Biking up monster Tour de France climb in the Alps made to look easy by guide, who’s done it over 50 times. It’s anything but for an amateur cyclist, but worth it
- The 17.6km Col de la Colombiere, in the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps, was as stunning as it was challenging for Steve Wartenberg
- Ridden 23 times in the world’s greatest cycling race, the gradient averages 6.5 per cent, and at the top 11 per cent. But the views are magnificent
“Be patient, slow down,” I reminded myself as we neared the summit of the Col de la Colombiere in the French Alps, a climb that’s been ridden 23 times in the Tour de France.
And, trust me, they don’t include it so regularly in the world’s most famous cycling race because it’s easy.
The Colombiere is a 17.6km (10.9-mile) challenge with an average gradient of 6.5 per cent. (There’s a sign every that lets you know the gradient for the upcoming kilometre.)
I’m not a professional cyclist and was struggling. Up ahead was Mike Booth, my new cycling companion. Booth, a charming and chatty Brit who lives near the base of Mont Blanc, has ridden the Colombiere more than 50 times and wasn’t even breathing hard.
Booth was one of the reasons I was in the Haute Savoie region of the French Alps, based first in Annecy and now Cluses.
