View route map, streetviews, images, slideshows, videos and more for this cycling route to the top of Col de Marie-Blanque - Bielle, France. Still, after getting myself together I resumed the course for a beautiful, if hard, day on the Pyrenees. there are some nasty sections and if you have not got the right gears and you are overweight YOU WILL SUFFER!I’ll have to put this one on my list for the next Pyrennean adventure, whenever that might be!This climb surprised me, the noise is a strong sign of what’s ahead as you approach it through the valley, just normal running water initially, to a deafening torrent next to you, then bang, you’re on this very steep hill. If you love climbing by bike and would like more detailed information on the world’s top bike climbs, join our PJAMM Cycling group and receive our Special Edition Climb Report. What I remembered most was the lack of hairpins. See this Tour and others like it, or plan your own with komoot!
Explore the route with streetviews, photos,videos, weather reports as well as browse other routes in the area. Suggest this during some traditional italian group ride and your are dead…It is crazy… even when you say to some riders that even “Alberto” sometimes runs a 32 / 34 T on the back (ok, that may be on the Zoncalan, but…), they still can’t move away from thinking that all they need is a 54/39 with 11/25, no matter the steepness / length of ride etc.Yes a rider 20kg’s lighter than me (I’m 90kg+), may not need as easier gearing as me to get up the steep hills, but by the same token I can put much more power out than them on the flats / descents, and I still don’t need anything bigger than a 50 / 12 combination for all bar a few special roads. The Frenchman had won the Tour in 1977 and was back the next year but ground to halt on this climb and needed a back wheel with a 24 sprocket.” Marie Blanque beat down Bradley Wiggins on Stage 17 of the 2010 Tour de France leading to Wiggins stating ““This is just the mountain I don’t cope with very easily and it seems to defy analysis.” Wiggins lost 23 minutes on Andy Schleck that day, finishing 88th.
The approach was noisy as we went down a narrow road, guys shouting at others to get out of the way. On the climb there was total silence, only the clack of cycling shoes as hundreds of people walked up.I had a good start and made an effort early on in order to avoid the crowd on the way up Marie Blanc. In the 25+ years I’ve been in the bike tour biz, both in France and in the last 15 almost exclusively in Italy, I can’t count the number of times a client has wished he or she (it’s mostly the he’s) had mounted lower gears while NOBODY has ever told me they regretted fitting them.It’s often people thinking what they can get away with rather than thinking what’s appropriate or comfortable. I absolutely LOVE the Pyrenees!Yes I remember that day.Too many riders and a narrow road was the problem uphill but the descent Is glorious.Would love to repeat that day.I will never understand the reluctance so many have about putting on a gear one can pedal up steep climbs like these. In the end, as someone else pointed out, it’s mostly VANITY. Granted, this one’s “only” 3 kms @ +10%, but with modern drivetrains and 10 or 11 cogs in the back and compact setups in front, it’s a no-brainer. Perhaps this was because it helped ruin Bernard Thévenet’s chances. 22 Avril 2012, descente du Col de Marie-Blanque en direction de Bielle (Pyrénées-Atlantiques-64). I would have figured they were more likely to have one fitted as opposed to not.“you’re on the Route du Fromage, the Cheese Route which only adds to the soft lethargy, the confluence of lipid and limpid” Brilliant line but now I must ask what cheese comes from this region?Between the “lipid / limpid” line and the one from yesterday about the stars that are not present at the Etoile de Besseges, you are on a roll!
The climb from Bielle is quite gentle and includes several plateaus, which offer the most spectacular and enjoyable views on the climb.
Ride 11.1 kilometers gaining 578 meters at 5.1% average grade. Col de Marie-Blanque to Bielle - Descent. I climbed the Marie Blanque as part of the Quebrantahuesos in 2010 but never saw the climb due to the freezing cold torrential rains we had all day. Overall Leaderboard.
Legend has it that the col’s name dates back to the mid eighteenth century and Marie Asserquet, a renowned pale (white/blanque) skinned aurostère (an author and performer of improvised chants memorializing the dead).
Find out which part of the climb will be most challenging.