Tour de France: How to retrace the famous mountain passes

Tomorrow it starts again: The men's Tour de France, the world's most important professional cycling race, begins. Whether you're one of those who's scheduling all your appointments for the morning for three weeks to catch as much of it as possible via live stream, or you're part of the "It's boring right now because we already know who's going to win" faction – we can all agree on one thing. We rarely see such beautiful landscape shots of France. This also applies, of course, to the mountains, where, as a road cycling fan, you can so wonderfully imagine what's being achieved there, how much suffering is being endured, and what tragedies are unfolding.

When we started road cycling ourselves, one of the first ideas he came up with was that he would like to ride the four legendary passes of the Tour de France: Col du Tourmalet, Col du Galibier, Alpe d'Huez, and Mont Ventoux.

During the following holidays in France, a routine crept in: allowing a detour to the relevant region on the (non-cycling) holiday route, keeping an eye on the weather forecast, and renting racing bikes on site on the right day.

We enjoyed it so much that we continued with it after completing the four classics and have since cycled numerous impressive passes in the Alps and Pyrenees.

There's no need for extensive preparation. Here's a quick guide for a pleasant pass experience:

You can, of course, pack the full team or club gear. However, for a bike tour during a two-week vacation, I don't overly burden my luggage. My travel bag only contains cycling shorts, a jersey, and possibly sports underwear. My footwear is sneakers, which I pack anyway for outdoor excursions. I also bring a light wind or rain jacket for the descent.

You can usually rent a helmet with your road bike, and you can also purchase a water bottle from the bike shop (making it a nice souvenir). The only extra is a musette bag, a small shoulder bag, in case you need a little extra for the climb.

At popular passes like Alpe d'Huez or Mont Ventoux, the wheels rattle in the streets in the classic starting points of Le Bourg-d'Oisans and Bedoin, and the bike rentals offer a wide selection (and are also a good opportunity to try out an unknown bike brand).

For other passes where there isn't a fixed starting point, we check online in advance to see if and where we can rent bikes. On the Col du Galibier, for example, the question is whether to start in the Maurienne Valley and take the Col de Telegraphe, or start in Valloire or even from the southern side.

We check availability with the local rental shop the day before the tour so we can be ready to go quickly in the morning. With small bikes like the ones I ride, there are sometimes bottlenecks. This is where we clarify which pedals and saddle height we need, which the rental shop then installs and adjusts. Sometimes there are even half-day rates, depending on the length of the route.

I confidently leave my navigation system at home; the route to the top of the pass is usually straightforward. If it's a longer stretch, we navigate using our phone. We regularly get great route tips for extensions from the bike rental shops, who, as locals, are very knowledgeable (but, much to my husband's chagrin, are comparatively uninterested in stories of heroics from the road). You can usually also get bars or gels there if you haven't already stocked up on supplies at the supermarket.

Especially on the popular passes, the roads are packed with cyclists. On my last trip up Mont Ventoux, I lost count after three dozen – and that was on a weekday in September. This athletic companionship on the way up might encourage you to try for a personal best.

My plea: Take your time. Feel free to suffer a little, let yourself be encouraged by the "Allez allez" painted on the road, and relive the dramas that have unfolded here. But also enjoy the views, the dizzying curves, and how you gradually leave the valley and everyday life behind you. A pass like this and the surrounding mountains are far too beautiful to just rush up.

I wish you a nice summer and an exciting Tour de France.

Yours, Eva Ullrich

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