Col de la Bonette (St Étienne) - Cycling Inspiration & Education

Okay, so the Col de la Bonette may not be the highest road in Europe as it often proclaims but scaling its way up 2,802 metres with a cheeky little 2 kilometre loop around the top just to out trump some of its competition will always make it the stuff of legend. From Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée you face a long 25.8km ascent, immediately giving you the sense that you’re going on a real journey as you venture deep into the Mercantour National Park. The raw power of the Vens waterfall is a landmark well worth taking a moment to draw breath for as it thunders its way down the side of the mountain. As you climb higher the sheer peacefulness that the Bonette instils often reminds you of how simple life can be, until it takes on an eerie (almost surreal) twist as you pass through the now derelict Camp des Fourches, once home to a battalion of Alpine troops. It’s not often that you get both character and history melded together in such a beautiful way to create a climb that no matter how long it takes, or how much it hurts, by the summit you can’t help but feel totally alive once more.
Start: Saint Étienne de Tinée
Length: 25.8km
Summit: 2,802m
Elevation gain: 1,652m
Average gradient: 6.4%
Max gradient: 15%
Thank you to our partners Mavic, Cannondale, Exposure Lights, Fi’zi:k, Haute Route, La Fuga, Lezyne, Map My Tracks, Muc Off, Scicon, The Sufferfest, Torq Fitness and USE for enabling us to bring these truly special mountains to life for you all. If you're in need of new bike kit in the future and you enjoyed this video then bear them in mind and help keep the wheels turning :-)
For more help and advice visit our website at thecolcollectiv..., become part of our col community and sign up for our free newsletter for monthly updates.
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Stay well and thank you for watching. We hope you enjoy the ride!
Mike Cotty
The Col Collective
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[@FaiscaaaH]

This is the spirit , just you, your bike, nature, and enjoy the ride. Mike you did it again

[@TheColCollective]

Luis Philipe Peace to you Luis :-)

[@360.Outdoors.Videos]

☀️👍👍👍☀️💯 WOW ! GOOD STUFF!

[@ciarandinsmore879]

A stunning climb. I can not wait to climb it. Also mike cotty and col collective you guys are the best.

[@speedsweets67]

These climbing clips are becoming beautiful little movies which express the passion of the makers of it. very well done again. Every time i come back, tank a little passion again, and train some more to get ready for some cols in th summer. Keep it up!

[@TheColCollective]

speedsweets67 Thank you and good luck with the training and mountain riding! Enjoy! Mike

[@rahulkota1]

Simply superb, the music was perfect on this...every time it was building up to something....the last minute of this ride gave me goosebumps...wow loved it ..Cheers Mike Cotty for fantastic work and wonderful ride that you shared with us.

[@MikeCotty]

Thank you sir. I'm so happy it brought that feeling to you, that's exactly what I was hoping. Take care. Mike

[@rahulkota1]

Mike Cotty Oh you did, surely did =)

[@JustAnotherDayToday]

Breathtaking!

[@dalglish72p]

As always WOW...

[@lorenzozordan725]

I've been there in 2018 (by bike): they are refurbishing the Champ des Fourches. Great video as usual. I seem to live again the experience every time.

[@kwacker45]

Keeping it real, as always thanks bro' im almost back to full health so bike has had a service after lounging in my spare room for four months. Your uploads have kept me sane!!

[@MikeCotty]

Welcome back, happy to hear you're on your way to full health again. Perfect timing to enjoy some summer miles :-)

[@frankiea.1095]

I really love this channel and the stunning work of it made, thanks to Mike to bring us a closser look tto this beautiful places and without miss the motivation. Go go go....

[@TheColCollective]

Fran Aguirre Thank you for the message Fran, really appreciate your support. Ride safe, Mike

[@frankswildy]

Looks stunning.

[@DanMcNama]

Mike: I have been infatuated by the Bonette ever since the Tour crested it in 2008. It and the Galibier are the two passes that attract me the most in the Alps and I cannot wait to fly across the pond and tackle them in hopefully the not so distant future. You really seem to have captured everything great about it. I wait with anxiety for every new video and absolutely love the work that you and the crew at Media24 do. I too have the itch to go uphill, and know that it's a true passion of mine due to the fact that I can't properly make sense of why it is that i enjoy it so much. Pain, sweat, suffering, etc... there's just something about pushing yourself beyond what you once thought you were capable of that brings me such a feeling of joy knowing that there is always another mental world waiting to be discovered. That being said, I am also inspired by your endurance undertakings like Les Alpes and RTMB. I am planning on doing one of my own in the coming 1.5-2 years (also on a Super Six Evo I might add) to truly mark a full recovery from hip surgery I had this past year and open up a new world of my own. I am 24 and I am an engineer with a passion for things that are far beyond the realm of my current career (I believe you were in a similar position if I'm remembering a podcast interview correctly), and seeing what you have put together with Col Collective has only further inspired me to think about my future from a passion and joy perspective rather than focusing purely on financial growth. Keep up the excellent work. The Col Collective is the ultimate service to the cycling community simply due to the inspiration it gives us to follow in your footsteps and get lost in the hills. Thanks for everything.

[@TheColCollective]

+Dan McNamara Hi Dan, thanks so much for your appreciation. If you need any help or advice when you come to plan your challenge then just drop me a line. I always had a certain draw towards the mountains, a feeling inside that was stronger than anything else inside my head is what led me towards this journey. I'm so grateful for the support towards The Col Collective. It's been a burning ambition of mine for so long it feels so good to be able to bring a small essence of why we ride to life and to share it with others in a way that really means something to me. Good luck for the future, ride safe and keep the faith. Mike

[@YelCan]

Fantastic 👏 . Thank you 😊 .

[@ronypsp]

Beautiful

[@valentinlopezpuche204]

Amazing video Mike with amazing scenary . Thanks a lot for showing us all this incredible mountains . I wish one day I can follow your routes.

[@TheColCollective]

valentin lopez puche Thank you Valentin, good luck when you do hit the mountains! :-)

[@snookerbg]

Amazing video as always, so beautifully captured and dramatically edited! Can't wait for the Dolomites!

[@ricardoluizturatto8437]

your videos are amazing, very inspiring... since I´ve found your channel, I can´t stop watching it... Thanks... from Brazil

[@TheColCollective]

Ricardo Luiz Turatto Fantastic, thanks so much for watching Ricardo! More videos coming soon :-)

[@i_just_dont_care_anymore]

Awesome as always mike....

[@allnatural999]

Your videos are top notch. Very inspirational. It makes me want to do some many climbs.

[@lautoka63]

Got to love this man and his style. I've just come back from the Pyrenees (let me tell you about jet lag from France to the Antipodes sometime). He makes it look so easy and effortless, which is really an inspiration to do more training and lose a bit of weight. Oh, to be in France again - but without the 40C we experienced! Thanks, Mike.

[@TheColCollective]

lautoka63 Hope you enjoyed your time in the Pyrenees, I have a personal affection for that mountain range, absolutely stunning and so peaceful. Thanks so much for your support. Ride safe my friend. Mike

[@Garfie1d73]

Very informative, beautiful pictures, good music. Very good video indeed. Keep them coming :-)

[@MikeCotty]

More on the way! :-)

[@cyclingchantal]

Nice climb

[@ilinapopova5759]

Watching this on January 1st while thinking about New Year's resolutions...couldn't get a better idea for a one :)

[@TheColCollective]

+Ilina Popova The Bonette is such a special climb, you won't be disappointed. Happy New Year! Mike

[@ilinapopova5759]

+The Col Collective Thank you Mike! I wish you as many kms in 2016 as Strava allows, go as fast uphill as Froome and as fast downhill as Sagan on Col de Manse, and, of course, exploring new mountaintops all around the world!

[@BGmorthens]

Great! Watching it from Sofia, Bulgaria and want to climb it one day! :)

[@TheColCollective]

BGmorthens Happy to hear that! Enjoy!

[@milesdarrington6400]

Deifnitely doing this one this summer. Nice-Bonette-Nice in a day 250km round trip

[@TheColCollective]

+Miles Darrington Go BIG!!!

[@ercangulpnar2566]

👍👍👍👍😀

[@RobBastien]

Hey Mike, another excellent video. For future videos, would you consider mentioning your wattage, effort, etc. on the steep parts?

[@TheColCollective]

***** Hi Rob, it's a great point. At the moment I don't use a power meter. I found I was looking at the little box on my handlebars too much and not at the surroundings I was lucky enough to be passing through. Maybe I'll address that in the future. From past experience I'd estimate the sustained wattage to be between 250 and 330 approximately (higher if there's a particularly short and steep ramp). Hope that helps. All the best, Mike

[@mattmont5700]

I climbed this side of the Bonette this summer, starting from Vinadio and climbing first the Colle della Lombarda and Col de Larche as the last climb. A fantastic ride, enchanting places. The music in the video at the beginning what is it called? There is very good with the images! Greetings from Italy

[@brentmccord9821]

Great video again Mike! Is this rare to have so little traffic on these climbs? I saw no other cyclist, and maybe spied 2 vehicles. To me... perfect!

[@TheColCollective]

Brent McCord Hi Brent, it really all depends on the climb. The Bonette from the south is much quieter than the north. Alpe d'Huez, Ventoux, Stelvio (e.g. the big guns) are generally very busy with cars and bikes as are the Dolomites in the summer. To avoid the traffic as much as possible it's best to try and ride out of season, or very early / late in the day. Smaller, less well known or slightly out of the way climbs are a lot quieter, sometimes we're the only ones on the mountain which is just perfect :-)

[@brentmccord9821]

Thanks for the great information Mike! Sounds like bliss having it all to yourself!

[@sZeBraa]

Inspiration ;)

[@steveharris3653]

brilliant as ever.. hope to tackle it this Sunday- the road looks empty of motorbikes and Porches!?

[@Nutzername3866734986]

Another great video, thank you for that. How about some swiss climbs? For example the Col du Sanetsch or the Lago del Narèt. That would be awesome.

[@TheColCollective]

Nutzername3866734986 Absolutely, we're hoping to visit some Swiss mountains in the future. Thanks for the tips, very much appreciated! Mike

[@weerawarakul1817]

sooo loveeee dis ^_^

[@danwoodman00]

Amazing video as always, Mike. One question - are you willing to share your shooting dates for the videos? I'm curious because I would believe that the waterfalls would be running stronger in the spring and early summer rather than in August or September. Depending on when you have gone, and what you see, it helps with some "follow in the footsteps" travel planning. What do you think?

[@rellimnitsujgmail]

Is it possible to do a loop from Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée and either ascend / descend the other little road that passes by Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage?

[@lvdbos]

Great video as always! Anyone knows the First song?

[@jonathantaff3007]

Hi Mike, thanks for the great uploads and the effort. Could you tell me around what time you begin your rides and the months? Thanks

[@robc6220]

What time of year was this filmed do you remember? Planning on doing this from Nice at the end of October which should make it interesting to pack for.

[@leedorney]

Soo very nice.. Tho I wonder Mike, do you like the Ups or Downs more ?? 😎

[@TheColCollective]

lee a dorney Ooh, tough choice. I think both compliment each other perfectly. Dig deep on the way up, let it flow on the way down! :-)

[@albertocontador2911]

+The Col Collective You are the worst cyclist of all time !

[@leedorney]

Eddy Merckx der Beste That's really funny, seriously! now grow up fast and come back when you can make sense of life!

[@kevinsmall3336]

Robert Miller 1993 enough said

[@NielsHeldens]

5:37 if you like South Park look at the left wall. enjoy

[@albertocontador2911]

My name is ETIENNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@perwiratempur]

Mike, anyway for you to share your bike setup and details?

[@TheColCollective]

perwiratempur Absolutely! I posted some details of the bike spec over at mikecotty.co.uk/portfolio-items/road-mont-blanc-bike-prep-tech/?portfolioID=40. The only main difference is the wheels (I've been using the CC40 clincher from Mavic). If you need any specifics let me know. Stay well. Mike

[@TurkiyeCumhurbaskani]

Mike after riding all these beautiful scenic mountains riding in a city environment or on the flat roads must feel really boring for you.

[@TheColCollective]

***** Well I live in flat part of the world, it's actually quite nice to roll along again after riding in the mountains. I think it makes the next visit feel even more special! :-)