The previous day we had ridden over the Plockenpass to watch a gruelling stage of the 2010 stage of the Giro d’Italia on the Zoncolan.  Ivan Basso and Cadel Evans produced a spectacular race on its tough slopes. The next day we chose a gentler pace and we headed to Italy from Southern Austria via the Kartitscher Sattel.

The green meadows of Austria

The Kartitscher Sattel is a gentle roll upwards to 1529 metres. The pass takes in well manicured meadows pleasant villages and the ever present spectacle of the Southern Austrian on your left.

Typical view along the Kartitcher Sattel

As we swept into Italy and towards Dobbiaco, we suddenly realised the change in geography on our left as we closed in on the Dolomites.  We glanced with trepidation at the looming peaks like the Tre Cima di Laveredo.

The view over our shoulders towards the Dolomites

We headed straight for the Giau via the Passo Tre Croci.  The Dolomites were in complete contrast to the softer, greener slopes in Austria.  Rocks piled on rocks, meringue shaped peaks and improbable finger-like rock formations.  Millions of years ago this was a coral reef – the sea retreated and left these impressive rock formations that we see now.

Climbing the last part of the Giau

We had reached the 120 km point in the ride and we were concluding the last part of the journey.  However, we were still climbing the hard slopes of the Giau.  The elevation gain on the Giau (Alt: 2236 m) is 716 metres and has an average slope of 8.3%.  At 8.5 kilometres in length this was the last major obstacle before the drop down to our final destination Alleghe.  At the top of the Giau the huge cathedral-like monoliths dominate the vistas and on a clear day makes an ideal location for photographs.

Passo Giau (2236 metres)

Reflecting on the Dolomites

We rolled down into Alleghe after 140 km with tired legs and heads loaded with mountain images.  This is a challenging ride with over 2700 metres of climbing and is well worth the effort for the dramatic changes in landscape and beautiful scenery alone.  Later in the week we were to climb the passes of the Giro like the Mortirolo and Plan de Corones but this route still stands out as a classic in its own right.

Alleghe and taking in the view after over 140 km and 2700 metres of climbing

The Tour of Catalonia has some history of course and is the 3rd oldest stage race in the world.  It is now seen as one of the traditional preparation races to the Tour de France and this year Many of the top pro-riders like Mark Cavendish, Ivan Basso, and Carlos Sastre, amongst others will be using it to hone their form.  This prestigious race has been won by some of the biggest names in the world of cycling in the past and include: Alejandro Valverde (2009), Miguel Indurain (1988, 1991, and 1992), Sean Kelly (1986), Robert Millar (1985), Francesco Moser (1978), Felice Gimondi (1972), Eddy Merckx (1968), and Jacques Anquetiel (1967).  The Tour of Catalonia has now largely superseded La Setmana Catalana (Catalan Week) which has not been run since 2005 another race which used the roads on our doorstep.

This great history of racing in Catalonia, and the fact that the Vuelta was coming so close to our doorstep, had us frantically reconnoitring more routes over the last few weeks.  Not just to cycle the roads that they use in the races but to find the hidden roads that the professional cyclists like Juan Antonio Flecha use to train on too and ones we could use for our Spring Training Camp we use out of Sitges.

This year the Vuelta a Espa?a (Tour of Spain), one of the three Grand Tours, will come to Catalonia.  It doesn’t come often but it will figure large over 3 days and will take in many roads that we use for our Spring training rides.  Of course, every year la Volta a Catalunya (the tour of Catalonia) is raced over the roads we use nearly every day in the winter and spring.  Catalonia is our home and our playground and it was a fantastic gesture by the organisers to host some stages of the Tour of Spain here.

The Tour of Catalonia has some history of course and is the 3rd oldest stage race in the world.  It is now seen as one of the traditional preparation races to the Tour de France and this year Many of the top pro-riders like Mark Cavendish, Ivan Basso, and Carlos Sastre, amongst others will be using it to hone their form.  This prestigious race has been won by some of the biggest names in the world of cycling in the past and include: Alejandro Valverde (2009), Miguel Indurain (1988, 1991, and 1992), Sean Kelly (1986), Robert Millar (1985), Francesco Moser (1978), Felice Gimondi (1972), Eddy Merckx (1968), and Jacques Anquetiel (1967).  The Tour of Catalonia has now largely superseded La Setmana Catalana (Catalan Week) which has not been run since 2005 another race which used the roads on our doorstep.

This great history of racing in Catalonia, and the fact that the Vuelta was coming so close to our doorstep, had us frantically reconnoitring more routes over the last few weeks.  Not just to cycle the roads that they use in the races but to find the hidden roads that the professional cyclists like Juan Antonio Flecha use to train on too and ones we could use for our Spring Training Camp we use out of Sitges. 

Returning from the hills after a training ride with Endura RT

This was an intriguing journey that took us on less famous roads and climbs but confirmed why so many local professionals use these roads to train for their races.  We had seen the names painted on the roads but we wanted to evaluate them more closely and to log them so that the journal could be used to follow in the cycle tracks of the professionals. This is a summary of that journey.

Location of Catalonia and the rides – most of the rides are focussed around the boundary on this map between the provinces of Tarragona and Barcelona

Each week we tried to cover as many of the local climbs that we could that either featured in any of the above races and to do this we focussed on zones.  Each of these zones is focussed on a climb, village or small town.

Week 1 Climbs
Pontons
Ventoses
Pontons
Castellet
Coll de la Creu de Sapera

La Llacuna
Font Rubi
La Llacuna
Collet de la Serra
Coll de la Barraca
Penedesburg

In the first week we covered the roads that were the most accessible and closer to the coast.  This also fitted into our training routines when we were still in recovery mode and did not want to be doing excessive distances.

There are two ways out from the Mediterranean coast to the mountains and this week we concentrated on one of those “escape roads” – the Pantano road.  Over this winding road is where we often see Juan Antonio Flecha as he heads out to train on the same roads we use.  It also has picturesque views over the castle and lake at the top.

The Pantano Road: The picturesque road up to Castellet overlooking the Foix lake

The major climbs we used this week centre on the small town of Pontons and a circular route that passes close by La Llacuna that can easily give the legs around 90 km and at least 1200 m of climbing.  The road through Pontons is also used as the descent for this years Vuelta Espa?a but this area has some great rides and the Ventoses climb is one we typically use to sharpen up our climbing and descending skills in the off season.  You can typically see the names of the professionals painted on many of these roads from previous editions of la Volta a Catalunya.
La Llacuna: A perfect training col for the climbs in the Pyrenees, Alps and Dolomites

Font Rub?: Famous names that have ridden the roads we train on

Week 2 Climbs
Pont d’Armentera
Montagut
Santes Creus
Querol

Week 2 we focussed on climbs around the small village of Pont d’Armentera in the province of Tarragona.  These roads take the cyclist further away from the Garraf coast where we are based but onto even more remote and hidden roads.  The descent into Pont d’Armentera from Querol is a gem with a very Pyrenean feel to it.  These roads are perfect for building a large training base in the winter.  The road up from Santes Creus will be used in the Vuelta in 2010 and the road commands great views back over Santes Creus and the south of Catalonia back to Mont Caro.  Loops can be incorporated in this zone which head to Santa Coloma de Queralt and are perfect long days in the saddle for training for Gran Fondos and long sportives.

Fine views over the monastery of Santes Creus

Week 3 Climbs
Sta Cristina
Coll de l’Arca (Matamachos)
Juncosa
Sta.Cristina
Can Ferrer – Sant Marc
Masborn?s

After the travails of week 3 we decided to stay closer to home and focus our efforts around the climb of Santa Cristina.  Although Santa Cristina itself is not a difficult climb there are some roads close by which are ideal for training the climbing legs.  There are two climbs very close: Juncosa and Matamachos, which the local professionals use a lot for training and which are perfect for the likes of Juan Antonio Flecha to prepare for the Spring Classics.

The challenging Climb of Can Ferrer

Week 4 Climbs
Garraf
Ratpenat
Can Grau
Begues

For the last week of our journal we focussed on the coast between Barcelona and the Garraf.  There are 3 climbs of note in this region and all are worthy of visit by bike.  The climb of Rat Penat is probably the most infamous.  It is the Catalan Anglir? and this year the Vuelta a Espa?a will take the riders over it.  Its rocky slopes rises steeply from the Mediterranean and with some of the ramps over 20% this is not for the faint hearted or cyclists with a 42×23 cassette (or both!).  But don’t relax too much because afterwards there is another short climb (Can Grau) which finishes the route off.  On the other side of the Garraf massif is the climb of Begues which from the Mediterranean side commands fantastic views over the coast and takes the cyclist over towards Sant Sadurn?, the Cava wine region, and some of the climbs in that area – but that’s a journal for another day!

References:
1:50 000 scale maps of the area can be obtained from the Insitut Cartogr?fic de Catalunya.  The area of interest is covered by the following maps: 3 (Alt Pened?s), 6 (Anoia), 11 (Baix Llobregat) and 12 (Baix Pened?s)

The infamous Rat Penat

The climb of Rat Penat

The Mediterranean and the start of the Trans-Pyrenees Challenge

Heading up on Day 2

Day 2 and the cycling adventure proper started. We headed to Solsona in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The day would see us initiated into the Pyrenean experience and taken over some moderate hills like Coll de Castell? and some short sharp ones. The ride was long – 150 km – and would be a great chance for the group to get to know each other and for the legs to understand the level of commitment needed to finish this demanding ride.

Climbing to Santuari de Sant Pin?s

The medieval town of Solsona is nestled a stone throw away from the cols of Boixols and Jou. These two cols are a must-do on the itinerary of anyone cycling in the area. Both cols are hard climbs and close together but you will be rewarded both times with superb fast sweeping roads. The Col de Boixols descent is like a fair ground ride with technical broad curves and tunnels thrown in for good measure.

Tunnels coming off the Col de Boixols

Riding in formation and heading into the hills again

With hidden cols like Boixols and their more famous cousins like the Portillon and the Bonaigua this ride is designed to pass over lesser known routes but still take in the mountains roads that the professional cyclists race over. The Bonaigua is 23 kilometres long and 2070 metres high and on day 4 would take us, via the col du Portillon, to France.

Admiring the views – Day 4

Riding out of the Canyon

The climb of the Bonaigua

We needed the miles and those cols to warm our legs up for Day 5. We were about to embark on the longest day of the week and probably the hardest.  Peyresourde, Aspin and Tourmalet – 120 kilometres and 3,400 metres of elevation gain. Cool clear skies awaited the riders and we set off with over 20 riders split into 3 groups for the demanding Queen stage of the Trans-Pyrenees Challenge.

Climbing the Aspin

Racing up the Tourmalet

The weather was holding out and some prayers were made for the next day when we would be taking on the Cols of the Aubisque, Marie Blanque and Ichere – 2130 metres of elevation gain. Prayers were unanswered as we approached the Aubisque but we were in for a real delight. The clouds remained low so we were treated to spectacular cloud inversions. We could not see the Cirque de Litor but the low lying clouds created an impressive panorama for the riders.  Another day completed and we were 105 kilometres closer to the Atlantic coast. The cyclists were anticipating the excitement of the final day and the roll over to the St. Jean de Luz on the Atlantic coast.

Approach to the Aubisque

No clear skies but spectacular views between Soulor and Aubisque

So close now to the Atlantic that the weather systems were being dominated by fronts sweeping in from the ocean. We started in rain and the whole of day 7 was dominated by showers and sparkles of sunshine. This was to be a hard day of cycling (2nd hardest statistically in the week) which took in the cols of Bagargui, Ispeguy and Otxondo. Bagargui is a hard climb. I glanced occasionally at the VDO computer to check the gradients on it and there was a long section when it didn’t go below 15%.

Out of the mist an eagle has landed and is wondering about all the fuss!

Eagles and vultures soared around us in the mist – sometimes our only companions as we strung out on the hard slopes. Ispeguy and Otxondo were the last climbs of the day and the challenge. Any normal cycling day and these would be punched over without much fuss but invoices were being collected and legs were almost spent. The last few miles to the Atlantic were weary but filled with an enormous amount of satisfaction. We had just ridden our bikes across the entire Pyrenees Mountain Range – 845 kilometres and over 16,150 metres of elevation gain in 1 week. A great week of epic cycling and a massive congratulations to all who participated in it!

Some of the riders after arriving at the Atlantic

The route was set and plans made.  The objective was to take in and climb some of the famous and hidden cols of the Alps over a 7 day period with a group of mixed ability cyclists – a Tour des Grandes Alpes.  All of the riders were fit skiers (downhill and cross country) and the route would be roughly linear and allow riders to accustom their legs to the rigours of cycling in the high mountains whilst following the routes that the pros use in their races.  We believe the objective was achieved and we hope to repeat a similar route in the Alps some day soon.

Day 1, Warm-up ride around Croix de Fry (1477 metres)

Croix de Fry was one of the cols used in the 2004 Tour de France when Lance Armstrong and his team at that time, US Postal, imposed control on the race.  It was stage 17 of that years’ race which went over the Cols of Madeleine and Forclaz – but more about those cols later.

Held up by cows on the Croix de Fry

Croix de Fry was climbed from Thones in 2004 and for the warm-up ride we decided to start from La Clusaz, a short spin that acclimatised the legs and heads for harder efforts to come later in the week.

Day 2, Key pass: Col de la Combi?re (1613 metres)

The climb of Col de la Colombi?re is a 1st category climb.  Our group of cyclists had to negotiate an average gradient of 6.8% and an elevation gain of just over 1100 metres.  This is not an easy climb to finish so early in the schedule.  This year Frank Schleck was the first rider over the top in stage 17 of the Tour de France.  Other tours have seen, amongst others, Marco Pantani and Luis Herrara as the leaders over its summit.

Jared closely followed by Bill on the steep part of the col de la Colombi?re

We climbed from the Sconzier side, which is the side the Tour de France went over this year.  We were glad of the clear skies, offering great views and the bar at the top of the col was open for refreshments which helped legs to recover.

Day 3, Key pass: Col de la Forclaz (1527 metres)

With the difficulty and distance increasing each day and legs adapting to the rigours of the Alps we were able to take in the cols of Marais (843 metres) and Forclaz (1527 metres).  The area around Forclaz is stunningly beautiful and the 85 kilometre route we did saw spectacular views over lake Annecy.

The run up to Col de la Forclaz

It is a shame that this col is not used more – the last time the tour went over was in 1977 and leaders over the top have included Roger Pingeon (1969) and Federico Bahamontes (1963).  This is a must-cycle col and the route we did through Faverge and back to La Clusaz whetted the riders’ appetites for harder cycling in the days ahead.

Enjoying views over Lake Annecy

Day 4, Key pass: Col des Aravis

Tartiflette is a rich dish which originated around the valley of Aravis.  Made with potatoes, onions, bacon and Reblochon cheese, it is an ideal high calorie food that can be eaten the night before the cycling cols such as Aravis or Saisies.  And that is exactly what we did before we tackled the mountains of Day 4.  Aravis and Saisies, like Forclaz, are worth cycling over simply for the view.  The route we did was just over 65 kilometres with 1300 metres of elevation gain.  Saisies (1630 metres) the second of the days’ cols and has superb views over the Mont Blanc range.  Thor Hushovd was the leader over the Col de Saisies in this years’ Tour de France (Stage 17) and clearly had eaten a healthy portion of tartiflette the night before.

Spectacular views of the Mont Blanc range

Day 5, Key pass: Col de la Madeleine

And so to Day 5 and col de la Madeleine – 2000 metres of elevation gain and over 80 kilometres of cycling.  Col de la Madeleine is the 6th most visited col in the Tour de France and the last time it was visited was in 2005 when Santiago Botero was the leader over the top.  The group of our riders were somewhat muted knowing that tomorrow’s ride (Day 6) would take in the epic climbs of Galibier and Alpe d’Huez.  Many of the riders used their heads more than their legs and saved energy for the tough day 6 ride.

Day 6, Key pass: Col du Galibier (2645 metres)

Our Tour des Grandes Alpes would not be complete without climbing the two classics of the alps – Galibier and Alpe d’Huez – in the same day!  Col du Galibier is 2645 metres high and is nearly 35 kilometres long (including Col du T?l?graphe).  Sweeping over the col and past the memorial of Henri Desgrange (first director of the Tour de France) we were able to contemplate the legendary race days that this mountain has witnessed – Coppi, Merckx and Pantani have all been leaders over the summit of this pass.  We were blessed with sunshine and relatively warm temperatures for the roll down to the base of Alpe d’Huez.  At the stop in La Grave we refuelled and chatted to a group of Dutch cyclists who, undoubtedly, would pass us later on up Alpe d’Huez.

Tackling the hard slopes of the Col du Galibier

The climb of Alpe d’Huez was first put on the map by Coppi in 1952 and since 1976 has been a regular feature in the Tour de France.  It is a Dutch mountain and as our Dutch friends from La Grave passed us I was reminded that they had won 8 of the first 14 finishes on this col – they have even installed a Dutch priest in the church of Notre Dame des Nieges!

The light helping to alleviate the strain on the slopes of Alpe d’Huez

The fastest Alpe d’Huez ascent is a hotly debated subject amongst cycling aficionados with Marco Pantani allegedly holding the record – 37 minutes 35 seconds for the 14.45 kilometres – an average speed of 23.08 kph!

Day 6 would be clearly classed as a “death ride” with 4000 metres of climbing and 120 kilometres of cycling and Pantani’s record is still safe for the time being!

Day 7, Key pass: Col de Sarenne (1999 metres)

Our last day of the Tour des Grandes Alpes saw us wake up to rain and wet roads.  We waited for it to clear and went into Alpe d’Huez town for lunch.  Being the last day some packed bikes and bags while an intrepid few ventured over to do the Col de Sarenne – a hidden gem.  This road to the col goes up the back of Alpe d’Huez and finishes almost at the same spot as its more famous cousin.  It has a higher difficulty index and is probably more interesting due its open views of the valley and surrounding mountains.  The rain eased and cyclists left and returned.  Col de Sarenne has never been used in the Tour de France and due its proximity to Alpe d’Huez is never likely to be.  We like it that way – a hidden col waiting to be discovered like others in our next foray into the Alps.

The group picture