Once upon a time there was a guy who thought it would be fun to ride 677km non-stop from Évian-les-Bains to Nice across the heart of the Alps. 11 hours from the start and with 250km in the legs all seemed to be going ok, until he hit the latter slopes of the Glandon and suddenly beauty turned into the beast within. The wind funnels downs from the top of the mountain as the gradient kicks up and hangs above double figures for what seems like forever. However, don’t be put off by my lunacy the Glandon may have made me hurt so very much in the past but it’s also one of the most enchanting mountains I’ve ever experienced and for that reason I find myself continually coming back for more. There are moments when you’re barely moving and then suddenly, as you approach the summit, you can feel pure life being inhaled back into your lungs. It’s as if the mountain gods have taken a ribbon of tarmac and thrown it out of the sky from 2,000m to form a 20km playground of pure escapism. Now that’s the sign of a truly special climb. Start: Saint-Étienne-de-Cuines Length: 19.7km Summit: 1,924m Elevation gain: 1,441m Average gradient: 7.3% Max gradient: 11%  We hope you enjoyed this video. For more help and advice visit our website at thecolcollective.com and don't forget to sign up to our free newsletter to get the latest updates and become part of the col community. If you like what you see and are able to help spread our message by sharing with your friends and fellow riders then that would be truly appreciated. Our goal is to try and help inspire and educate as many cyclists as we can and we hope you can become part of our mountain journey! Never miss a video, subscribe to our YouTube channel or get in touch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We’d love to hear from you.  Thanks for watching.  Ride safe. Mike Cotty The Col Collective Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TheColCollective?sub_confirmation=1 Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheColCollective Twitter: twitter.com/colcollective Instagram: instagram.com/thecolcollective Google+: www.google.com/+TheColCollective

Be the first to comment