Top 10 : Best days on the bike
- Bikes__And__Mountains
- May 1, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 7, 2023
Top 10’s are always fun. Especially when you’ve ridden <1% of all the great roads and events the world has to offer. Obviously that’s not going to stop me, so here’s my first ever Top 10; my 10 best days out on the bike (accurate as of April 2020. All opinions are my own. No refunds. Let me know why I’m wrong!). Let’s get started.
10. Haute Route Dolomites 2015 – Stage 5
The Haute Route rightly has a number of spots on this list. It’s a unique experience which I still think about regularly. Stage 5, from Bormio to Merano, started with the Passo Gavia, reaching the snow capped summit at 9am – easily beating any day in the office! The climbs of Passo del Tonale and Passo Castrina completed the day. An essential detour due to roadworks meant we did about 30km on a bike path, with a motorcycle lead out too. Great fun!
9. Col de la Croix de Fer – Always
I started this list with #1 and having got to Col de la Croix de Fer, I’m surprised to find it at #9. I’ve ridden this route twice, driven it twice and it doesn’t get old. Lakes, dams, alpine meadows and dramatic scenery – it has everything. It was the first Col I climbed and, currently, it’s also the last I did. When I complete my route over Col de la Croix de Fer, descend to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and loop back over Col du Glandon, it’ll move up the list. Wonderful area. Beautiful climb.
8. Solude Shale in the High Alps – June 2017
Staying near le Bourg-d’Oisans, this route was an accident and opened my eyes to exploring. After climbing Villard Reculas, we planned to ride le balcon d’auris to col de la Sarenne. Closed due to a rock fall, we instead crossed the valley behind le Bourg-d’Oisans. We tackled col du Solude via Villard Notre Dame and Villard Reymond and the final, unpaved, kms are outstanding – if a little terrifying! We descended onto Col d’Ornon and back to le Bourg d’Oisans and it changed all future trips.
7. Mont Ventoux – Parts I and II
This ‘day on the bike’ includes a long drive back to Bedoin from Grenoble. An unexpected roadside party the night before Stage 15 of the 2013 TdF wrote off any proper attempt earlier in the week. I did somehow ride up to the closed barrier section, feeling a bit worse for wear, but that doesn’t count! Returning on the Friday, tired and terrified in 30˚C heat, the bike was good, the legs were good and the feeling of satisfaction at the top surprised me – I think I had something in my eye.
6. Haute Route Dolomites 2015 – Stage 7
The final stage after an incredible week, the route from Cortina d’Ampezzo to Venice started at 7am with a ride up Passo Giau, which was topped with snow. The final climb of San Boldo finished with a descent through the hairpinned tunnels. Passo Giau is one of my favourite ever climbs and I think my mate has forgiven me for almost riding our chain gang straight into a roadwork sign in the valley when I momentarily stopped paying attention! How we laughed…
5. Yorkshire Grand Depart route – 2014
It’s not every year le Tour de France literally passes the end of your road, so this route was a must ride before the Grand Depart in 2014. If you watched the pros, you’ll know what a great event it was and it was much the same riding the route. This wasn’t a sportive, just a weekend ride, but the weather was great, there were so many people out riding and at nearly 200km it remains the longest ride I’ve ever done. I suffered a lot and I loved it!
4. Tour of The Alpe – 2019
Not a set tour, but a route I’d had my eye on for a few years and finally completed. Starting in Allemond, we climbed Villard Reculas, crossed Pas de la Confession, dropped down Alpe D’Huez to turn 6, picking up Route de la Roche (incredible balcon d’auris), before crossing to Mizoen to climb Col de la Sarenne and finish back atop l’Alpe d’Huez. A great route, highly recommended.
3. Haute Route Dolomites 2015 – Stage 2
Haute Route has a number of spots in this Top 10 for good reason. Why stage 2? From Crans Montana to Andermatt, covering 148km and 3,550m of climbing, this was my first point to point ride through the really high mountains. Furkapass was phenomenal, I was well prepared and the feeling at the end was special. All the training had paid off. Stunning day.
2. Tour of Flanders Sportive in April 2018
After watching the race and testing a few climbs in 2017, a friend and I signed up to the sportive and what a great day. Amazing atmosphere, friendly riders and so many famous roads and cobbled climbs to test yourself on. I tackled this the week after a 500 mile charity event and, excusing the cobbles, it was as good as I have ever felt riding for a full day. Epic.
First trip to L’Alpe d’Huez in 2011
I’d never ridden in the mountains before and everything about this climb was great. Days before the Tour came through, fans on the road, party on Dutch Corner in full swing and topped off with a 1hr 10m climb which I’ve never bettered. Fear is a good motivator!
My Top 10 won’t be your Top 10 and that’s the great thing about cycling in the mountains. It’s more than the mountain itself, or the route, or the scenery. It’s a feeling. The feeling isn’t necessarily one of comfort – some of my best memories are of days where I really didn’t feel good - but I finished what I set out to achieve and earned every view.
Keep riding. Keep exploring. Allez!
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