A Tour of Hors Categorie Climbs in the Alps
Its been 6 years since I last did a self supported tour; one that had no set distance or route, only a series of places I wanted to see and wasn’t a race. This time, I wanted to do a tour of some Hors Categories climbs in the Alps.
Life in Europe simple; roads are good, food is plentiful & accommodation is easy. It was everything I wanted from this trip. I’d grown sick of everything being a battle in Japan – Europe feels homely by comparison. I can speak the basics to get by & have an appreciation for the zero-stress way of life. It was all the familiarity I had been craving.
So here I am, touring some Hors Categories climbs in the alps. Not following any route. Just ticking off all the pins I had saved in my google maps over the years. Camping. Falling back in love with the way of life I used to love. Looking back to that 2019 tour, when I discovered bikepacking, before I took it too seriously with racing – I was genuinely happily. Everything was new. I was inexperienced, but I loved it. I didn’t care about fancy kit, or strava times. All I cared about was exploring – and that’s what I’ve come back here to do. Ride hard, yes. But live hard, too. Coffee, good food & good sleeps.
One thing I have changed this time round (thank you experience) is packing very lightweight. 2019 taught me that you do not need the kitchen sink when cycling in the alps – everything is so readily available. You’re never more than 10km from a café or a town. Sure, it’s a bit more expensive to buy everything – but my god it’s easier than carrying it up a 2000m alpine col!
Day 1 – The start of the tour of Hors Categories climbs in the Alps
Day 1 started with a logistical fath in Geneva. I needed to leave my bikebag at the luggage storage in Geneva train station which only opened at 9am – only once that was done & I was ready to start, did I realise I hadn’t downloaded European maps onto my GPS. So, I started the euro tour in typical European fashion – with a coffee – whilst waiting for said maps to download.
By 10am it was already stifling hot. There was a triathlon taking place which made getting out of Geneva even more tedious. Eventually, I found myself out of town & on a gravel track following the river, east, heading for Switzerland.
Col Des Montets & Col de la Forclaz would be the two primary objectives at the start of this tour of Hors Categories climbs in the Alps. It was inevitably all uphill. Passing through Chamonix, a place synonymous with alpine sport, I had absolutely no motivation to stop. None whatsoever. As nice as these mountain towns are, I despise the crowds and pretentiousness they attract. That said, the view out to the Mont Blanc massif was worthy of a photo!
I promised myself not to make this tour of Hors Categories climbs in the Alps a sufferfest – yet here I was, mid afternoon, suffering. Dunking my head in every water fountain I could find. I don’t know if it’s a mild ADHD thing, or the fact I’d just gotten to used to being stressed at work, but I didn’t know how to just stop and relax.
I had no end goal in sight this first day & for some reason, I found myself wanting to push harder. I wasn’t well adapted to long distance, multi-day riding, so I knew I’d be in a hole the next day regardless.
I hadn’t eaten well today either – I tend not to in the heat. I’d eaten way to many carbs – just about enough fibre & not nearly enough protein. Tea was a bitterly disappointing roadside café. Theres a rule in bikepacking – never ride past a good bivvy spot. The same applies to eateries too – ‘just a bit further then I will stop’ often leads to regret.
Riding into Bourg-Saint-Pierre marked the 160km point. At 1600m, it was above the heat & humidity. I put the tent up, washed my bibs & felt moderately human again after a warm shower.
Geneva – Bourg-Saint-Pierre, 162km, 2954m, Col des Montets (Cat 3) & Col de la Forclaz (Cat 1)
Day 2 – 3 countries in 12 hours
As expected, I didn’t recover at all well. My resting heart rate was sky high – and conversely, my HRV was super low. This is pretty typical for me on the first day of a tour, whilst my body acclimatises to the excess food, the heat & higher-than-normal levels of exertion. But, the tent views were blissful – that kind that reminded me of the whole point of this tour of Hors Categories climbs in the Alps.
Straight from the ultra-distance racing playbook, I’d secured 2 pastries the night before. I could therefore ride the remainder of Col du Grand Saint Bernard before it got too hot again. Not a glamorous start to the day – eating is the move never is.
The summit views were killer – as was the double espresso & third (?) breakfast.
Descending into Italy & the Aosta Valley meant three countries in 12 hours! It was then time for a tedious drag through the valley floor, in excessive heat. I wanted to find a decent food spot before beginning the Col du Petit Saint Bernard, but equally, I didn’t want to stop too soon as it would allow the lethargy to kick in whilst battling the heat & boredom of the flat valley.
I love riding up hills – but I hate the flats that link them.
For a man who lived in Asia for a year & wasn’t accustomed to these alpine climbs, I felt surprisingly strong on this second HC climb of the day. The fact I’d chosen a 38t chainring matched with a 42t cassette helped me to find that nice spinning rhythm.
My plan was to stop and camp in La Thuile that night – upon arriving and seeing the MTB World Cup circus in town, I quickly scratched that idea. A younger me would have loved the party, but older me likes peace & quiet, with a solid 8 hours sleep. Instead, I choose to finish the climb in the rain, and stay at a hotel in La Rosiere.
Eating a wholly unnecessary tartiflette in the hotel restaurant, I was reminded that the thing I love about these self-supported rides is that they’re f*cking hard. There’s only one way to get it done and that’s through your own effort. There’s no hiding place, it’s honest graft. There are no external dependencies or problems that an individual can’t overcome – it means you can go all in on one task and get the feeling of satisfaction upon completion. No corporate job can give that.
Bourg-Saint-Pierre – La Rosiere, 112km, 2526m, Col du Grand Saint Bernard (HC) & Col du Petit Saint Bernard (HC)
Day 3 – Col d’Iseran
The morning views from La Rosiere were breathtaking – the clouds parting to reveal the stunning views and roads snaking up the alpine Cols. I was reminded that you cant really get away with summer kit at 2000m when the weather turns – a rain jacket isn’t enough – the temperature swings & cold air on the descents can quickly become very unpleasant.
That morning, dropping from La Rosiere towards Val d’Isere & Col de I’Iseran, was literred with professional riders. I saw the Visma Lease a Bike train, as well every other World Tour team jersey.
When you have bikepacking bags, it’s almost a free pass for being overtaken – and an easy excuse!
The Iseran climb was class. I found myself pacing it so well. The gradients are never difficult – which is a relative statement! I live in Yorkshire, where 15-25% gradients are normal, but over a much shorter distance, whereas alpine climbs tend to be <10% & go on for 15+km. I don’t find myself having to dig too deep, instead, I can just find a nice tempo and tap it out for 90 minutes.
I’m not saying they’re easy – just easier than what I’m used to!
My legs fell off a bit after this climb. Maybe the adrenaline and excitement had worn off. I dropped into Val Cenis, into a block headwind. I stopped for a monster panini for lunch – and felt pregnant afterwards – not even an espresso could give me the power-up I needed to get moving. It was another uninspiring drag towards the next climb.
I say uninspiring – Val Cenis is a beautiful landscape. It was more that I felt uninspired having just dropped off yet another HC climb and was immediately thinking about the next one. All relative!
Funnily enough, the minute I started climbing Mont Cenis, all the good feelings came back. Like my body knew what to expect now – muscle memory. The top of Mont Cenis revealed the beautiful blue Lac Du Mont Cenis and switchbacks into Italy, set against a stunning backdrop.
I rolled into Susa, Italy, and found myself heading for a hotel with an impending thunderstorm brewing over the peaks & falling into the valley.
La Rosiere – Susa, 117km, 2586m, Col de I’Iseran (HC) & Col du Mont Cenis (HC)
Day 4 – Memories from my kayaking days
I woke up, after sleeping in an airconditioned room, with all my vitals responding well. They they were acknowledging the rigours of cycle touring.
From Susa, it would be back over the border into France via Montgenevre. I knew this pass & area around Briancon well from my whitewater kayaking days. It would be strange to cycle up these roads, rather paddling a kayak down the river.
Passing through Sauze d’Oulx, I stopped for one last Italian espresso – the French don’t quite do it so well (sorry France) – before pushing on up the climb. My legs were purring today, despite the headwind and heat on the lower slopes. I wasn’t really looking forward to the climb, I assumed it would be quite busy being a border crossing. Towards the top there is a tunnel and then a ‘separate’ minor road which was almost exclusively bikes. It ended up being quite a pleasant climb, before the views opened up to France.
With my vitals showing good, my appetite was aligned too. One huge baguette sandwich followed by an espresso was the perfect refuel ahead of the Col du Galibier. In truth, I was way ahead of schedule, it wasn’t the plan to ride Galibier today. quite liked riding halfway up a pass, camping above the heat & leaving only a short distance remaining to climb. My legs felt too good not to push on today.
From Col du Lautaret, you can either drop down to Le Bourg d’Oisans – or over Galibier – I chose the latter.
These grand tour climbs in the summer are basically a festival – its almost exclusively bikes. With the climbs being so long, I find chasing people the easiest way to keep my mind occupied. Obviously, you have to be realistic about who youre chasing when carrying an extra 10kg including camping kit. The poor lad I chose was in my sights for nearly 1hr – and I only passed him with 750m to go. Brutal. Funny, but brutal. He then proceeded to take a photo for me – so no hard feelings!
I’m one of those strange folk who prefers riding uphill than downhill – riding downhill, at least on a road bike, feels more risk than reward. That feeling was vindicated on the Galibier descent. I’d seen the Pidcock video & knew it was quite exposed – but its only when you actually do it, do you realise how little margin for error there is. Add wind and bikepacking bags (which really mess with the handling) and it becomes more a wrestling match than enjoyment.
I rolled down into Valloire to camp the night at altitude above the heat. As I tucked into a pizza, I was contemplating just how far I’d fallen relative to my 2022 level of fitness – which I considered strong enough to race on. It was quite sobering, because whilst I’d barely done any consistent training in the last 2-3 years, I’d done just enough to still be able to get up these monster climbs. I guess the only difference now is my fatigue resistance and recovery isn’t as strong as it was.
Who knows, maybe I need to just try my hand at racing again to really find out.
Susa – Valloire, 107km, 2842m, Col de Montgenèvre, Col du Lautaret & Col du Galibier (HC)
Day 5 – An unexpected new favourite climb
I had my best nights sleep so far this trip. Sleeping outside really does hit different. I like camping, but I hate the faff that comes with packing up a tent – especially 1-person tents which ALWAYS fill with condensation, irrespective of how well ventilated it is. I headed into town for a coffee & breakfast to let the tent air & dry out.
I was in no rush that morning, it felt anticlimactic after a few days of back to back HC climbs. With the second coffee done, I started seeing more and more riders moving. I figured that was my sign to get going before the heat really ramped up.
Rolling down over Col du Télégraphe justified my route choice – it was insanely busy traffic heading up. Considering it was a Wednesday, midweek, I couldn’t believe the amount of riders on the road. My route took me up Col de la Croix de Fer – far away from the madding crowd.
I only knew of the Croix de Fer climb after Genesis named their steel tourer bike after it – a bike which I very nearly bought, before choosing my Shand Stoater. So I had no idea what to expect from the climb – other than the first road marker which said 26km. it would be a long one!
The views were magnificent & unspoiled by crowds. Snow capped jagged peaks towered over green valleys. The only downer was the gradients – I’d gotten too comfortable on 6-8%, so when the 10-12% appeared here, they felt awkward & required a lot more effort from my fatigued legs.
With it being a 26km climb & me feeling a little lethargic today, I stopped in Saint-Sorlin-d’Arves – a quaint little ski town – for a plat du jour. The best advertisement for any bar or restaurant (for me) is seeing a small group outside, doing nothing but drinking espresso. Dolce far niente.
Col de la Croix de Fer is a strange one – you can’t do it isolation. To make a loop, or any kind of route out of it, you have to add at least one other HC climb. For me, the plan was to do Alp d’Huez, which meant dropping down via Col du Glandon, into Allemond, where I found a small little campsite that was every bit as French as you could expect – rules for the sake of rules.
I chose campsites for this tour of Hors Categories climbs in the Alps because quite frankly, I wanted to relax in the afternoon. Wild camping has its place on ultra-distances races. But not when touring – not when I want a shower & a place to leave my stuff when I go out for dinner.
Valloire – Allemond, 90km, 2122m, Col du Télégraphe & Col de la Croix de Fer (HC)
Day 6 – The classic Alp d’Huez loop
From Allemond – the plan was the Alp d’Huex loop – a loop which goes up the main climb from Le Bourg d’Oisans and back down via Villard-Reculas.
I left my tent, took 2 espresso & 2 pastries for the nearest boulangerie and set off. The 20km from Allemond to the base of the climb was in the cool shade – I cranked up the pace a bit to accelerate my digestion & get the legs warmed before the climb.
The climb itself was much like every other alpine col in that the switchbacks were 500-800m apart. To see the sun beating hard on the rock on the opposing side of the valley was a relief. I could ride a nice tempo without overheating.
I didn’t see a soul on the way up – I could not believe I had one of the most famous alpine climbs to myself, especially after seeing how busy Galibier was yesterday. I even questioned whether I’d gone up the wrong climb!
Landing in Alp d’Huez town was strange – I didn’t know where the actual finish of the climb was. I was rolling through town looking for a) coffee & second breakfast b) something that resembled a summit sign. Anyone who has ridden Alp d’Huez will be laughing at this, because it’s the most obvious drag up to a great big ‘race finish-type’ banner, where each Tour de France stage winner is inscribed onto the memorial.
I sat, admiring the view & the network of mountain bike trails. I knew this was a popular ski town – I didn’t realise it was such a mountain bike town too. I guess its such a growing sport, every winter town now feels the need to keep up in the summer market too.
Dropping back to Allemond via the ‘back roads’ was pleasant. From the balcony, it was a breathtaking view back over the Romanche valley, towards Les Deux Alpes.
I picked my tent & camping stuff up, only now I was dreading the climb back up Col du Glandon. I’d ridden down this climb last night – hating the descent, because I knew I’d be riding back up it. With the excitement of Alp d’Huez worn off, the motivation wasn’t quite there for this next climb – not in the midday heat.
I had some meat & cheese left from dinner last night, so I called that lunch & set off. I got about a third of the way up and decided I couldn’t really be bothered. I stopped for a crepe & a litre of water. As I sat there, contemplating my life choices, an elderly French couple paused their ride for the biggest salad lunch I’ve ever seen. I figured if they can stop for a lunch like that and continue riding, I can grow a pair and get this done.
Glandon was probably my least favourite climb on this tour of Hors Categories climbs in the Alps. The lower slopes were steep & in the woods – yet at each hairpin, where the road is flattest, the sun beat down through the woods. It was a sweat fest. Even when I broke through the treeline, the sun was relenting and the wind was non-existent. Yeah, you get the picture, I didn’t enjoy it!
With it being such a hot day, I opted against camping that night – choosing a BnB in La Chambre. I didn’t have the legs or the motivation for the final climb of Col de la Madeleine today & it felt too early to stop at a campsite near Glandon summit, above the heat.
Allemond – La Chambre, 95km, 2700m, Alpe d’Huez (HC) & Col du Glandon (HC)
Day 7 – The final Hors Categories climbs in the Alps
The final day would take me over my last HC climb on the tour – the Col de le Madeleine. The climb profile suggested it would be a hard one – similar, if not worse, than col du Glandon. Needless to say, I was just wanting this to be over with.
Thankfully it was a cool morning. In my procrastination, I ate one too many pastries. As if I didn’t feel lethargic enough already.
I set about it with bad feelings, yet with my head down and just powering on, I quickly found myself at 1000m altitude. Where did that go? All of a sudden, the good feelings came through as I realised it wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d been telling myself.
One thing the climbs in Japan were missing was views – you had no sense of altitude or accomplishment because it was just consistently in the jungle. You could have been at 200m or 2000m, you wouldn’t have known. Whereas here, when touring the Hors Categories climbs in the Alps, the views are generally proportional to the altitude – higher up you go, the better and more expansive they are. And with the mountain peaks surrounding you, there’s so much more grandeur to it.
The Col de la Madeleine is probably the most efficient climb I’d ridden – no flat sections, just always uphill. You didn’t feel like there was any point where you weren’t making uphill progress. I liked that!
From the summit, you’re staring directly at Mont Blanc, before a steep and twisty descent brings you back down to the valley floor. And guess what? It was hot. I was on a quest for food and a finish line – food was the easy bit, a big baguette sandwich & Orangina – standard.
The finish, well that was harder. A cycle path was pretty flat all the way into Annecy – the issue was more the heat and headwind. It reminded me of the TPR finish a few years back – you’ve been so fixated with getting the final climb done that you neglect the final 60km time-trial to the finish. It was exactly that – just get your head down and tan it. the faster I ride, the sooner I can throw myself into Lac d’Annecy.
Around mid afternoon, I was swimming in the cool waters without a care in the world. I don’t drink alcohol these days, so the standard ‘beer at the finish’ isn’t a thing anymore. That said, perched on the lake shores that evening, with a 0% 1664, was quite a sombre feeling. I often feel devoid of emotion after these big rides – mainly because I’ve been so detached from reality, dreading the fact I have to live like a normal human & integrate back into normal society the next day. One part of my brain is stoked – the other is depressed.
La Chambre – Annecy, 110km, 1721m, Col de la Madeleine (HC)
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