourne: https://unanglaisendiois.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/plan-a-a-vercors-fest/

Vercors is a great place to go when it's hot, but miserable once it gets a cloud cap - might as well be on Dartmoor.

Brian, what's the weather like there typically, towards the end of September - early October?

 

[briantrumpet]

Brian, what's the weather like there typically, towards the end of September - early October?

It really can do anything, though it normally only really changes to might-be-cold the second half of October: it can flip then. Having said that, I've usually had excellent cycling in the last week of October too. If you like sportifs, there's the excellent Drômoise around 20 September, and that normally has decent weather.

 

[briantrumpet]

Four cols today, but two of them were cheating really, as three come in quick succession: https://unanglaisendiois.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/diversions-d627-chamauche-and-cheaty-cols/

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Here's mine for today, some obscure little col south of Valloire that I rode 1.5 months ago.