Classic rides. Climbs or routes that you actually want to have done once in your cycling life. Where the name leads to a look of recognition. From Alpe d'Huez to Mont Ventoux, from Stelvio to Furka Pass. What we are doing with Cycling Destination is not only making the unknown known, but also having an eye for the classics. Classics that have stories in them. Stories that have not yet been told, or stories that are made during a ride. For Cycling Destination, the Mountain High Chasers go in search of these kinds of stories. Indeed, the quest to do all the climbs in the book Mountain High is a story in itself. Erwin and Erwin set out to Anzère for a stunning report. Along the way, they could not resist the lure of Grand Saint Bernard. Are you enjoying their report with us?
From the car
It is the second week of June and on a summer's day, we get into the car heading for Switzerland with great gusto. The final destination of this trip, Sembrancher. It probably doesn't ring any bells right away, but for the real connoisseurs, it's where the Grand Saint Bernard begins to ascend. From Utrecht, the navigation indicates 942 kilometres. We decide to split the ride in two so that we can conquer the col directly from the car on our arrival day. After a nice drive towards Germany, we spend the night past the halfway point. After a good night's sleep, we move on towards Switzerland.
Ready? Set. Go!
By now we are driving between the mighty mountains and we remember why we felt so much like getting into the car yesterday. The tummy jitters are getting stronger and before we realise it ourselves we are behind the car changing clothes for the climb to the Saint Bernard. The reason we feel some extra jitters is the fact that the Col du Grand Saint Bernard is one of 'our' list. That is, after today we are one step closer to our goal; to climb the 50 mountains from the book 'Mountain High' before our 50th.
We flip open the book one more time and take a look at what awaits us. In short, a 30.6-kilometre climb with an average of 5.7% and a maximum of 10%. We will finish at an altitude of 2469m, having covered over 1800 altimeters. Many cycling tourists will say that the 'real' climb starts in Martigny. And there is also a grain of truth in this as the pass was built to connect Martigny to the Aosta Valley in Italy. However, the road from Martigny is very busy and there is little room for cyclists. It is therefore not advisable to start in Martigny, rather Sembrancher as a starting point.
Right into a sweat
Around noon, we get on our bikes and turn from Sembrancher onto the 21 towards the summit. The road starts to climb slowly, but with tailwind and percentages of 4 to 5%, it is nice and warm pedalling. The temperature does give us a hand in this, as soon the shirt is quite wet with sweat and the first drops run between the helmet and sunglasses. The road feels big, but traffic is not too bad. Especially after we pass Orsières, a few cars plus two cyclists remain. Because the sun can really burn here, the legs feel heavy, but the road is still very friendly to us and keeps going up gently.
Light at the 'end' of the tunnel
The special thing about this climb is that you cycle through a tunnel for quite a long time. Rest assured, it is a tunnel whose wall is open on the valley side. That way, you don't feel trapped. Still, it's not pretty. Tip from us: make yourself well known with lights on your bike. The tunnel is four kilometres long. The climb flattens out every now and then, making it wonderfully cool on a hot day during a long climb. As soon as you think there is no end in sight, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel can be seen. In the tunnel, you come to a turnoff. Straight ahead you continue through the real tunnel (not for cyclists). This is the fastest route to the Aosta Valley, but turning right starts 'the col'. Seeing the 'col' sign makes our hearts beat even faster, knowing that the best part is still to come.
The col
It's pretty crazy. We have been climbing for over 22 kilometres and only now are we being directed to the col. As soon as you come out of the tunnel you immediately see where to go. A winding road climbs hard between the wild and increasingly barren peaks of the Bernard. The friendliness of the road stops immediately and the percentages quickly rise to the promised 10%. Suddenly, the previous 22 kilometres have become part of this spectacle. Think of it as Milan - San Remo, without the first 280 kilometres no spectacle in the last 20. The same applies a bit to the Saint Bernard. The first 22 kilometres are not the most interesting, but man, what a spectacle you get if you stay until the end!
Everything you expect from a col you get in the last 7 kilometres. Hairpin turns, narrow steep road, raging rivers and all that while being cheered on by marmots in the Alpine meadow. Because we are already well above 2000m, the heat is out of the air and we can go full speed up. This cannot be helped as the col gives you no more room to spare.
On the way to... the Hospice
In the hairpin bends, you have a nice view of what is already behind you. This encourages you to keep going. With two classic bends to go, we look forward to the coke and maybe a pizza at the summit. A large building looms up with the liberating 'Col du Grand Saint Bernard' sign just before it. Funnily enough, Garmin tells us to drive 500m further. Compliant as we are, we drive hard past the sign. Meanwhile, we pass the building and it turns out to be a hospice. We are not at home in the world of hospices. Yet we think this must be the hospice with the most beautiful view in the world. At 2400m surrounded by snow-capped peaks and the 'lac du Grand Saint-Bernard' in front.... As mentioned, Garmin wants us to drive a little further. We drive along the lake so that on the border of Switzerland and Italy we pass another sign saying 'Col du Grand Saint Bernard'.
The yellow cleats touch the asphalt for the first time. Knowing that we are another col closer to our goal, we walk into Hotel Italia with great satisfaction. Again, we are not disappointed and enjoy our pizza with coke and talk about a unique climb.
Route
Below is the classic route from Martigny. Although it is thus recommended to start from Sembrancher.
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