Col de la Madone (Menton) - Cycling Inspiration & Education
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Perched high above the glistening coastline of the Côte d'Azur in southeast France, the Col de la Madone may have never featured in the Tour de France but that hasn't stopped it becoming an international icon made famous by the many pros that would regularly frequent its slopes to test their form against the clock.
Starting from Menton, the final village on the French Riviera before crossing into Italy, the climb is 14.5 kilometres in length with an average gradient of 6.7%. Topping out at 927 metres above sea level it's a solid half hour time-trial if you're in world class shape and, along with the likes of Rocacorba and Sa Calobra, it's one of the most famous "pro" climbs on the planet.
Although there are a few different ways to take on the early part of the climb, the most obvious is to head for the D22 towards Sainte-Agnès. If you're chasing Strava then you can start your watch from the coast, alternatively a popular segment for the pros starts at the Intermarché as you pass through the tiny village of Les Castagnins.....however, legend has it that a certain Mr Armstrong, the man that ultimately made the Madone as famous as it is today, would start his stopwatch as he crossed the bridge after Les Castagnins. Landmarks and virtual start lines aside, what's the Madone like to actually ride?
Well, the first thing that's likely to hit you, aside from the early 7-9% gradient, is the huge viaduct that you traverse as vehicles rumble past way above. It's certainly not going to win any beauty contests but there's no denying that it's a serious feat of road engineering and, once past, you really start to feel like you're onto the climb proper, quickly gaining elevation as you head towards Sainte-Agnès.
The real charm of the climb comes in the final 5 kilometres as the road narrows to barely more than a single lane and you're gifted with view upon view of the Mediterranean coastline. A couple of tunnels, and slight easing in the gradient, adds to its character and allows you a moment to catch your breath before your final push towards the top.
At the summit a monument made out of old artillery shells and shrapnel with the words '“Combat de l’homme, éclats d’obus, désormais ne soyez plus que Madone de la paix” - “Battles of men, shards of shells, from now on you are no more than a Madonna of peace” offers a moment of contemplation before you start your descent. Take care, from both sides the road is narrow and unforgiving on the way back down.
Start: Menton
Length: 14.5 km
Summitt: 927m
Start Elevation: 12m
Elevation gain: 915m
Max gradient: 10%
Average gradient: 6.7%
Ridden in March
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Stay well, ride safe and thank you for watching.
Mike Cotty
The Col Collective
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Пікірлер: 56
Another great one. It is a bit of a weekly morning ritual for me. Every Sunday morning I get up at 5 o’ clock, eat some breakfast and while I wait for my food to settle, I watch a few episodes of the Col Collection before heading out on my own rides. I really love these mornings, so keep them coming
@TheColCollective
6 жыл бұрын
Absolutely fantastic! That os so good to hear and something that makes me very happy indeed! More on the way for you!! Stay tuned! ike
If you're riding out of Nice you can do a nice loop. After you get to the summit, you can continue on along the D22. When you get to the intersection with the D53 go south towards La Turbie. When you get to La Turbie turn on the D2564 heading back west toward Nice. You'll catch the Col D'Eze this way (also spectacular views) and follow along back to Nice.
beautiful as usual. thank you, Mike.
Brilliant! Thank you.
Great footage, I rode that same route about a year back, was absolutely stunning.
Adding this one to my already huge bucket list. Thanks for the continuing cycling inspiration you guys!
@MikeCotty
6 жыл бұрын
inferno4001 You’re more than welcome. Thanks for watching! M
Amazing timing, I'm going there in a couple weeks!
Wow! this inspire me to go and take my vacation there
every video gives me goosebumps
Videos are consistently getting better.
Buenas noches. Impresionante y espectacular vídeo. Especialmente la ascensión. Hermosos paisajes. Saludos desde México
Wow very very good❤🎉😊
Great video! I’m heading over next week!
Fantastic.
Another Epic 🚴
Completed it mate!
Excellent
What kind of a beast are you, almost sprinting uphills. Chapeu!
You really put the hammer down on this one, it looked like you were flying Mike!
Fantástico
Just did this ride today I started first by climbing the Col d’Eze then to the Col de la Madone! Beautiful but it was the hardest ride of my life.
The SSE Disc is the bomb!
Ci sono nuovi video👍🙏
Hi there, I have been living in Menton for two years now and don't really get fed up with the Madone, However I definitely prefer starting with the steep lacets at the Hotel le Dauphin to the traditional Lance/ Intermarche route. The intermarche route can be dark and forbidding especially in autumn whereas the Corniche route gives you immediate views of both the sea and the climb that awaits :)
@rosbifle413
4 жыл бұрын
Aujourd'hui j'ai montée par le bp en bas vers le rond-point. Par la c'est pas mal aussi.
@NoreenHoltzen
2 жыл бұрын
Yes, this only relates to the first few km, but I agree it is a way better starting route. Avoids all traffic and noisy motorbikes also. Start with a cappuccino at one of the cafes near the ocean and start pumping the climb starting steep gradient from barely a single pedal stroke away.
Amazing... You must climb the serra da Estrela in Portugal..
Great video, thanks for posting. Famous climb for the Armstrong training, but not better than Braus, Turini, Madone d'Utelle (no exit, same as la Madone).
Proper Mavic colours!
Another good one, always love the latest from the col collective. My only complaint, for lack of a better word, is that the videos don't often show the true gradient of the road. Hard to do I am sure, not this time. 3:24 in the video what a shot. Please keep it coming as often as possible.
@TheColCollective
6 жыл бұрын
Great feedback Johnny, maybe something we can look at incorporating in the future. Stay tuned for more. Ride safe, Mike
Great video!!! Which song is playing in the end? Maybe add music links to the description of videos?
More Cotty Brilliance !
I would love to know the music at the start of the video...so inspiring
Wow! What else is there to say about your videos.
Nice! But why not posting the whole climb?
where the best town on the coast to situate myself to ride climbs like this one in the maritime alpes? Thanks
do you have gpx files for these rides?
Last bed the sound track of this one, something different for the cc
what type of bike (model) is he using ?
So inspiring. Mike! Did you run the lights because of the tunnels? Also, when did you film this climb?
@MikeCotty
6 жыл бұрын
Billy H. Hi Billy, I generally keep the lights on all the time as you never know what you may face in the mountains. It can quickly short from clear skies to zero visibility so it’s best to be safe and seen. We filmed this in March. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching. Mike
@bertdebruijn7129
6 жыл бұрын
If I remember correctly the tunnels on this climb and the descent are very short. You can do without a light. But I've only been there once.
this is the only climb a did from all of your videos....btw ocean is very strong word for mediterrenian sea :)
Great Vid, Mike! Have the Cosmic UST (Disc) become your allrounders? P.S. The Med is a "sea". ;-)
@TheColCollective
6 жыл бұрын
Hi Stefano, yep I've been using the Cosmic Pro Carbon UST since the end of the summer last year. Getting on really well with the UST. I may try the Ksyrium Pro Carbon UST in the future but at the moment the Cosmic is proving great over mixed terrain. Cheers, Mike
@stefanodirector
6 жыл бұрын
Many thanks for the reply, Mike. I was wondering whether the Cosmic could be a worthy substitute for my Ksyrium Elite Carbon Disc: looking for a bit more flat speed advantage and curious about tubeless. Would you say Cosmic UST could be a good compromise (all-rounder)? Keep up the great vids!
I did this on 30/07/2020. The important information not in the video is that: don't follow google Maps. It leads to a gravel off road track and you only get to know after 300m climb. Follow d22 towards st angnes. Take the opposite path to st angnes to reach madone. Enjoy.
👎⁉ What a fuck? Good video, thanks
With this Col you can do everesting in soma 8 climbs, why not?
Paulogamisdacho Paulogamisdacho Paulogamisdacho Deus
3:46 a woman in black?
The mairie of Peille put a hideous 'statue' there now that spells out the word 'Enjoy' in more or less an exact copy of the font on a coca cola bottle. Apart from being hideous I find it utterly disrespectful, as people actually died fighting on the Madone during WW2. I complained about it on the facebook page of the mairie and they removed my post.