He’s spoken publicly many times about the role the Madone played in his training, and didn’t divulge the rest. We’ve spoken to a number of riders who use the climb regularly and over the past few days we’ve seen a few pros pushing themselves up there, testing their form for the Tour. Perched above Menton the last seaside town of France is the Col de la Madone. In association with Quirky Campers, the Crafter van conversion showcased on this website is available to hire from its new owners in London. Its fame comes not from its race history (it’s never featured in the Tour de France), nor its scenery, altitude, pitch or hairpins. It mounts the hill with the sharp gradients of Corniche des serres de la Madone which immediately plunges you into a series of hairpins through vine trees that help make the town famous for its gardens and greenery. Starting from Menton, the Col de la Madone ascent is 13.6 km long. Rome2rio is a door-to-door travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. The fastest announced time up the Col de la Madone climb is held by Tom Danielson of Team Garmin-Sharp with 30m24s. Purchased a set of arm warmers ('manchette'), gloves, a couple of bidons and bidon holders - and ready for action. Check out some of the photos below. Si vous arrivez de Peille, juste avant le col de la Madone, il y a un parking en contrebas de la route sur votre gauche.En venant de l'autre côté (Sainte-Agnès), évidemment, le parking sera après le col et sur votre droite.Prenez le temps d'aller admirer la vue sur le littoral depuis le col, surtout si les nuages remontent depuis la mer, c'est magique. I had first heard of the Col de la Madone as a teenager poring over the unattainable promises of a glossy bike catalogue. Description The Col de la Madone is situated in Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur. Col de Braus and Col de la Madone - Distance: 83.49 km - Elevation: 2150 hm - Location: Blausasc, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region, France Leaving the Basse Corniche from Menton in the direction of Sainte-Agnès, the climb of the Col de la Madone starts. See this Tour and others like it, or plan your own with komoot! After months of Swiss-style chalets and Alpine cow bells, this was another world, and if I were a religious man, I might well have crossed myself when I finally summitted the pass. This interview with Michele Ferrari, Rominger’s then-coach, provides some detail about Rominger’s relationship with the Madone. It’s such an imposing sight as you begin the journey upwards, but before too long you pass under the freeway twice, then you head over it, and before you know it you’re perched high above the road, looking down on the cars and trucks as if they were ants. Avg Grade 7.1% Over this distance, you climb 915 heightmeters. } Col de la Madone was of course made famous by Lance Armstrong – it was his favorite training climb for several years. While the climb officially starts from the Promenade du Soleil in the centre of Menton I decided to start my ride about a kilometre inland from where the D22 joins the Route de Sainte-Agnès. If you’re the sort of rider that likes to stop and take photos with your smartphone, you’ll be stopping plenty of times. Description The Col de la Madone is situated in Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur. /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */, climbing starting at a bridge before the first switchback, Is this where the Tour will be won? If Armstrong could hold the magic number of 6.8 watts/kg, then he was on track to win the Tour. Cyclist 100 Climbs - Col de la Madone is an expert road ride: 15.6 km and takes 01:37 h. View this route or plan your own! First of all, you need to decide which way you’re going to head up. Having lived in Nice for four years, I rode it many times as well. 1. Col de la Madone – Col de la Madone Climb (Cat 1) Loop from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is an expert road ride. Description Perched high above the glistening coastline of the Côte d’Azur in southeast France, the Col de la Madone may have never featured in the Tour de France but that hasn’t stopped it becoming an international icon made famous by the many pros that would regularly frequent its slopes to test their form against the clock. But while it was Armstrong (and Trek) that gave the Madone the prominence it has today, the Madone certainly hasn’t dipped in popularity as a test climb now that Armstrong isn’t racing. post-template-default,single,single-post,postid-2076,single-format-gallery,theme-borderland,eltd-core-1.1.3,woocommerce-no-js,borderland-theme-ver-2.3,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,smooth_scroll,paspartu_enabled,paspartu_on_top_fixed,paspartu_on_bottom_fixed, vertical_menu_with_scroll,columns-4,type1,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-6.3.0,vc_responsive, #landroverdefender #landrover #landroverconversion, #landroverdefender #landrovercamper #vanconversion, Everything becomes a race against the sun at this. Want to know more about travelling around France ... Rome2rio makes travelling from Menton to Col de la Madone easy. #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { The Col de la Madone is famous because it was the climb chosen by Lance Armstrong to test his form ahead of the Tour de France. Col de la Madone transmitter is a very large broadcasting centre operated by Radio Monte Carlo north of Fontbonne, near Nice and Monaco, in France. Of course we didn’t get anywhere near any of those times but then we were stopping frequently to take photos of the amazing scenery. Kudos to Dan! Route description From the port of the largest city at the Côte d’azur, Nice, the route will bring you via one of the most beautiful coastal routes to Menton, the last French city before the Italien border. Col de la Madone: Length, 12.8km/average grade 7%. Product Description. And it links you to the road from Gorbio, which is appropriate given that the real name of the climb, unbeknownst to many, is the Col de la Madone de Gorbio. Départ depuis le refuge de la célèbre Madone de Fenestre . But it’s pretty easy to find a comfortable rhythm and tap away as you enjoy the views. Some prefer to start the climb at sea level in Menton (right near the French-Italian border), some prefer to start the climb at the supermarket a few kilometres up the road, others prefer to start even higher up. Train on Col de la Madone with Kinomap (Android | iOS). As it was, I gave a deep sigh, nodded at another cyclist who had ascended behind me, and turned round to head back before the light went completely, knowing for better or worse that my preparation for the Etape was complete. 05/06/2013 13/11/2013 Posted in Cycling Tagged Col de la Madone, Col de Vence, Giro d'Italia Leave a comment Bouyon – only half-way! Great scenery, a spectacular climb and a twice as long descent, the Col de la Madone climb along France’s cote d’Azur is must do for any fan of great rides. Ride Segment Sainte Agnès, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France . Here’s a photo of Rominger climbing the Madone in 1995. Rome2rio is a door-to-door travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. The road surface is quite loose in places, there are some very tight and unannounced corners, and with long drops beside the road for most of the climb, one mistake could be catastrophic. Like Monte Serra in Tuscany, Italy, and the Coll de Rates near Calpe, Spain, the Col de la Madone belongs to a … It is the most iconic climb of the Cote D?Azur and played a central part in the training of who we know now as cycling?s greatest fraud. Menton was manic this morning, far too busy, and I couldn’t be bothered to hunt around looking for somewhere to park the car just to unload my bike. The Col de la Madone is one of the most famous climbs in the Alpes-Maritimes, used as a benchmark for many Tour de France athletes as to how they would perform on … 5175 Route de Menton, 06500 Gorbio, France D22, 06500 Ste Agnès, France } But as mentioned, the traffic is light and besides, the narrow road only adds to the beauty of the climb, particularly when you’re winding along the cliffs with views out to sea, and when the road snakes through a couple of tunnels on the upper slopes. The climb itself is quite consistent with a couple of flat spots here and there and an average gradient of a little less than 7%. So, what’s the climb like? Shoddy inspects the TDF’s highest bike path, Contador sheds light on intra-team tension with Armstrong at 2009 Tour, What 12,000 efforts on Adelaide’s most popular climb say about uphill pacing, Where are they now: A Tyler Hamilton Interview, Everesting goes pro: Richie Porte and Cameron Wurf’s party of pain, Searching for 30: Pacing a personal record on Boulder's Flagstaff climb. The Col de la Madone climb. For purists, the start is in Menton by the sea. Col de la Madone doesn?t need any introduction! Keeping their riding skills honed, many top professional riders resident in nearby tax-haven Monaco continue to come over and challenge themselves against this route. DESCRIPTION; TESTIMONIALS; PHOTO GALLERY; NEAR; Name : Col de la Madone de Gorbio: Altitude : 925 m: Start : La Turbie: Length : 11.80 km: Elevation gain : 447 m % Avg : 3.79% % Max : 8.0%: Mountain range : Alpes maritimes, France: There's other climb of this summit. It’s a fun climb. It rises from close to sea level to 927 meters. France: Col d'Eze and Col de la Madone Collected the bike from La Roue Libre, the local bike shop, yesterday. Over this distance, you climb 915 heightmeters. width: 100%; Even with the sun starting to dip towards the horizon, I set off within minutes of parking my van, only retracing my pedals a few times after getting lost on the earlier slopes (as had become customary). margin-top: 10px; The climb was the most beautiful I had ever ridden, bathed in a perfect Mediterranean blue haze, rising up unspoilt roads past hilltop villages until the vast bridge that had once loomed indescribably high above the town had retreated back to appear as no more than an ancient Roman ruin in the valley plunging beneath the ever winding road. As mentioned, the climb starts off in a small village just north of Menton and the traffic gets lighter and lighter as you go up. It doesn?t stand out like Ventoux does on a backdrop or have the flow of cyclists like the Virages of Alpe D?Huez ? #gallery-1 .gallery-item { The Trek Madone was Lance Armstrong’s signature bike, named after the famous climb from the coastal town of Menton which the offical 7-time non-finisher of the Tour de France would use to test himself (and his drugs) against. [ct_caption_style width=’1150px’] If you are going to ride this climb and descend the same way, we’d recommend you take it easy on the way down. Col de la Madone de Gorbio; Col de la Madone de Gorbio from Menton : 925m; Col de la Madone de Gorbio : 925 m from Menton. All personal feelings about the anti-hero of road cycling (apart from all the other ones) aside, the name had stayed with me as a mythical rite to be undertaken on the eve of the most famous tour of them all. If we had to guess we’d say that that’s where Armstrong started his efforts too. #gallery-1 { Local legend has it that the first rider to seriously use the Col de la Madone as a test climb was former Swiss pro Tony Rominger. Col de la Madone de Gorbio : 925 m from La Turbie. The Col de la Madone climb isn’t featured in this year’s Tour de France – in fact, it’s never been part of the Tour, probably because the road is too narrow – but it’s still a climb that’s inextricably embedded in cycling folklore, for better or for worse. This history gives it some sort of dark attraction. Cyclists have long used it to test themselves. #gallery-1 img { D'amblé parlons un peu de ce sanctuaire : Il est perché à 1903 mètres d'altitude, au pied du Gelas qui est le point culminant des Alpes-Maritimes, c'est un lieu qui est bien connu de Pierrot, mais aussi des villages alentour où les habitants se rejoignent chaque été ici pour le fameux pèlerinage de la Madone . During our stay on France’s Cote d’Azur we climbed “The Madone” a couple of times to see (and feel) what it’s all about. Had to pay an extra 10E for an additional month of storage but worth it as the bike was delivered with tyres pumped up and in good order. The road gets very narrow towards the top and cars have to get pretty close as they pass you by, in either direction. Col de la Madone, Route du Col de la Madone, Peille, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France métropolitaine, 06440, France - Free topographic maps visualization and sharing. And boy, are there some views! The record of 31:30 stood for many years, until in 1999 when I broke it with a 30:47. Starting from Menton, the Col de la Madone ascent is 13.6 km long. Taxi service 06 Phone +33 6 50 71 15 51 My Taxi Beausoleil Phone +33 6 09 96 21 77 . But it was undoubtedly Armstrong that elevated the climb into the realms of the near-mythic. Dr Michele Ferrari would often be waiting at the top of the climb to take blood lactate samples and power meter readings to plot along his graphs. The capper was meeting up with a PEZ-Fan who lives nearby for a great day on the bike. We’ve done a bit of asking around and it would seem that the local pros start their watches in the tiny village of Le Castagnins on the D22. DESCRIPTION; TESTIMONIALS; PHOTO GALLERY; NEAR; Name : Col de la Madone de Gorbio: Altitude : 925 m: Start : Menton: Length : 13.53 km: Elevation gain : 904 m % Avg : 6.68% % Max : 12.0%: Mountain range : Alpes maritimes, France: There's other climb of this summit. It’s famous because it was the climb Lance Armstrong chose to test his form ahead of the Tour de France. It mounts the hill with the sharp gradients of Corniche des serres de la Madone which immediately plunges you into a series of hairpins through vine trees that help make the town famous for its gardens and greenery. text-align: center; For our 1000th video we set Dan the challenge of beating the Strava record up the Col de la Madone. margin: auto; float: left; If you’ve ever read Lance Armstrong’s book “It’s Not About the Bike” (he was right) you’ll know that the Col de la Madone is one of the climbs that the Texan used to frequent in his preparation for the Tour de France.