Iconic road climbs

I did Ventoux a couple of weeks ago.
Definitely iconic.

There's the challenge of doing it from all three sides too; Malaucene, Bedoin and Sault (Bedoin and Sault roads meet at Chalet Reynard so from there it's one road to the summit).

Sa Calobra in Mallorca has to be up there too as a famous one.

Worth getting hold of the 100 Greatest Climbs books by Simon Warren, he's done books covering France, Italy and Spain.
Also a big hardback book simply called Climb which is by the Cyclist Magazine people, it's a compilation of climbs they've ridden as part of their various routes. Enough in there to give you some inspiration.

Sa Calobra is perfect.  All the Alpine climbs from the tour are good, but linking them together is the problem. Rocacorba near Girona is another one, not a race one but the pros use as a training ride.

Never ridden in the Pyrenees but would love to more than the alps due to the quieter roads

Close to home Dufton Pike FTW

Sa Calobra starting from Puerto Pollensa is a good day out on the bike ,plenty easy miles to get warmed up, some cracking hills on that side of Mallorca probably nothing near the length of height gained in the Alps or Pyrenees but fantastic road cycling . Puerto Valdemosa will give your legs a workout

Passo Pordoi and Giao in the dolomites? Blockhous, Gran sasso d'Italia maybe.

Lagos de Covadonga, Angrilu and Gamoneteiru in Asturias, Spain. There are a few routes up Sierra Nevada too which you can tie into a trip to Granada to visit Alhambra palace.

Did some French alps ones a few years ago, telegraph-galibier combo was good but a bit of traffic. Alpe d'huez was actually my least favourite of that trip and some of the lesser known ones were more enjoyable - good to do some of each though, and it is great seeing them on TV once you've done them.

Daniel Friebe's book Mountain high is a good source of info.

MT Tiède in Tenerife.

Dufton Pike FTW

Great Dun Fell.

Col du Galibier via Telegraphe ia 35km and over 2000m of ascent. A true test. I did it along with AdH and Col du Glandon for maximum masochism points.

Done a few of the French ones in my campervan and even a couple on my bike

https://www.cycling-challenge.com/100-cycling-climbs-better-than-alpe-dhuez/

I was going to say that Alpe d'Huez, although iconic, isn't one of my favourites. In the vicinity I preferred the Croix de Fer, Galibier and Izoard. And going further afield then the Tourmalet and Sa Calobra are all better IMO.

There's a big hill on the Croatian coast that's a fair way up. I did it by mistake on a bso the hotel we were staying in lent me for a tenner. Sveti Jure - think it ascends about a mile

Passo Gavia is my favourite.  Been twice now, first time I road from Bormio at 35 degrees to the top into a snow storm, bloody amazing.<br /><br />I have done quite a few in France and Italy as part of sportives or just col bashing.  I am just planning to return to Bormio again for the third time with a group of mates.  Go and look at https://www.europeancycleevents.com/ and chat to Dudley.

The hotel he uses is brilliant classy place with fantastic bike facilities.  Go do the Stelvio event, do the short route and spend the other days passo bashing instead of chewing fingernails

Izoard from Guillestre side has probably been my favourite, Coppi/Bobet memorial and La Casse Deserte on the way up. Do the loop and descend to Briancon to finish in town 🍺 🍕

Sa Calobra I’ve ridden several times but never really enjoyed it, probably as we’ve always ridden it at the end of a long week!

Great Dun Fell , Ventoux Alpe D'Huez, Col du Galibier all good training for the Nick o 'the Balloch

As per comments above, I've heard that there are much nicer climbs than Alpe d'Huez but everyone goes to Alpe because "iconic".

Ventoux was the same. Not exactly rammed as such but certainly busy with a lot of charity riders, big organised groups, a few camper vans that were supporting them, photographers who'd click away at you then tuck a business card in your pocket as you rode past in the hope that you'd buy the pics... The shop at the summit sold some very expensive tourist tat as well as extortionately priced waterproofs and gloves for those people caught in unexpected bad weather.

But the roads surrounding Ventoux were deserted. I rode for miles barely seeing a soul. Just quiet vineyards, stunning gorges, tiny neat little farming villages and coffee shops charging €1 instead of the one halfway up Ventoux charging €5.

The Koppenberg.

All of 65 meters of climbing but it's tough, it'a a road, albeit a cobbled road, and it's most definitely iconic.

Base yourself in Briancon and you've got Galibier, Izoard, Granon and probably a few others nearby. Plus it's a nice old town with stuff to do when you're not on the bike

A few people mentioning the Dolomites. I did the Sella Ronda route a few years ago with my lad. Weather was a rubbish (for August) but a stunning loop, and that's the key word here "loop".

https://www.altabadia.org/en/tours/sellaronda-road-bike-tour.html

Buxton Old Road

Ventoux is the iconic road climb for me. Absolutely love it! 

By comparison Alp d'Huez was dull, not even remotely enjoyable or scenic.

Tourmalet is spectacular, as is Stelvio. Col d'Iseran and Cormet de Roseland were spectacular and iconic.

Koppenberg is pretty easy to get to from the UK and is up there with Muur van Geraardsbergen when it comes to iconic Flandrien climbs.

The Tourmalet, I did the side up from Luz St Sauveur (on my 70th) and took the old original road (closed to cars) which come a bit after Bareges... it's called the Voie Laurent Fignon. All the old racers names still painted on the road. Just the cows, sheep and goats for company. Exactly this route here  http://thecolcollective.com/col-collection/col/col-du-tourmalet    Fantastic.

Just nearby Luz Ardiden with all its switchbacks (also out from Luz St Sauveur)..... Lovely.

Hautacam (in the same general area). A right bastard I thought, unrelenting but has seen some famous battles.

I've been lucky enough to have done enough riding around Europe to have a whole host of climbs that are 'better' than the ones you've heard of but aren't on the 'iconic' list 🙂 For example hit Alp d’Heuz and Sa Calobra at the wrong time and you'll be mixing it with tourist traffic and breathing diesel fumes from the queues of coaches.

The Pyrenees isn't getting a lot of love here, it's a lot quieter than anywhere in the Alps and the sense of openness and exposure is much greater. The Tourmalet is the obvious iconic big boy but there's also the Peyresourde, Mente, Superbagneres, Luz Ardiden, Aubisque and Bales all of which have a cycling history attached to them, you might not be able to buy a coffee mug or t-shirt with a fancy design of them on though.

Also throwing Monte Grappa into the mix, there's 11 ways up if you wanted to make a day of it.

Koppenberg is pretty easy to get to from the UK and is up there with Muur van Geraardsbergen when it comes to iconic Flandrien climbs.

A lot of the Flandrian climbs are very close, you can do multiple climbs in one ride.

Oudenaarde is the main centre with a cycling museum and cafe and loads of routes available - it's very much the hub of Tour of Flanders and many of the other Belgian Classics.

There are a couple of great books called Mountain High and Mountain Higher, by Daniel Friebe and Pete Goding. They are coffee table books, ideal for flicking through with a nice glass of something on a dark winter evening. Too of great photos but with useful information too. Very inspirational.

For a good Alps day out look at the route of Gran Fondo la Marmotte. Ticks off several Alpine "must do" climbs.

Otley Chevin, a classic. Actually, on the other side of the Wharfe valley, the road up to the old Norwood transmitter is a proper climb.

Actually without buying a book this is a brilliant resource from one of the best road cycling web pages going:

https://inrng.com/roads/

The Rhiwr.

I did The Sella Ronda bike day this year. Closed roads to motor vehicles and it was absolutely stunning and highly recommended.

Rather than simply look at individual climbs, what about ‘epic’ days on the bike?
L’alpe d’Heuz is a classic when it’s the final climb on LaMarmotte.
Maratona de Dolomites just goes up and down all day.
There’s no mega climbs in the Ardennes, but LaRedoute at 200km of Liege-Bastogne-Liege is a toughie.
The Flandrian climbs are a somewhat tougher proposition when you do the Oude Kwaremont, Patterberg and Koppenberg in quick succession on the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
There are no significant climbs on Paris-Roubaix but is tough as any mountain day - you just get battered.
L’Eroica in Tuscany is one of the most beautiful rides I’ve done.

Me and the teenage beast cycled from Geneva to Nice last year following the route des grandes alpes. It takes in 18 cols -some real classics (iseran, Galibier, Izoard, Cayolle) and some lesser known. 700km and around 18000m of uphill. We took camping kit  to make it harder but in hindsight hotels would have been better!

No one said the riding the trails behind the nationwide in Swindon, but ridden in reverse? <br /><br />Proper hardcore HC stuff that! 

Alto de l'Angliru, just because it is the only iconic climb I have done on a bike. However, I would not think it was worth the trip there just to do it as it is a bit out on a limb from any other special areas. Also it doesn't go anywhere so the only reason to go up is to roll back down (using up a set of pads in the process!). And when I did it and in all the Vuelta runs up it I have seen it always appears to be in cloud so you don't even get a view.

For scenery while riding the Sella Ronda and the Stelvio (both sides) must be up there.

It’s the Rake on Sunday. Hth.

Had a great touring holiday on our tandem in the Dolomites a few decades back. Tre Cime di Lavaredo stands out, and being out and back meant we could drop the camping gear part way up. I'd definitely put Ventoux on any list too, but make sure you pick decent weather for it.

Closer to home, we've got Fleet Moss, Buttertubs, Tan Hill, Park Rash, Garsdale Common and more pretty much on our doorstep...

If you fancy further afield, we just did Rollins Pass in the USA (MTB on rough jeep track up to 3600m) and it's rumoured you can MTB off the top of Fuji (3700ish) but getting up would be a struggle.

That L’Eroica looks lovely Doverider. Did you do the full 200km in one day? I’ve a friend who lives in Italy so this looks a perfect fit!

Like it how the thread has morphed into nice areas to base and ride.

Thanks

+1 Passo di Gavia & Koppenberg.

Also, Mur de Huy and counting the chapels.

Further afield, Tioga Pass - 9945 feet and fabulous view into Yosemite after climbing from Mono Lake.

Loonies.  Descents are fun. Climbs to be tolerated to get to the fun bits

Abula pass, Surava to La Punt for the scenery.

Bernina from Poschiavo.

Upper Lech valley.  One of the last wild alpine river valleys in Austria .

Col d'Iseran just for being the highest of the alps.

Colle delle Finestre because it's gravel. In fact it you're doing this combine it with the Strada dell'Assietta including the Colle dell'Assietta all the way to Sestriere.... Just don't bother bringing a road bike.

Granon

Rode this a few weeks back at the end of a 40km ride. We had parked up 400m beneath the Col and rode up, down the Granon trail, down another and then up to a short switchback laden trail above Vachette. Bugger me.... The hardest part was the first few km of the climb at the end of the day.

My legs were shot. Bear in mind I wasn't on a nice 8kg road bike or even my gravel bike, but a 160mm enduro.

Registration for the Marmotte opens 11ish on Friday...

That's Croix de Fer and Telegraph/galibier as new ascents. And if you don't fancy AdH again, have a beer in Bourg.

The thing about AdH though is you look up to the village, and think how the **** am I going to get up there, and then you do. And some of the views back down and across those hairpins and it is pretty gopping...

pick the right time of day and it's not so bad traffic wise

Go big, or go home...

Mauna Kea on Hawaii's big island...13000+ ft of climbing starting from sea level

I had some lovely riding round the Chartreuse region in France (between Chambery and Grenoble). Hills not as tough as some of the bigger alps but easier to create loops that still had plenty of elevation (35 miles + 5000ft).

It’s the Rake on Sunday. Hth.

It is indeed. 12 o clock kick off in Ramsbottom. The weather forecast is clear blue skies and sunshine. If you fancy coming watching some terrifyingly fast climbers

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As someone else has said, staying in Briançon is a good base, I stayed just up the hill in Montgenèvre. A ski chalet in summer was peanuts.

Registration for the Marmotte opens 11ish on Friday…

That’s Croix de Fer and Telegraph/galibier as new ascents. And if you don’t fancy AdH again, have a beer in Bourg.

I was interested to see that they had gone back to using the Croix de Fer but as someone for whom time cut offs are always in point I was disheartened to read an article suggesting whilst they would extend the cut off to 6.30 at Bourg d'Oisans, there would be a cut off at the top of the Galibier at 16.15 which would make the former somewhat moot - who takes two and a quarter hours to do 44km downhill?

The Buttress from Hebden up to Heptonstall 

who takes two and a quarter hours to do 44km downhill?

I've worked on ride-leading gigs where stuff like that hasn't been uncommon. Bad weather, fatigue, cold, mechanicals, getting lost...

A friend did Marmotte a few years ago in one of the bad weather years where they stopped most riders from going up AdH as the wind and rain and cold closed in, plenty of people were verging on hypothermia.

I know someone who took nearly an hour to descend Ventoux (20km) due to the wind and the associated cold along with being terrified and riding the whole thing hard on the brakes.

Is it not a good thing if they stop you going up AdH in the Marmotte? That climb is evil at the end of a big day out. Last time I did it there was bodies all over the place on that climb lying in the shade, stopping at streams etc. 21 hairpins of hell.

I've fancied a long weekend in Nice for a while, warm up on Col d'Eze and the Madone one day, then next day climb the Col de Turini from Sospel which looks like a beast but also quite stunning in places.

Is it not a good thing if they stop you going up AdH in the Marmotte?

They don't physically stop you, just take your number and give you a time for the Marmotton - sufficient disincentive for many. The first year I did it, I missed the cut but limped on up AdH in a couple of hours yet still managed to finish before the last finisher - I think he must have stopped on the climb for some refreshment so he guaranteed last place. Every time I did it I would arrive at the top of the Galibier around 5 ish but making the cut was very doable. Now I wouldn't have a chance even if I was as fit as I was then. Anyway this should probably be on the midlife crisis thread.

Ah I see mefty. I wish someone had stopped me. I felt fantastic at the bottom after the long descent from the Galibier. I was flying. Started up towards the first hairpin and it all started to unravel. Overheated and had painful hotspots pushing the pedals. My gearing wasn’t big enough to allow me to spin a high cadence. I had to keep pushing and suffering up through all the 21 bends to eventually finish totally knackered. Can’t believe how quickly the wheels came off for me. Still was a grand day out and I did get my gold standard but boy was it painful.

You may already know this, but “FulGaz” has most of the big climbs on their platform complete with 4k video. If you’ve got a smart turbo and looking to train this winter, it may be a good platform for you. <br /><br />

Did Sa Colabra yesterday. coaches everywhere. and we left early too. Juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. Soller was much more pleasant with a lovely ride along the peninsula. i won’t bother again.

https://www.cycling-challenge.com/lac-de-cap-de-long-and-la-route-des-lacs/

Probably doesn't count as iconic as don't think it gets raced up, but this has to be my favourite climb in the Pyrenees. Higher than Tourmalet and reckon I saw no more than a dozen cars when I did it.