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SHOWDOWN
CLIMBS ‘ 11
The sun broke in our rearview mirror on the Col d’Izoard on a frigid, perfectly
cloudless May morning, as we drove to the third highest paved pass in Europe, the
Col Agnel, a climb that will stand as the opening to a quartet of beautiful, terrible
climbs—four climbs and five ascents over two days to settle the score in the waning
moments of the 2011 Tour de France.
We had driven the night through from Italy into the High Alpes in time for a
chance to drive and ride some of the most famous climbs in cycling under the light
of the soft morning sun. We wanted to see, in person, the climbs that would define
the Tour’s two-day journey through the Alpes.
Text & Images > Jered Gruber
