The Climb - Cycling Inspiration

🥳 Have you recovered from New Year's Eve yet? If so, we invite you to check out the August route in The Climb 2026 calendar 😉

We will then move to the Spanish part of the Pyrenees, near the town of Espot – the gateway to the National Park.

This time, it will not be a classic mountain pass, but a mountain road connecting the towns of: ✨ Carretera de Jou a Son ✨

This is a local road that connects small Pyrenean villages in the Noguera Pallaresa valley and is used by drivers, hikers, and cyclists alike – quieter than the great “cycling icons,” but perfect for experiencing the atmosphere of the Catalan Pyrenees without struggling with double-digit average gradients.

The profile is gentle – about 250 m of elevation gain over 14 km – but it is still a mountain road: winding, located high above the valley floor, with good, paved asphalt and views that remind you that this is not just a “access road,” but a piece of a larger mountain puzzle.

Section parameters (Espot – Carretera de Jou a Son):
📍 Location: Spain, Pyrenees
🚩 Start: Espot
📏 Length: 14 km
⬆️ Elevation gain: 251 m
🏔 Altitude: 1,408 m above sea level

🚴‍♂️ Have a Cycling New Year! 🚴‍♀️

We wish you good health, joy from every ride, safe routes, and many beautiful kilometers. May this year bring you fulfillment of your cycling (and other) plans, as well as plenty of inspiration and satisfaction every day! 🥳

July in The Climb 2026 calendar 🚵‍♂️ takes us to the western edge of the Pyrenees, to the French Basque Country, near Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

Our destination is Col d'Arnosteguy – a long climb that looks innocent on paper: an average gradient of 6% over almost 18 km.

The problem is that this average is very misleading. One cyclist even called this climb the “French Zoncolan” and pointed out that the first ~6.8 km to Puerto de Beillurti is around 12.5% – hence the impression that this mountain is much more brutal than the numbers from the entire profile suggest.

This is an area where steep walls are the norm, and while the altitude may not match the “great” passes, the gradient easily makes up for it.

Climb parameters:
📍 Location: France, Pyrenees
🚩 Start of the climb: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
📏 Length: 17.9 km
📈 Gradient: AV: 6%, MAX: 17.9%
⬆️ Elevation gain: 1,161 m
🏔 Altitude: 1,236 m above sea level

🚵 Happy Cycling Christmas! 🎄

May these days bring you peace, warmth, and a solid regeneration.

And in the New Year, may your legs be strong, and may every ride end with satisfaction and a smile!

June in The Climb 2026 calendar takes us from high mountain passes to the slightly lower, but by no means gentler terrain of the Pyrenees. 🚵‍♂️

This time, we set off from the shores of Lac de Génos-Loudenvielle, heading straight for Col d'Azet. On paper, it looks like “only” a few kilometers, but reality quickly sets us straight – the gradient from the very beginning doesn't leave much room for a warm-up. The road climbs in switchbacks through pastures and meadows, with an increasingly wider view of the valley. It's a short but intense climb – your legs will remember these kilometers well. ⛰️

Ascent parameters:
📍 Location: France, Pyrenees
🚩 Start of the ascent: Lac de Génos-Loudenvielle
📏 Length: 7.4 km
📈 Gradient: AV: 8.3%, MAX: 11.8%
⬆️ Elevation gain: 616 m
🏔 Altitude: 1,580 m above sea level

👉 https://theclimb.pl/epic-cycling-climbs-wall-calendar-2026 - order now and hit the road!

May on the calendar for The Climb 2026 🚵‍♂️ takes us to the Ariège department in the Occitanie region in southwest France – the wild heart of the French Pyrenees.

✨ THIS TIME'S DESTINATION: Col de Pailhères ✨

This mountain pass connects mountain villages on both sides of the massif – Mijanès on one side, and Ax-les-Thermes, renowned for its thermal springs, on the other. Although it is one of only two paved passes in the French Pyrenees exceeding 2,000 meters (along with the legendary Col du Tourmalet), it has long remained outside the mainstream of professional cycling – it only made its Tour de France debut in 2003.

While it looks "innocuous" on the map, it is actually a climb with great ambitions. Endless switchbacks, ever-widening panoramas, and that Pyrenean tranquility that grows clearer with each kilometer up – this is one of those climbs that feels bigger than the numbers suggest. ⛰️

Climb Parameters:
📍 Location: France, Pyrenees
🚩 Starting point: Usson-les-Bains
📏 Length: 15.5 km
📈 Gradient: AV: 7.7%, MAX: 13.1%
⬆️ Elevation Gain: 1,188 m
🏔 Altitude: 1,998 m above sea level

👉 https://theclimb.pl/epic-cycling-climbs-wall-calendar-2026 - order now and hit the road!

🚵 The fourth stage of our journey through the climbs of the 2026 The Climb calendar takes us to the heart of Switzerland.

💫 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞: 𝐌𝐚̈𝐧𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 ⛰️🇨🇭

We start in Grindelwald, a peaceful, postcard-perfect town with a view of the Eiger, and a few moments later the road begins to climb steeply uphill. The gradient quickly becomes challenging, and the next few kilometres take their toll on your legs. This is one of those climbs where you really feel like you're climbing into the heart of the Alps – with each passing height, the view becomes more panoramic and the valley is left further and further behind you. 🚵

𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:
📍 Location: Switzerland, Alps
🚩 Start of the climb: Grindelwald
📏 Length: 13.9 km
📈 Gradient: AV: 9.1%, MAX: 14.9%
⬆️ Elevation gain: 1,268 m
🏔 Height: 2,220 m above sea level

After Morocco in January and Slovenia in February, it's time for an Alpine classic - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬. 🚵‍♂️🇨🇭

Furkapass is one of the most recognizable mountain passes in the Swiss Alps. Serpentine roads, hard, rocky slopes, and an altitude that heightens the sensation of every kilometer. 🚵‍♂️

Furkapass is also a scene from “Goldfinger” – James Bond in an Aston Martin and the Belvédère hotel hanging over the serpentines make this climb look like a ready-made movie frame. 🎬

Climb parameters:
📍 Location: Switzerland, Alps
🚩 Start of the climb: Oberwald
📏 Length: 16.5 km
📈 Gradient: AV: 6.4%, MAX: 10.3%
⬆️ Elevation gain: 1,061 m
🏔 Altitude: 2,429 m above sea level

⛰️🚴🏻 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫.

This time, we're heading to Slovenia 🇸🇮 for one of the most spectacular passes in the Julian Alps: Mangartsko Sedlo. 🏔️

The road winds its way up in a series of hairpin bends, cutting into the rocky walls and disappearing into narrow tunnels, finally leading you to the heart of an alpine amphitheatre.

This is a climb where the gradient never lets up, but the views make every turn of the pedals worthwhile. ⛰️🚴🏻

Podjazd parametry:
📍 Location: Slovenia, Alps
🚩 Start of the climb: Predel Mangart
📏 Length: 10.9 km
📈 Gradient: AV: 9%, MAX: 18.8%
⬆️ Elevation gain: 980 m
🏔 Height: 2,055 m above sea level

Over the next few days, we'll take you on a journey through all the climbs featured in 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔. 🚵‍♂️

And we'll start with a bang – in January, we'll be leaving Europe for the first time and heading to the northwestern reaches of Africa, to the heart of Morocco 🌍

In the wild slopes of the High Atlas Mountains, the gravel Assif n'Tafedna Pass awaits us – a rugged, desolate road that resembles a mountain trail more than a classic asphalt road. This is one of those climbs where the only things that matter are the wind, the gravel, and the rhythm of your breathing. ⛰️

Climb parameters:
📍 Location: Morocco, High Atlas Mountains
🚩 Start of the climb: Anergui
📏 Length: approx. 13 km
⬆️ Elevation gain: approx. 1,000 m
🏔 Altitude: approx. 2,400 m above sea level

Today marks the end of the 112th edition of the Tour de France. Traditionally, the final stage will end with a sprint finish on the Champs-Élysées, and the leaders of the general classification will ride it calmly – without attacks, in the spirit of the so-called ‘friendship stage’.

But this was not always the case.

In 1947, during the first post-war edition of the Tour, Frenchman Jean Robic won thanks to a dramatic action in the last stage. He started it in third place, and the leader was Italian Pierre Brambilla, who had an almost three-minute advantage. Another Frenchman, Édouard Fachleitner, was fifth in the classification.

Robic attacked. Fachleitner followed him, trying to lose him and fight for victory himself. Then came the memorable proposal: "You won't win the Tour because I won't let you. Help me, and I'll pay you 100,000 francs," Robic is said to have said. Fachleitner agreed, and the breakaway gave them a 13-minute lead over Brambilla.

Robic won the overall classification, Fachleitner was second, and Brambilla fell to third place.

Jean Robic became the first cyclist in history to win the Tour de France without wearing the yellow jersey for a single day.

📷 tours.maville.com | Jean Robic during the 1947 Tour de France