Györgyi Gábor : BOnette Györgyi Gábor : Pyrénées , Presa l'Lauset Györgyi Gábor : Valtellina Extreme Brevet Györgyi Gábor : La Palma  Györgyi Gábor : Pyrénées, Ordesa canyon, MOnte Perdido Györgyi Gábor : Col du Granon (2413 m)
Cycling pages of Gabor Györgyi - www.facebook.com/cycling.high CYCLING PAGES OF GABOR GYÖRGYI<br> Collecting paved climbs, cols going above 2000 m - Györgyi Gábor - facebook.com/cycling.high
Cycling pages of GÁBOR GYÖRGYI - www.facebook.com/cycling.high
Bicycle tours up to all of the paved summits, cols of the Alps, Pyrenees, Canary islands situated above 2000 m
& in other tours in european countries




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gyorgyigabor.hu



LONGER TOURS
2014 Alps (ITA, CH, FRA)


2012 Andalucia


2012 Alps (CH, ITA)

2011 Alps
(CH, ITA)


2010 Ötztaler
radmarathon


2010 Pyrenées


2009 Alps


2009 Canary islands

2008 Alps


Pyrenées 2007


High Tauern -
Austria 2007


Tirol 2006


2006 Alps


2005 Alps


2004 Tour de France
climby by bicycle


2003 Adria by bicycle
to Crna Gora


2002 Greece


2001 Swiss Alps

2000 - AlpS - AdriaTIC

1999 Tatras, Krakow

1998 Tatras by bicycle

1998 Magas tauern

1998 Tatras tour

1995 Tatras by bicycle

1993 Tatras by bicycle







Introduction

I'm Gabor Györgyi from Hungary.   I started bicycletouring few months after my parents bought a bicycle for me in the year 1991. After the first 2 years I got enough experience during my summer bicycle tours (5) in Slovakia and Tatras mountain ranges between 1993 and 1999. After discovering / visiting Slovenia, East-Austria and the croatian Adriatic coast in the last decade I spend my summer bicycle tours in high mountains: Alps, Pyrenees, Canary islands (1999) ad Andalucia (2012). After being amazed by the legendary ascents of the Tour de France or Giro d'Italia my goal was to reach all of the summits, cols, peaks of the Alps, Pyrenees and Canary islands situated above 2000 m and can reached on paved roads (look at the map). I finished this project, and edited and uploaded dozens of videos about that.
Up to now You can find more than 140 cycling videos about such ascents and the full collection will be ready for the sping of 2016. I cycled above 2000 m 271 times until the end of the year 2014

Beside bicycle touring I participated in brevet tours or cycling mounain challenges and finished Ötztaler radmarathon (228 km + 5500 m), Monte Grappa challenge, Valtellina Extreme Brevet (345 km + 8998 m), Granfondo Campagnolo, La Marmotte...

To reach a place by bike gives much more different feelings, experiences then travelling by car or train. It is a great feeling, when in the morning I look out from the tent and I see the humid air, the mountains, the first sunlights, and the dewdrops on the grass or the plants, and during / after the breakfast to see the planned route for that day on the map. Bicycletouring keeps the body in good condition, but besides I think it is good for the peoples soul / spirit and develops the will-power. My opinion is that it gives a character to the bikers: for me every bicycletourer is a reliable people.

As the Bicycle Encyclopedia (authors: Dan Joyce, Carlton Reid, Paul Vincent) writes: "The bicycletourers are welcome rather with interest than refusal. The biketourers are often stopped (with interest), or peoples offer fruits or free places for their tents." (In 2003 I slept this way twice – for free) "The bicycletourers weighed down by a big pack needn’t any introduction." (Looking at them it is a really introduction.)

"Biketouring by a good bike with backwind is one of the best way to spent our time. We can both enjoy the fresh air keep our health in a good shape. With loading the tent, sleeping-bag, toothbrush onto our bike we can take almost all comfort with us. "For a lazy people who likes to stay at home the freedom that needs phisical effort is energy-wasting. For a cycletourist the effort is the part of the adventure. They can’t put on weight even because of eating 15 cream cakes in a row. But the aim is not to sweat; it comes with the travel / tour. The endpurpose is to make our horizon wider, not only geographically but also spiritually. The travelling itself, the new places, people and other way of life that we get to know during the tour make our scope wider." "Bicycling in the freedom itself. Freedom – we can go to there, where we want to, and with a speed, with which we remain the part of the nature. It is the best way to see the world such as it is. It gives the opportunity that after leaving the busy roads we can discover our environment on our way." (Bicycle encyclopedia)

The times how much I needed to climb a few passes can be found in the site on the left side.


MY BICYCLE TOURS

Tour Short description
JUly, 2012

Monte Grappa challenge & Alps

1322 km + 22943 m

Monte Grappa chellenge - Györgyi Gábor 2010
Bicycle tour in the Alps: Monte Grappa chellenge (heightdiff record) + visiting few recently discovered paved climbs above 2000 m

Györgyi Gábor & Penegal (1737 m) I started the tour with a great and ideal cycling challenge I found few months earlier and then the following days were days like normal bicycle touring days. The Monte Grappa chellenge is a cycling challenge within a day when You can decide how many times do you want to cycle different ascents of the legendary climb, Monte Grappa (1750 m).
The maximum was 5 climbs before midnight, I chose 4 that meant 225 km-re 6591 m. After the finish I felt me well so I added ca. 2 hours of cycling and finished the day with 261 kms + 7241 m heightdifference. The 1st ascent was wonderful but brutal with the 20% steep sections.
After a rest day I went on with my bicycle tour. The 1st climb was one of the most wonderful ones of the tour: Penegal (1737 m) next to Bolzano. It offered beautiful view to the Dolomites and a lake down + the wild rockwall of the Penegal and the road ascending on its side.
After visiting Passo MOrtirolo and Crocette Val Bighera I went on pedalling to Switzerland. Few years before I climbed Passo Bernina (2330 m), but from North. THis time I ascended its south side which is few hour long climb. The following day I returned to Albulapass after 11 years and then visited a hardly known, short, but steep ascent to Hotel Salastrains. Julierpass was short too. I finished the day after midnigh and after climbing Steinigboda (2049 m). I had to do that day, beause I had no other days left.
The following day was a totally rainy day, when I climbed Bärgli (2137 m) - it offered not much view but I had the 1st cycling video about it. In the North side of the Alps my following day was too variable and rainy so I had to battle with the heavy headwind and rain while I were cycling up to Oberalppass (2042 m). My last climb was Passo Scimfuss (2242 m) - that can be reached from Passo Gottardo and the view shows Nufenenpass, the serpentines of Passo San Gottardo, down the town Airolo and the valley to Biasca. That was a great place as the last high point of the tour.

Photos Full HD videos: Monte Grappa challenge Penegal (1737 m) Albula , Hotel Salastrains, Julierpass Mortirolo, Val Bighera Bärgli (2137 m)

Aug, 2012

Andalucia & Pico Veleta

1442 km + 21873 m
Bicycle tour in Andalucia: cycling from sealevel to the end of Europe's highest finishing paved road within a day

Andalucia : Sierra Nevada, PIco Veleta - Györgyi Gábor 2012 After more than 20.000 kms in the Alps and 2 bicycle tours in the Pyrénées I wanted to cycle the highest heightdifference on a paved road in Europe: from sealevel to the end of the paved road going to Pico Veleta (3394 m). Of course I made it harder with that I carried my 27 kgs weighted panniers, because I'm a real bicycletourer. ... I spent 12 days in Andalucia. In the first days I cycled along the Costa de Sol and in the afternoons I visied two panoramic climbs and a day before turning North to Granada and then Pico Veleta I climbed a very hot (like Hell) mountainside: Sierra de LUjar. Reaching the saddle I could see the Sierra Nevada, and Pico Veleta (3394 m) I started the following day before 8 am and cycled to Granada and started the climb to Pico Veleta (2700m hieghtdiff.) in the afternoon. I enjoyed is very much made much videofilm, but reached the end of the paved road after 11 pm. - in darkness. After a rest day with my touring partner (who arrived meantime) cycled back to Pico Veleta in sunshine. Above 2500 m we had to face very serious wind, gale. At a time as Tamás was walking next to his bike on the dirt road the wnd lifted up his bike !!! From the peak we could see not only the Costa del Sol, but Gibraltar too !!!
Two days later we climbed up to Puerto Ragua (2000 m) and experienced very serious hot weather and view to semi-desert. In the evening I visited Puerto Escúllar (2036 m) by my bike and a day later another hardly known high finishing ascent: Tetica de Bacares (2080 m). In the following days we cycled along the Costa del Sol and enjoyed the sea. We had a great and hot bicycle tour in Andalucia with not too much rain risk :)

Read more Photos Full HD videos: Best of Andalucia (1.) - bicycle tour Best of Andalucia (2.) - bicycle tour Best of Pico Veleta - by bicycle Puerto Ragua Tetica de Bacares

June, 2011

French Alps

1530 km + 28989 m
Completing the cycling collection of paved roads above 2000 m in the French Alps

French Alps : Col de l'Iseran (2770 m) - Györgyi Gábor 2011 After the fact that in 2010 I cycled on the paved missing climb of the Pyrenées finishing above 2000m, in 2011 I had a serious plan: to cycle, visit the missing paved ascents in the Alps to finish my collection of the climbs finishing above 2000m. I missed more than 30 ascents. In May I visited 6 climbs in South Tirol and Tirol, than it was followed by this tour, in my favourite region, part of the Alps: the French Alps.
The bicycle tour contained well known ascents, few of my favourites, like La Bonette (2802 m) for the 5th times, or Galibier (2645 m) and Col de l'Iseran (2770 m), another favourite of mine, but besides - of course - there were climbs about that I could found minimum information on the internet. Such climbs were for example Parking du Laus (2110 m) by Lac Allos, or a wonderful climb, Plan du Lac (2362 m) or Plan d'Aval: about these climbs I could infirm the cyclists by this travelogue or by the description that I published by quaeldich.de.
I often had rain, more than during my previous tours in the French Alps, but I was so motivated, that the rans couldn't stop me. I visited all of the planned climbs above 2000m. Fortunately in the day of the most memorable climbs I had beautiful weather. On my "king's stage" I visited 4 climbs finishing above 2000m and cycled 162 km + 3890 m. ON the following day - after 6 hours sleeping I cycled up to Courchevel and ascended up sometimes in rain up to the 2188m high Col du Petit St Bernard to be able to catch my airplane in a day time. Courchevel was my 186th occasion that I bicycled above 2000m and the place with I reached that I cycled all of the paved ascents of France that ends above 2000m.
After I uploaded my videos to my youtube collection, my collection is the only one, that has all of the bicycling videos of all of the paved french climbs above 2000 m.

Read more Photos Full HD videos: Bonette Col de l'Iseran Col d'Izoard Col du Lautaret Col du Galibier My other videos

Aug, 2010

Ötztaler bicyclemarathon

228 km + 5300 m

Ötztaler bicycle marathon - Györgyi Gábor 2010
Ötztaler bicyclemarathon - the legendary, greatest classic bicycle marathon of the Alps

Ötztaler bicycle marathon , radmarathon , Timmelsjoch / Passo Rombo - Györgyi Gábor 2010 After 15 years bicycling in Europe, in the Alps, Pyrenées and Canary islands in 2010 I felt enough confidence to pake part in the Ötztaler bicyclemarathon (228 km + 5500 m heightdifference). THis is said to be the hardest classical and famous (not extreme) bicyclemarathon in Europe. It has 4 climbs, 3 of them are above 2000m and the last one is the hardest: ca. 1800m heightdifference with few kms with 10% steepness. It's like the hardest stage of the Tour de France or Giro d'Italia. In the previous years few Tour de France cyclists took part in it, like Claudio Chiapucci or Gerrit Glomser, and in 2011 Jan Ullrich. This has been one of my dream for several years. I enjoyed the day very much, as one of my most memorable day of my life. It was a cold day and there was risk for raining. AFter entering Italy the weather felt warmer and I could enjoy cycling more than in Austria. I rode my touringbike and cycled and lived the day as a cyclourer: stopped for photos, sometimes during cycling, but sometimes by a stop I recorded video about the event. Totalyl I recorded 50 minutes long film / movie. I needed enough energy by Brennerpass, so I didn't have too much time on Jaufenpass, but I could reach the limitpoint at time, and after it the ascent of Passo Rombo / Timmelsjoch (2509 m) was bicycling with joy in every minute. That was fantastic! I took a lot of pictures and memorable video. After enering Austria, I was descending towards the finish, when I started to cry for few seconds: it was so emotional, to do: I would finish and I would fulfill one of my dream and show my answer those who didn't accept my results in bicycletouring, although at that time I cycled all of the paved ascents of the Pyrenées and cycled more than 150 times above 2000m. By the end of the year 2011 I ascended up to ALL of te paved ascents of the Alps too by my touringbike, as a cyclist from a ex-socialist country.

Read more Photos Full HD videos: Ötztaler radmarathon

July, 2010

BicycleTOURing
spanish & french Pyrénées

2368 km + 42996 m
The next „hunting” for roads going above 2000 m: BicycleTOURing in the Pyrenées II.

Pyrenées, Pirineos, Pireneusok,  Col de Peyresourde - Tour de France - Györgyi Gábor 2009 After previous years when I cycled in the Alps, in the year 2010 I returned to the Pyrénées to finish and close „our affair”: my goal was collect by my bicycle all of the remaining paved roads going above 2000m, that I hadn’t visited before.
As „warming up” I managed to cycle up to Mont Ventoux on the 4 ascents of it inside a day (6126 m heightdifference) from my camping and back to there) and with this achievement I reached the next – Galerien - level of the Club des Cinglés du Mont Ventoux. With that day I entered the best 10% of the Club with ca. 3600 members at that time.
Carrying on with my tour I started my Pyrenées crossing from the shore of the Canal du Midi and ascended such climbs, like Cirque Troumouse (2109 m), Boi Taüll (2038 m), Andorra-Arcalis (2225 m), Vallter (2150 m) and such hardly known ones, like one of the most beautiful: Presa L’lauset (2193 m) the valley of Puigmal (2077 m) and Lac Bouillouses (2017 m), etc.
That was a great feeling to see live and experience, live through by wonderful or legendary places the Tour de France experience, see the fans, the caravane and the racers. I was surprise by the beauty of Guzet Neige (Tour de France mountain stage finish a few years earlier), the Tour de France experience by the Col de Peyresourde, and the hard and nice Col d’Azet and the steep Pla d’Adet. After entering Spain, leaving Sallent de Gallego behind me, I was amazed by the landscape for ca. 150kms wide: wonderful!
By the Ordesa canyon huge rocks, rockwalls, mountains towers to the sky, their shapes are specific and nice flower-fields colours the bare mountainside. Andorra was a gift-day for me as I felt the same in 2007: On a beautiful landscape and by ideal weather I enjoyed cycling 3 times above 2000m; one of them was the legendary mountain stage finish of 2007, Arcalis, where Jan Ullrich won the stage.
After collecting all of the paved pyrenean roads going above 2000 m I finished my tour by the camping of Barcelona, where I ended the tour with paddling in the sea and feeling happyness and the success, while enjoyed the rise of airplanes above my head.
In the Alps only 38-39 ascents finishing above 2000 meters remained to be visited to have all them (that time). Till the end I finished the challenge !

Read more Photos Full HD videos: Presa de l'Lauset Cirque Tromouse Col de Peyresourde, Azet & Tour de France Vallter 2000 My other videos

June – July 2009,

Bicycletour in the Alps VII.

2366 km + 47060 m
Bicycletour in the Alps VII. (with La Marmotte, Ötztaler radmarathon test tour) – from record by record: 2366 km + 47060 m

Alps Alpok Alpine bicycletour Mannlichen - Györgyi Gábor 2009 During this tour I visited roads going above 2000m: partly such climbs that I have never climbed (one of them was the last paved col of my pass-collection above 2000m in the Alps.), and on the other part I had 2 unforgettable events.
On my 2nd day I had a pleasant half-day-long tour with my italian friend, Mauro Repetti up to Mottarone. From the 3rd to the 7th day I climbed 9 south-swiss paved ascents going above 2000m: memorable ones were the panoramaroad Alpe Galm (2231 m) and the Oberaarsee where I cycled between snow-walls, but the most beautiful was the Mannlichen (2229 m) just next to the Eiger – Mönch – Jungfrau trio.
On a wonderful day that made me remember the Tour de France mountain stages, I was riding my bicycle from Morzine (France) to Albertville and climbed Col de Ramaz, the legendary Colombiere and Aravis passes. I managed to broke my record and have a new one with 3151 m heightdifference. Not much after it I was amazed by the Col de l’Iseran (2770 m) again (after 2004) enjoying the beautiful sunlights after a shower.
I participated in one of the hardest and famous alpine bicyclemarathon, La Marmotte which crosses Col du Glandon 81924 m), Col du Telegraphe (1570 m), Col du Galibier (2645 m) Alps Alpok Alpine bicycletour - Col de l'Iseran - Györgyi Gábor 2009 and the finish is situated at the 1860 m high Alpe D’Huez, one of the most legendary finish of the Tour de France. The official distance and heightdifference is 174 km + 4900m, but with a little bit of extra climbsI got a new heightdifference record with 5316 m. After a rainy day when I had been cycling towards / to Austria, I was riding my bicycle on a test tour along the route of the hardest classical bicyclemarathon of the Alps, the Ötztaler radmarathon (228 km + 5200 m).
The marathon has 4 climbs: the Kühtai (2017 m), Brennerpass (1374 m), Jaufenpass (2099 m) in Italy and the last and hardest one, after 175 kms, the Timmelsjoch / Passo Rombo (2509 m).
Without marathon-feeling I tried to lift my spirit and managed to cycle the roundtrip without any problem. After this success my goal is to did it with live, true circumstances with participation of the Ötztaler radmarathon in 2010: cycling the truely hardest classic bicyclemarathon of the Alps. As its slogan says: I have a dream.

Read more Photos Videos: Col de l'Iseran Männlichen (2229 m), Switzerland La Marmotte: Col du Galibier La Marmotte: Alpe d'Huez, finish My other videos

April, 2009

Bicycling on Tenerife and La Palma

1633 kms + 36873 m
Bicycling on Tenerife and La Palma, the steepest island of the world

After the lot of work I had for few months by my working place and have worked for 10 years I felt that I deserved a bicycletour in spring at a warm zone of the Earth in or not far from Europe. Because the airplane ticket to tenerife wasn’t much more expensice than a ticket to South Spain, I didn’t felt worry fly so far (far from me).
I bicycled there 2 wonderful weeks, along cactuses, enjoying the beauty of volcanos, oceanic panorama, views and sometimes looking downwards to the clouds from the heightlevel of 1800-2400m. I bicycled in tropical forest in La Palma, through lava field in both of the islands and often cycled into and out of clouds. I could hardly realize, comprehend so much beauty and the wonder of bicycling above the clouds. That’s what we could hardly realize during our bicycling experiences in Europe.
Of course the long and serious climbs attracted me to visit the islands, so I ascended Roque de los Muchachos (2426 m) from both directions and from three directions I cycled up to the Teide plateau (above 2100 m), in Tenerife – 2 of them riding my bike with 24 kgs panniers on it.

Read more Photos Videos: Roque de los Muchachos (2426 m) Tenerife: La Esperanza - Teide plateau Tenerife: Los Christianos - Teide plateau La Orotava - La Esperanza forest My other videos

July – Aug, 2008

Bicycle tour in the Alps

1807 km + 32189 m
More-week-long alpine bicycletour : Mont Ventoux, Bonette, Izoard, Agnel, Trittico Mortirolo, Stelvio and the others

My bicycletour in 2008 again went back to the Alps: I had to return to a few places; I wanted to conquer some wonderful and / or serious climbs. After flying to there, I started my tour from Nice. The 3rd day was the most waited day of the tour: cycle 3 times up to the 1909 m high Mont Ventoux (4500m heightdifference) so to be the 1st hungarian member of the Club des Cingles du Mont Ventoux. On a perfect day riding my touringbike I managed to cycle 3 times up to the legendary Mont Ventoux from 3 different sides so that when I reached the summit by sunset I shouted my happyness into the air. After bicycling 2 local tours from Nice I had another challenge: on another great day riding my touringbike with 26kg panniers on it I was bicycling the most paved, bicycleable heightdifference in Europe: from sealevel to the 2802 m high Cime de la Bonette. (I have 19 min long videofilm about it) After another beautys, cols, like Col du Vars, Colle Agnello / Agnel, etc, the last great attraction was the Trittico (triple) Mortirolo with an italian friend of mine, Mauro Repetti from Tirano. We cycled the legendary Passo Mortirolo (1852 m) from each of the tree ascents (3600m heightdiff.). Now I say again Thankk you for mauro for that unforgettable day! Instead of relaxing and having rest, on the following day I ascended from Tirano (440 m) up to the Passo dello Stelvio (2760 m), again riding my touringbike with panniers on it. That was the last serious day of the tour, after it light days to the „finish”, Landeck (Austria).

Read more Photos Videos: Nice - La Bonette (2802 m) Colle Agnello (2744 m) - ITA Col Agnel (2744 m) - FRA Nice - L'Authion (2042 m) My other videos

July – Aug, 2007

Raid Pyreneen: Atlantic - Mediterrarean sea

2060 km + 37611 m
Raid Pyreneen : Bicycletour throught the Pyreneen: from the Atlantic ocean to the Mediterrarean sea

After cycling up to almost all of the alpine paved passes of the Alps, in 2007 I and the tourmate of mine, Peter Riskó planned cycling in the Pyrenees. On the web I found the Tourist version of the RAID PYRENEEN, which was just made for us. The tourist version of the Raid Pyreneen is officially 790 kms + ca. 18000m heightdifference with 28 cols and we had 10 days for it. Before starting the 10 day long Tourist version of the RAID Pyreneen, we spent 4-5 days in the Pyrenees, in Andorra and visited such climbs as Port Cabus (2300 m), Port d'Envalira (2408 m) and enjoyed the Tour de France feeling. We had fantastic memories at Cirque Gavernie and then in the valley of Cirque Troumouse, where we saw waterfals, and small clouds coming up from the bottom of the valley not much before sunset - in beautiful lights. I enjoyed very much the legendary climbs of the Pyrenees as the hard (11% for 4 kms) Col du Marie Blanque, Col d'Aubisque, Col du Tourmalet... THis col is betwen the 5 most legendary climbs of the Tour, so we waited it very much, and we had fortune with the weather. With a little bit clouds around us the surroundings of the col was so fantastic which is very rare and made the Col du Tourmalet one of the most memorable col for me through my 15 years bicycling.
In the Pyrenees we also experienced froggy mornings and evenings, but the weather was very good. The second half of the Raid went through lower mountains, but we had Col de Mente and Portet d'Aspet, Port de Pailheres as legends. IT was a good feeling, that we cycled where famous bicycleracers climbed few decades before us. Through the 10 days we could keep our plan, so we had left one day for a local tour on the 9th day. We visited calm mountain roads and reached the spain border again. Our last day was memorable again with the beautiful Col de Garavel, the mediterranean Col du Palomere with the sight for the sea and the last 20kms along the sea through a few tourist village. We succeeded to cycle through the Pyrenees as first hungarian bicycletourers.

Read more Photos Videos: Raid Pyreneen I. (Atlantic, Aubisque) Raid Pyreneen II. Tourmalet Raid Pyreneen III. Peyresourde, Mente, Portet Aspet Raid Pyreneen IV. Pailheres, Cerbere My other videos

June, 2007

3 of the hardest climbs of the Alps

152 km + 5413 m
High tauern, Austria: 3 of the steepest, toughest climbs of the Alps: Weisssee, Grosssee, Grosser Oscheniksee

Before the long bicycletour in the summer, my second trainingtour happened in Austria. I and a friend of mine spend three days there and I cycled up to Weisssee (+Hochwurtenspeicher: 2417 m), GRosssee (2380 m) and my most memorable one, the Grosse Oscheniksee (2394 m). Eacg of them has 12-13% steep sections, but the first is generally variable, as it has after 4-5 kms short flat or down sections. ON my second day morning I climbed GRosssee in a nice, friendly valley with leafy and fir trees, grass, flowers, and fantastic panorama. In the afternoon it was hard to reach Grosse Oscheniksee before sunset, but I tried it. That road was superb and very hard, but enjoyable. 4-5 kms with 13-15% steepness. The last 3-4 kms twisted on a mountainside without trees but with panorama down to the valley. The steepness was again 12-14%. As I arrived the top I felt it was one of my most memorable climb and day with these two challenges. On each of the three climbs cars are prohibbited, so there were only two: the nature and me (and 1st day my touring-mate).

Read more Photos Videos: Mölltaler gletscherstrasse, Hochwurtenspeicher Grosssee (2417 m), Zirknitztal My other videos

July - Aug, 2006

Bicycle tour in the Alps IV.

1729 km + 30622 m
An Alpine bicycletour onto the next few cols above 2000 m

After the last 2 years of my alpine bicycletours, in 2006 I went back to the Alps with the aim that after my tour maybe I would be the first hungarian people who bicycled up to all (74-75) of the asphalted alpine passes above 2000m. I love the Alps, with the fresh air, nature, plants, climbs, views, so it was equal for me, where to bicycle. AFter 6 years of alone bicycling, this year I had two guys with me: Balázs Gaál for (unfortunately only ) 2+1 days, and Peter Riskó for the whole tour. In Italy and France we had nice, warm, sunny days with cycling a few hard cols, passes, like the 2612m high Passo Nivolet (I'm sure, it's between the 3 best / most beautiful passes, where I had been), or the almost unknown Passo del Preit (2083 m), onto we bicycled in stormy weather with thunderstorms. The Col des Gondrans (2347 m)was also very nice next to Briancon, I can suggest to visit it, although the last 3-4 kms of the road was closed because falling rocks 50m long on the road.
After Col du Lautaret, Alpe d'Huez, Col du Sabot, we arrived to Chamonix on a nice day, when at last we could see the snowfields of the Mont Blanc before sunset. In SDwitzerland because of the weather we postponed passes for the next days, or climbed 1-2 of them partly in rain and arrived to the top in 4-8 degrees Celsius. The Sustenpass was the worst. After the also rainy and cold Oberalppass we bicycled southwards to Italy and to the warmer weather. The Passo Spluga (2117 m) was also a very beautiful pass, with a lot of hairpins, views and superb hairpin-row on a almost vertical wall, with short straight sections. Because the times went by too fast in that evening I decided to climb the famous Mortirolo (and the 2100m high Passo Val Bighera) in dark, in the night. It was wonderful: in a calm, dark forst in a warm air. I enjoyed very much the nature, air, and the views, because it was light, because I had fortune with the full Moon. I enjoyed the feeling so much, that I spent much time above. Our last pass was the Passo Goletto di Crocette (2070 m), onto we had 8-10% steep kilometers in or after raining for 2-3 hours. In September I climbed the missing 4 cols, passes.

Read more Photos Videos: Colle Nivolet (2612 m) Colle Preit (2083 m) Col du Mont Cenis, Petit MOnt Cenis (2083, 2183 m) My other videos

June, 2006

Dolomiti + Granfondo Campagnolo

611 km + 13023 m
Bicycling in the Dolomites and finishing the Granfondo Campagnolo

In the spring of 2006 I aimed to finish to succeed the Granfondo Campagnolo (204 km + 4447 m), the hardest bicyclemarathon in Italy in 2006, based on this link Before the Granfondo I and two friends of mine spent 3 days in the Dolomites, with those tours I bicycled onto 6 passes above 2000m there. The most wondeful climb was the very hard Tre Cime di Lavaredo (2350 m) from the Lake Misurina, with a beautiful panorama. An another memorable pass was the Staller Sattel (2052 m) on the austrian border. It's last 5 kms was only half road wide, and the traffic could go up and down for each half-half hours. This section is very nice with panorama, calmness, forest, flowers, blue lake down and snow on the mountains. The Giau pass was a hard one, but "only averagely nice".
The Granfondo was one of my most memorable bicycle memory. I was the only one who finished it with a 13 kg+ 2,5 kg pack heavy touring bike. I could bicycle with the last 30-40 participant; I enjoyed the nature, countryside and the feeling; I stopped few times for photos. After arriving in time, as the speaker saw with how a bike I arrived into the finish, he called me next to him and after 2-3 sentences he spoke a few minutes about my performance. After it, the 50 people audience clapped for me and immediatelly I could hear the hungarian anthem from the loud-speakers. It was a surprise for me from the speaker, who found this performance very serious with a bike, I had.

Read more Photos Videos: Granfondo Campagnolo, finish; anthem Tre Cime di Lavaredo My other videos

July, 2005

Bicycle tour in the Alps

2093 km + ca. 38400 m
Bicycletour through the legendary passes of the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de Suisse

In 2005 I made a bicycletour in the Alps similar to the tour in 2004. While that year I climbed the famous cols of the Tour de France, this year I choose the passes of the Giro d'Italia and the Tour Suisse, but besides them I succeeded in finishing a hard bikemarathon, the Fausto Coppi granfondo!
The well known passes of my tour were: Colle Lombarda, Cime de la Bonette, Colle Fauneria / Pantani, Col de Vars, Col de Granon, Sestriere, Colle Finestre, Nufenenpass (CH), Grimselpass, Furkapass, Passo San Gottardo, Julierpass, Berninapass, Passo Gavia, Timmelsjoch and at the end the Gletscherstrasse up to the height of 2829 m.
Until the end of that bicycletour I collected 50-51 passes above 2000 m in the Alps.

Read more Photos Videos: Col de Moutiere, Bonette Other videos of the tour

July, 2004

Legendary climbs of the Alps

2053 km + ca. 31500 m
Bicycletour from the Cote d’Azur next to the Mount Blanc through the French Alps with panniers
(bicycle tour up to the historical climbs of the Tour de France)

This year I succeeded in cycle through the French Alps, which had been one of my Great dream, plan for year. For years I felt that a tour in France can have more problems than in the nearer countries, but with the experiences of my tour in 2003 (along the Adria and to Montenegro), this year I felt enough encourage to cycle up to the famous french cols. I had read a lot of travelogues (Trento Bike Pages, Velofahren.de, biketrip.org, etc…) and I tried to think about every problems which can occur through a French Alps tour: degrees around zero on the high cols, the busy campings, the effects of the Tour de France, and maybe some mechanical problems and the lot of train-changes.
In the first two days and in the last two days I had some problems, adventures, but just between the high mountains of the French Alps everything happened well. There every night I could send the sms to home: Everything went as I planned, I climbed this… and that cols…" I climbed almost all of the passes / cols, that I planned for the whole tour, this means 21 serious ascents, 13 of them are above the height of 2000 m. The most famous cols where I cycled are: La Bonette (2802 m), Col du Galibier (2645 m) , Col d’Izoard (2361m) , Alpe d'Huez (1860m), Col de Iseran (2770m), etc.
Through my tour to and back I mainly travelled by train (I biked half and one and a half days in Hungary and Slovenia). The core of the tour started at the train station of Imperia, in Italy, and ended at the train station in Aosta. Between the two town I cycled 12 days between the mountains of the French Alps. Although there was 1 or 2 rest days in the plan, as I didn’t have any serious rain (for a whole day) through the tour, every day I ride my bicycle. I didn’t have any problems with it, that I couldn’t rest, because the beautiful nature and the experiences, adventures, ascents gave my power to climb them. Usually 1-2 days with panniers were followed by a "light" day without panniers (but with 2 climbs)

Read more Photos Videos: Col de Madeleine, Croix de Fer Col de Cayolle, Champs, Allos Other videos of the tour

June, 2003

Adria: Croatia, Montenegro

2157 km + 19588 m
Bicycletour along the Adria-sea from Slovenia to Montenegro

Because I like both the blue-green sea and the mountains, this (2003) summer I chose a tour, when I can enjoy both. From Ljubljana - with visiting the islands of Brac and Korcula - I cycled to Montenegro along the Adria through towns shown on the lists of UNESCO World Heritages, like Sibenik, Trogir, Split, Dubrovnik. Above Makarska I biked up to the height of 1228m, on the Sveti Jure, on a forestry road, that contains the death-bend. Arriving to this hairpin the cyclist can see that after the bend in there is a big abyss. Next to the edge of the road the rocks go down uprightly. Montenegro is the casket of Europe, what show us for example the Jaz beach, Budva town, the Moraca-canyon, the National park of Biogradsko and the untouched Rijeka Crnojevica. From Dubrovnik I travelled by ship and by bike bach to Ljubljana, where from I used train to come home.

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March, 2002

Spring in Greece

1387 km + 11610 m
Bicycletour along the Adria-sea from Slovenia to Montenegro

2002, march: After winning the article-writing competition of the Bringa (Bike) magazine I could spent nearly two week in Greece in spring with the hungarian MTB-squad. While they made trainings, I made nice cycletours ind the 17-22 degree warm weather and took good photos and videofilms. It was strange, but good to cycle already in march in every day almost 150 kms. I enjoyed it very much. I visited one of the most beautiful towns in Greece: Nafplion, then Argos, I biked up to the height of 1400m, but I also managed to cycle to Athens.

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Györgyi Gábor