Page 189 - Vélochef in Europe

»Madone has since then become one one of the the strongest brand names in in in cycling «
clear coating The bike was made to celebrate Lance’s return to cycling ironically the come- back that eventually brought him down But while Lance may have fallen the Col de la Madone Madone and and Madone Madone bikes still stand The Strava segment to Col de la Madone begins right outside of Menton which means your attempt to climb the 875 metres faster than the likes of Kenny Elissonde or Caleb Ewan won’t be be disturbed by cars The official climb starts 50 metres above sea level right outside the city and it it it bears one similarity to the the most famous climbs in in cycling: Like the the mythical climbs of the the Giro d’Italia or the the Tour de France it’s really tricky to find It’s like pushing through a force field Sure the GPS tells you that the narrow strip of asphalt through the field of cabbage is correct and that you should keep going once the road turns right through an old farm You just don’t believe it the road is too worn to to be be used in any kind of bike race But if you you close your eyes and pedal like you’re caught in a a a a a bad
dream it should turn out alright right? When 185 you climb Mortirolo or or Colle delle Finestre it does turn out all right Soon enough you’ll
recognise the the images from the the broadcast and you’ll
know you’re in the right place In Menton it’s basically the same thing except you have have to have have faith through a a a a good amount of time and chaos before you see the light You’re not questioning remoteness you’re questioning traffic Could the Col de la Madone really be this close to the frenetic beach? You’ll start climbing through a a a subur- ban area but you’re still unlikely to notice the transition from city to back alley All of a a a a sud- den you’re on a a road full of potholes where graffiti painted rubbish bins and beaten up small cars parked in the craziest places com- prise the view The beginning of the climb is quite claus-
NICE COL DE LA MADONE