Hi Mike, for me you summed up Hautacam perfectly, I have said to many of my cycling friends that Hautacam is one of the toughest climbs I have ever done, getting looks of disbelief from many of them, it is the undulating nature of the climb that does me in, weighing a mere 96kgs. On the 'so called' tougher climbs like the Tourmalet/Aubisque/Marie Blanque I have been able to select a gear and keep plodding away, the Hautacam won't let you do this, you're all over the shop with gear selection. Thanks for the videos. Keep up the great work !!
Another great video Mike. Captures the climbs erratic pitches. Lucky enough to have climbed it twice. The second time was not long after the great flood of the Valley, in very wet conditions. It's a decent I'll never forget.
Thanks David. I never quite feel that I have the upper hand on Hautacam. Well worth the effort though, the views are magic and the descent beyond words!
@PaddyWalker, Hi Paddy, the music is from a library that we have of non-commercial tunes. We're seeing if it's possible to put a playlist together on Spotify as we've had a good response to a lot of the music we've been using. Ride safe and thank you for your support!
Excellent video, and your assessment of the climb is perfect. Did this last summer and it is much harder than it looks, but good fun. Looking forward to your next film.
One of the very finest climbs in the Pyrenees. Contador considers it the toughest. As Mike shows, it is a series of unforgiving ramps where you are changing gears all through the climb. Well worth continuing on to the Col De Trammasil for truly awesome views. The descent is insane!
Awesome! Love your videos they have me day dreaming....heading to the France this summer with my bike and cannot wait to hit these epic climbs! Thank you for the videos!
I must have been on a particularly good day when I rode this; I didn't realise there were pitches of 13 per cent. Wonderful climb. Don't forget to look around and enjoy the view down into the valley.
Awesome film Mike. Love your Col Collective series. Looking forward to the next one. This one brought back nice memories. I did the climb way back in 2004, on 39x27 bottom gear. Compacts weren't available way back then. This climb kicked my ass and then some. Still made all the way to Tramassel. Beast of a climb, I reckon much harder than Tourmalet which I did in the same trip. Awesome view at the top. Keep up the great work! Your film makes me want to go back to Europe and do the rides again. (I live in Oz)
Tourrider99 Good work indeed! I remember a decade ago when I was riding all the climbs in 39x25, a different world now since compact gearing became available (thank goodness!) Stay tuned, more videos coming soon!
I rode up this one in Sep 2016, but only as far as the Hautacam, and only realised later I'd missed the most scenic part of the climb. So in June the next year, I rode up to Col de Tramassel, and enjoyed a well-earned snack and drink at the cafe there. It was in the mid-30s even at the top, so a bit of a sweatfest. Fun, though! :)
Beautifull vidéo again ! Good explications,music... If you can présice the gearing at every vidéo its cool,its important to Know the gearing of the other. See you on the other vidéo ! 😉✌🚴
Hi Mike, Great video as usual. One suggestion...might be nice to add in a few comments on where famous incidents have occurred on the climbs, or a bit of tdf history. For instance, in this one you could've pointed out the right hairpin where Riis toyed with everyone then attacked in 96 (and maybe also discussed his use of a smaller large chainring when discussing gearing). Just ideas, definitely don't want to put a downer on your fantastic work!
Service Thanks for the feedback, we considered introducing a bit of racing history into some of the climbs and may well do this in the future. Just like in racing, let's see what pans out on the road ahead :-) What we did want to try and bring to life is the essence of each ascent, it's unique points that everyone will face and the beauty they can expect whether they are a beginner, experienced rider or even a racer. Thanks again for the feedback, always open to trying to make a better and more engaging final product for everyone to enjoy. Ride safe, Mike
Definitely a tricky climb to predict Spencer, always wants to push you deeper and deeper into the red. Man vs mountain.......mountain normally wins! But it's fun trying! :-)