Today the road from Allevard to Super Collet was closed to motor traffic from 9 am to midday as part of the Closed Cols operation.

I fancied covering 1000 vertical meters via Miasino this time as the initial climb to Armeno.

According to several sources, the Tougnète Pass via the D96 is the most difficult climb in France.

I wanted to climb the Madeleine Pass after Pauline Ferrand Prevot's victory yesterday, but via a different route, as this one has a section of gravel.

It has been like winter this May. Rain, snow, cold, wind. Not very inviting. Finally a break in the weather, a bit unexpected and I decided to ride the Croix de Fer or Glandon.

I parked up at la Grande Croix d'Aiguebelle. A hamlet at the entrance to the Maurienne valley. In the drought the river was dry but the fountain still worked.

Second big col of the spring campaign. This time we drove to Beaufortain as Mike finds the Albertville road uninteresting and very busy. He's not wrong. We too the back road to Arêches.

I decided to start early 7h20 but could easily have started an hour earlier with the temperatures.

I took the back route into the Madeleine via the lacets de Montvernier Col du Chaussy and the lac du Loup. There are some sections of 13% above Montvernier on a balcony road.

DescriptionIt is a fairly logical loop.