At Barcelonnette: Up to Cime de la Bonette

June 11, 2015

We got down to the breakfast room at 7:30 sharp (the starting time), but it was already jammed. Everyone in the room looks like a biker this morning, stoking up for a jaunt up one of the seven passes that are nearby to Barcelonnette. There's a lot of excitement in the air - after the last few days of off and on weather, today's looks perfect. On top of that, today's mountain stage of the Criterium du Dauphine finishes at Pra Loup, a ski resort a few miles uphill from here. I'm sure many are planning on getting their own ride in early and then heading up to the race course.

After breakfast we wheeled off to the bakery to pick up sandwiches and then head east to Jausiers, the village five miles up the Ubaye River from here where the climb to Bonette begins. It's a somewhat busy stretch of road along here, but very scenic - mountains rise up in all directions.

Our destination for today is Cime de la Bonette. It's just over a mile from here - vertically. We're at 4000' here in Barcelonnette, but the top of the climb is about 9,200' so we have a bit of work ahead of us.

Cime de la Bonette is the highest point ever used by the Tour de France, and the highest paved through road in Europe (there's a higher one in Spain's Sierra Nevada range but it's a dead end). Actually, today's road includes a bit of a gimmick: Col de la Bonette is only the second highest pass road (Col de l'Iseran is the highest), but they built a paved loop road around the peak at the top to add a few hundred feet and gain bragging rights.

The climb isn't actually that bad - just long and high elevation. The worst grade is about 10%, but most of the way it's a leisurely 6-7. Rachael, as usual, charged straight through to the top. I stopped early on to bail out a guy with a flat and a broken pump, and didn't see her again for a couple of hours. That would have happened anyway of course, because as usual I stopped constantly to pull the camera out and aimed at some amazing viewpoint.

This was really a wonderful ride. It's beautiful and dramatic for the entire 15 mile climb, and changes constantly as it rises out of the valley, then past the tree line into a zone of broad alpine meadows, then into the barren, rocky higher elevations that are increasingly accented by the remnants of this year's snow season. Many reasons to stop, and I lost track of time a bit. By the time I reached the pass, Rachael had been there quite awhile and was quite worried about me.

From the pass, we climbed the final half mile to the top up the little loop road. It's actually quite steep. Also a bit untidy, with barriers still up to prevent cars from passing, and the road surface strewn with snowmelt and bits of fallen rock. At the top, the views everywhere are phenomenal. We can't believe our luck in being here on such a perfect day, or on being here at all - the pass just opened last weekend.

The ride up was great, but the drop down was greater still. 15 miles of coasting is always a delight of course, but this one is really sublime. It's a wonderful rush watching all of this magnificent, ever changing scenery whiz by; and the road is in great condition and perfect for a mountain descent. It really feels like a once in a lifetime experience.

Here is a video from the descent. Rachael captured a ton of footage, all of it great; she anguished a bit about what to pull out and share.

This evening, Barcelonnette has a much different feel. It's much quieter, and our restaurant is almost empty. The crowd of racing fans has moved on presumably, to follow tomorrow's stage over on the other side, in the Vercors where we were cycling ourselves two weeks ago.

In Barcelonnette before leaving for our climb to Cime de la Bonette. The weather is perfect. This is going to be one incredible day.

Along the road from Barcelonnette to Jausiers.

At the start of the climb. As we'll be reminded frequently along the way, this is 'La Plus Haut l'Europe'. Actually, there's a dead end paved road in Spain's Sierra Nevada range that is even higher. Still, 2802 meters (9192 feet) is nothing to sniff at.

The chapel in Lans, the final village along the climb.

Partway up the climb I paused to lend my pump to this stranded Belgian climber whose own pump was 'kaput'.

Partway into the climb, wide views open up back into the Ubaye valley.

At about 6000', we climb above the tree line and enter a beautiful zone of mountain meadows.

In the subalpine zone, on the climb to Cime de la Bonette.

With still about 1500' yet to climb, we started encountering the remnants of last winter's snowfall.

High on the climb to Cime de la Bonette.

Rachael leads the way on the final ascent.

On top of the world - the view southeast from Cime de la Bonette. Below is the Tinee valley and the road to Nice. In the distance somewhere is the Italian border.

Not far from the summit are these old military barracks and a small fortification off the picture to the right. This outpost was part of the Alpine Line, an extension of the Maginot Line designed to protect the mountainous southeast against an Italian invasion.

Back at the tree line again, racing down to the Ubaye.

Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 848 miles (1,365 km)

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Keith Adams5300 feet or more of climbing. The numbers you guts put up constantly amaze and impress me.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Keith AdamsThose were the younger Andersons. I doubt we’ll be seeing many escapades like this again. Sic transit gloria.
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2 years ago

Keith AdamsTo Scott AndersonStill, Team Anderson of seven years ago were older by eight years than I am now. And the modern (2022) form routinely tackles hills that would reduce the current me to a pile of jelly.
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2 years ago