High Rollers

At 2802m, the Cime de la Bonette is Europe’s highest road pass, and as such, has to be on every serious cyclist’s bucket list. If we’re being pedantic, the actual Col de la Bonette is the natural pass over the mountain, and peaks at 2715m, but some enterprising soul decided to build a steep 2km loop from the Col de la Bonette around the Cime de la Bonette to reach 2802m, thus superceding the Col de l’Iseran (2770m) and the Stelvio Pass (2757m) and hence the “highest road pass” claim.

Not for the faint-hearted, this tour tackles the Col de la Bonette which featured as recently as 2008 in the Tour de France, as well as some of it’s neighbours, all over 2000m elevation: the Col de Cayolle, Col d’Allos, Col des Champs, Col de la Lombarde, as well as other notable climbs including the beautiful Couillole, Valberg, Auron, and St.Martin. Here we are in the heart of the Mercantour mountains – big vistas, stunning views as far as the eye can see.