Hailing from Bristol in the southwest of England, Shaun Woodman has been an avid bike rider for many years.
When Shaun turned 60, he set himself the lofty goal of riding 60 cols in a year. He loaded up the bike and spent 8-weeks travelling around Europe, some of these cols you’ll find in his most recent ride collection.
Shaun loves a personal challenge, having complete over 60 cols in Europe, N2End, and Faro to Porto in Portugal and LeJOG.
Here’s a little bit more about Shaun, his cycling accolades, and how he started filming with FulGaz.
What’s your favourite ride to do in the real world?
I guess Mont Ventoux is a favourite along with the mighty Galibier.
Favourite FulGaz ride and why?
Possibly Cap Formentor or Col du Mont Cenis. They’re not too long and are the best scenic rides
How did you start filming rides for FulGaz?
I just wanted to ride some of my favourite routes in Portugal when I’m back in the UK.
How long have you been riding for?
I’ve always cycled a lot since I was a teenager. I remember cycling was my chosen activity for my Duke of Edinburgh award whilst at school.
I cycled to Spain in my twenties and regularly go on long cycling trips, the most recent ones being Geneva to Nice, the N2End in Portugal, and Faro to Porto.
Tell the readers about your 60 cols adventure.
When it came to celebrating my 60 birthday I had to organise something to do with my favourite hobby. We couldn’t think of any long route to do and wanted to involve something to do with 60. My cycling buddy Mark suggested cycling in 60 countries but that sounded too difficult so between us we decided to tackle 60 cols across Europe and to try to ride as many iconic climbs as we could.
We started off in the Canary Islands and conquered Teide, Garonjay on La Gomera, Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma then all the peaks on Gran Canaria.
We then headed to Majorca and tackled the classic climbs there like Sa Colabra, Puig Major, Batalla, Soller, etc.
From here, we headed to the French Alps and rode Cols like Croix de Fer, Les Lacets, Madeleine, Telegraphe, Galibier, Petit St Bernard, Romme, Columbiere, and more.
In July, we headed back to the Alps for the mighty Stelvio, taking in Cols like Nivolet, Mortorolo, Gavia, St Gottardo, and Furka along the way.
Our final visit to the Alps was in September where we looked to complete our challenge, We started with the Sella Ronda route as we felt that it was so epic that it had to be done, then tackled Monte Grappa, D’Izoard, Bonette, and Agnel before heading to Mont Ventoux for our final Col. That was it 60 cols completed with some epic ride experiences. We knew it was going to be tough but we wanted to challenge ourselves. It was not only a physical challenge but a logistical one too.
What a year we had. Something that we’ll never do again. I tried to film as many climbs as possible for FulGaz that weren’t already filmed and hopefully, people can enjoy the rides on FulGaz as much as I enjoyed them in real life.
It was a shame that we didn’t make it down to the Pyrenees or the Picos de Europa but there’s always another year. 70 Cols when I’m 70? Highly unlikely but never say never!
What was your favourite col?
It’s difficult to say which cols were my favorites but the ones that stand out are the big ones like Stelvio, Galibier, Ventoux and Teide. Stunning ones were ones like Nivolet, Agnel, Gavia, and St Gottardo.
Favourite cycling memory?
Either completing LeJog back in 1990 or completing my 60 Col challenge with the final col being Mont Ventoux.
Dream bike or favourite bike?
I love riding my Pinarello Gan RS but spend most of my time on my Specialized Roubaix.
