Provençal Pedalling with Luke Boston

This week Luke Boston takes us to Provence in the South of France as we visit some of the most famous Cols and climbs in cycling!

Luke is one of our earliest contributors and has been sending rides to FulGaz for the last five years.

This collection features one of cycling’s most iconic climbs, Mont Ventoux, and is a mountain to add to the list.

You can find all these routes under NEW or by searching “Boston” in FulGaz.

These new versions of Mont Ventoux from Bedoin, Col de la Madeline, and Col Du Chaussy will replace the older versions on the app in the coming weeks, you can still access these versions in The Archives by using the promo code ‘legacy’.”

COL DE LA MADELEINE FROM LA CHAMBRE 2022

The Col de la Madeleine is one of the most famous climbs in the history of the Tour de France and has been tackled 27 times, first in 1969 and most recently in 2020, when Richard Carapaz triumphed on stage 17 in a race won by Tadej Pogačar. It is set to appear again in the 2023 Tour.

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17.471km
DISTANCE
1:56:44
DURATION
1512m
ELEVATION

COL DE L'ISERAN

At 2,764 metres, Col de l’Iseran is the highest paved mountain pass in the Alps. Because the peak is so high, it’s not uncommon that snow or even sleet storms occur in July! The climb up to Col de l’Iseran became a part of the Tour de France in 1938. As recently as 2019, this route was part of Stage 19 to Tignes.

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14.92km
DISTANCE
01:24:50
DURATION
987m
ELEVATION

COL DU CHAUSSY 2022

A rural ride through the French Alps. This active road is popular with cyclists, as can been seen by the number of cyclists we pass on the climb – even a cyclist on a fully loaded Brompton bicycle! The route slithers through alpine fields at an average gradient of seven to eight per cent. The route was used for Stage 19 of the 2015 Tour de France.

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8.97km
DISTANCE
00:52:04
DURATION
753m
ELEVATION

LES LACETTES

A short ride, but long climb in the French Alps through many bucolic villages.

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3.22km
DISTANCE
00:18:42
DURATION
261m
ELEVATION

MONT VENTOUX FROM BEDOIN 2022

With a rolling start out of Bedoin, the first six kilometres should get your legs ready for the section ahead. After the hairpin bend at Saint-Estève, the average gradient kicks up to above 10% and refuses to ease up for the next five kilometres. Enjoy!

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19.48km
DISTANCE
01:48:54
DURATION
1573m
ELEVATION

COL DU MOLLARD

The Col du Mollard is a mountain pass in France. This ride starts off in village of Villargondran, with its beautiful view of the French Alps in the background. This challenging climb passes through several picturesque villages. The road turns to gravel for about the last sixth of the ride. The ride ends near the ski chair lift. Part of this route was featured in the 2006 Tour de France’s Stage 16, 2012 Tour de France’s Stage 11, and most recently, in the 2015 Tour de France’s Stage 19.

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14.64km
DISTANCE
01:28:30
DURATION
1034m
ELEVATION