Being ahead of schedule I decided to take a week off from cycling across Europe to go cycling in the Alps. One of the main differences being that I could stay in the one place for 2 or 3 days instead of packing up every day. It didn't go quite as planned because I came down with a cold that took me quite a while to shake. But I was still able to do some of the famous climbs in the area:
Col de Petite St Bernard: is a long gentle climb (it is 28kms and barely gets over 6%). It took me across the border into Italy where I had a gelato. The descent was as good as it gets - 6% over 28kms is great fun. I enjoyed it so much I let myself get a bit cold which I think is when I got sick.
Col des Cyclotourists: is by no means famous. I had a couple of hours to spare one afternoon and saw the squiggly lines on the map that looked interesting. It was nice to be off the beaten track - I only saw one other cyclist but lots of farmers - and it was a very enjoyable climb.
Col du Madeleine - this was a challenging climb. It was the steepest climb I had done with luggage and I still had a bit of a cold. I was puffed before the official climb even started and for most of the climb I was focused on surviving the climb. There were places - a good chunk of the middle of the climb - where I was comfortable, but otherwise it was hard.
Col du Galibier (via col du Telegraph) - is famously a stunning climb and a good challenge. I had sat out 4 straight days at a hotel 300m from the start of the climb waiting to recover from a cold. Seeing the perfect weather and watching cyclists start out each day was painful. I was lucky to recover in time for the last day of good weather before rain was forecast. The climb lived up the the hype with stunning and varying scenery. Enjoying the view at the top I lost track of time and ended up having to rush down and to another town (at the base of Col du Glandon) to get there before dark.
Col du Glandon - this was my favourite climb. The gradient gradually increases to over 10% in the last 3kms. I was over the cold and it was my last climb so I could give it 100%. In the first half hour I felt great so decided to do it without a break (the first big climb I'd done with luggage without a rest). I kept up a reasonable pace (and overtook some cyclists without luggage which is always fun) until the last 2kms where I hit a bit of a wall and then peddled the last bit as slowly as possible without tipping over.
From the top of Col du Glandon I cycled up to the Col du la Croix de Fer (which is nearby and just a little bit higher). The descent down the other side towards Grenoble was stunning.
