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The Mythical Ascent

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The Mythical Ascent is the legendary road climb from the town of Bourg d'Oisans (700m) in the Rhone Region of the French Alps to the ski resort of Alpes D'Huez (1860m) The Alpes d'Huez climb has regularly featured in the Tour de France itinerary since 1976 having made its first appearance in 1952. Its is reputedly the most challenging and well known of all the TDF alpine climbs. Having attempted both the Alpes d'Huez and Galibier climbs it may well be the most famous but I would dispute the fact that it is the most challenging. However it is surely on the 'To Do List' of any self respecting cyclist so had to be done. We started our climb after a warm up and a Pain o'chocolate from the boulangerie in Bourg. The official start of the route was directly outside the entrance to the campsite. There are 21 hairpins on the route each one named after a stage winner of the TDF. There are so many winners now that the lower bends now have two names on the

Les 2 Alpes to Venosc

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We parked near to the village of Venosc (900m) in the lovely Oissans region not far from the mythological Alpes d'Huez and caught the gondola up to Les deux Alpes  also known as Les 2 Alpes (1650m) From here we took the Jandri Express cable car which took us 7km up the mountain to the foot of the Mantel Glacier 3200m in 24 mins This glacier is the largest summer ski area in Europe. It was strange to cycle through the town passing skiers and snow boarders all dressed up in their gear in a temperature of 20 degrees. By the time we reached the summit the temperature was down to 4 degrees. There are stunning alpine views from here even across to Mont Blanc approx 62 miles to the north We started our ride down on the blue Nord route which was very steep in places with a loose stoney surface. We rode across various pisted areas. When we had the chance we stopped to admire the view and pose for photographs. Les 2 Alpes is very popular in the summer with both downhi

Coast 2 Coast The Main Event

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The Coast 2 Coast route that we chose to ride starts in Whitehaven on the Cumbrian coast and travels east skirting the north end of the Lake district over the Penines down into Newcastle and finishing at Tynemouth. We arrived in Whitehaven bright and early, first stop The Beacon cafe for a breakfast top up. Before the start it is tradition to dip your rear wheels in the Irish Sea, the main harbour slip way was the ideal place for a line up but not all the 35 riders managed to get in the shot. We left Whitehaven at 11.45 am and headed up the cycle track towards the Lakes. It is a climb but a gentle one. The landscape changed from urban to rural and then the mountains of the north Lake District came into view. Our first stop was Loweswater by which time we were nicely warmed up and feeling good. The gradient of the climb from Loweswater increased dramatically and gave a hint of things to come. The visitor centre at Whinlatter Forest was a welcome stop for some, the