Same as last year but in the reverse direction. I was looking for another pass but it doesn't seem that the road is surfaced. The weather has been unsettled and it didn't look good reaching Omegna.

RouteNice little ride along the foothills of lake Orta to a monastry on top of a hill with lake views. The route passes through a few traditional Italian villages. There is a bar in Miasino.

Afternoon trip to recover my sunglasses left in a cafe in Orta. This gave me the opportunity to cycle around the headland of Orta then ride up to Armeno in the route I normally ride down.

I wanted to tackle the Madeleine via Montgellafrey as I hadn't done this climb before. It is a little back road but not that quiet. On paper the climb is just 7.7% over 13km.

Passo della Colma is 8.9 kilometers long for an elevation gain of 490 meters giving an average gradient of 5.1%. The climb starts near the historic town of Varallo, which is worth a detour.

Main climb was pleasant but still finding the very steep ramps hard. Little shake down of the bike after the trip.

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.

1h25 for the loop but a bit tight as I only had 1h30 for lunch so had to push it after the climb.

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.

A trip to Orta isn't complete without a Coiromonte. Well that is not really true but it is quite an interesting climb and only takes just over an hour.