Cime de la Bonnette

I called everything a "col" up to now. What is a "cime?" A col is a mountain pass and we keep score using the altitude of the through road over the pass. The Col de la Bonnette, the through road, is at 2,715 metres (8,907 ft)). The road over the col is the seventh highest paved road in the Alps.

From the top of the pass, a road makes a loop around the peak next to the pass. This scenic loop is a "cime" because it is a spur and not a road over a pass. Nobody would care except the road around the Cime de la Bonette reaches an altitude of 2,802 m (9,193 ft). That makes it the highest paved road in France and the highest through road in Europe. That's bragging rights.

Everybody wants to brag that they rode the highest road. I'm no different. Even though today was a Tuesday in the shoulder season, there was a crowd. The loudest and most proud bunch were the bicyclists, and deservedly so. Pumping your legs to move yourself up to 9200 feet seems impossible, but a crowd of panting pedalers proved it possible.Read more