Mountains Bucket List

Mountains are like Haribo – no matter how many you eat (summit), you just need more! If you’re anything like me, you’ll have started with a single cycling goal in mind and hope to tick it off. That first opens the door to a huge world of opportunities and exploration though. This is my latest (ever-growing) list of climbs I’ve not done and badly want to!

French Alps

1. Col de l’Iseran (2,764m) – Highest paved road in the Alps. Automatic goal

2. Col de la Bonette – (2,715m) – A cycling legend, Max Leonards amazing book ‘Higher Calling’ brought this road to life

3. Les Lacets de Montvernier – a local secret before 2015, the 18 hairpins in less than 3km look incredible

4. Col d’Ornon – on my list each time I visit le Bourg-d’Oisans, I’ve not worked it into a route yet (really must!)

5. Col du Glandon – saw a Golden Eagle in 2018 whilst driving this route. Never been fit to ride Croix de Fer and back over Glandon

Italian Dolomites

1. Passo San Boldo (706m) – hairpins and tunnels. Incredible feat of engineering. I’ve only descended this side

2. Passo Stelvio – unfinished business. Struck from the Haute Route in 2015 due to snow, this is a must climb

3. Monte Zoncolon – looks brutal. That’s a good enough reason for me!

4. Monte Grappa – I’ve wanted to ride this since seeing Quintana attack in his leaders wellies at the 2014 Giro d’Italia

5. Colle de Nivolet – on this list purely because I saw a photo, which led to a blog. 41km long and looks magical

Swiss Alps

1. Grimselpass – first saw Grimsel when riding Furkapass in 2015. Have returned by car and I need to plan a swiss bike trip!

2. Sustenpass – absolutely phenomenal road, which I drove in 2017 and jealously watched people ride through the snow line

Pyrénées

All of them – I’ve sadly never visited but outside of the Grand Tour classics, the Col Collective has sold me on the need to prioritise Lac de Cap de Long

1. Col du Tourmalet

2. Col d’Aspin

3. Col d’Azet

4. Plateau de Beille

5. Col de Peyresourde

6. Horquette d’Ancizan

7. Route des Lacs

8. Lac de Cap de Long

9. Col d’Aubisque

10. Col de Portet

11. Hautacam

#Alps #climbs #dolomites #mustride