The European Chronicles 2023.12 - Barcelonnette & Trois Cols
Time To Get High...9000 feet +
Before I get into the where and how, a few photos to show why the Alps are the place to ride.
They are majestic...another beautiful view around every bend.
I say au revoir to the gorges and head up Col d' Allos
This was cute, you weave in and out of two openings, with beeping required. 😂
See the road?
Relive 'To Barcelonnette'
Time to climb
Col d' Allos, 2250 meters, 7380 feet, has been part of the Tour de France 33 times. In fact, in July and August it is reserved for bicycles only Friday mornings between 8 and 11.
The ride down the other side into the Ubaye Valley and Barcelonnette...mmmmm...
I've got some time and the weather is great, so I ride past my hotel in Barcelonnette and head up Col de La Bonette, at just over 9000 feet.
Pass photographer along the way. You log onto the website at the end of the day to find your photos, order if you want. But of course!
You get to what feels like the summit; the road basically wraps around a rock wall and heads down the other side of the mountain.
That's not quite the top...you have to take this small road to Cime de la Bonette...unfortunately closed today, they seem to be repaving it. It is the road directly ahead in this photo:
This is where the road wraps around.
I'll leave that for another day, and head back to Barcelonnette.
Mia gets some company
The next day is a trios cols loop: Col de La Bonette, Col de La Lombarde and Col de La Madeleine. Heading out, Betty keeps trying to take me down these little alleys and back to the hotel; I've plotted a loop ride and she thinks it's over. You can see me circling the drain at the start of the Relive video. 😂
Relive 'Trois Cols'
Heading up La Bonette, this castle is on your left...
A little frolic and detour about Barcelonnette...it was founded in 1231, but was populated from the first millennium BC. In modern times, there was a wave of immigration from France to Mexico shortly after France recognized the country, circa 1830. The largest wave were "the Barcelonnettes"; between 1850 and 1950, 5-6000 inhabitants of the Ubaye Valley (Barcelonnette is the capital) immigrated to Mexico with many establishing textile mills. Most stayed in Mexico, but some returned to Barcelonnette and from 1880 to 1930 built grand mansions to show off their wealth, like the one above. Barcelonnette has a Mexican "day of the dead" celebration, along with a twin city, Valle de Bravo in Mexico, and an honorary Mexican consulate.
A few other mansions:
Who knew? 😂
Get to the top, swing around the rock and start heading down the other side...
Windy AF today, which makes things "interesting." 😓
You literally ride through Camp des Fourches (Camp of the Forks) on the way down.
This is a now abandoned military installation that was built between 1896 and 1910. At 7500 feet. There are 26 buildings, in various states of disrepair. Too bad, this place cries out for repurposing. Would be an incredibly cool stopover. At least in the summer. 😂
It gets greener as you lose altitude.
You ride through Isola and start climbing to Col de La Lombarde and...Italia.
7700 feet. The road down on the Italian side is narrow. Fucking narrow. No traffic, though, yippie!
It does have quite the view.
Work your way through a valley, then you can start climbing again.
This time to Col de La Madeleine, the lowest of the three at 6500 feet.
Snow poles
About 12 miles from my hotel...
I was the first Moto to "ride around" a couple of trucks that were already waiting...joined shortly by about 10 more. Fun conversation while we waited about 15 minutes...the AZ plate is always good for that. 😎
Back at the hotel, he must have found a few Euro for parking tonight. 😂
A great riding day.
But before I go: Happy World Motorcycle Day 2023! And you thought it was the summer solstice. 😂
Ciao!
