I decided to ride home from the lac du Bourget this afternoon, but via the Relais du Mont du Chat and the col de l'Epine.

DescriptionOne for the climbers. Views over the mountains and Lake Orta from the summit. The climb is through woodland so offers a lot of shade on a sunny day.

The Relais du Mont du Chat is 1266 meters of climbing at just under 10%. There are a few ramps of 12% and sections of 11%. It is consistently hard, without ever being too extreme but it is long.

This is the classic climb in the area to the ski resort of Mottarone from Stresa. From the coast road follow road signs for Mottarone near the Borremeo Palace Hotel.