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The Mythical Passes of the South : Col de la Madone

Writer's picture: ABAB

Expectation : 75 km and 1300 m of elevation

Reality : 102 km and almost 1500 m up !

This was a second ride with my client from February -Vinicius, with whom I've already did Col de Vence; retracing partially the itinerary described here.

This resulted in his lifetime record of a bike ride - 80 km and 1300 m of elevation kind of ride.


This time we went for another challenge - col de la Madone - as the goal is to beat the previous record, we added a bit of an elevation by visiting a cute Village of St. Agnes (listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France). But let's get things in order :


  1. Road Bike Rental - for my client, Vinicius, a rad Brasilian and a tutor at University in Nice, I contacted my local partner for Côte d'Azur- We Rent Bikes, for a full-day rental of Disc-brake BMC.

Even though you still have to use LEGS to push the bike forward, it definitely helps to have a good quality and operative machine, especially when going for a full day ride.

2. Cycling Food - it's so so so vital to feed yourself properly (or just simply, eat something solid) on these long-days of cycling. We did two snack-breaks - one after a coastal part in Menton (at the very last city in France), second one took place in the middle of the climb - in the village of St. Agnes; one of the highest located villages in that part of Europe, and a Maginot's ligne monument.

3. Monaco & Menton & Madone - this super coMbo is so much worth stopping and enjoying in the tourist mode, col the la Madone being quite difficult to reach (however, a good spot for a hike too). When in Menton - remember not to miss the tasting of their delicious lemonade - it's the true French-made and 100% local limoncello.

4. Villefranche & La Turbie - stunning sandy beach, very easily accessible from the train, cute town suitable for a stroll and a finish with a lunch / dinner at the port. La Turbie is the town above Monaco (on the way to / back) so it's quite unmissable weather you do only Col d'Eze or longer ride.

5. Nature - This tour offers 1:1 ratio when it comes to mix of the sea and the mountains. Perfect experience that lets you enjoy a bit of morning sea breeze and mountain wind gusts in the afternoon (so important with 35 degrees we had that very day).


If you are looking forward to book this experience with me : check out the Airbnb link



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