If life is a road, you might consider a road less travelled. One with a view to die for, with smooth curves and bends continuously changing the perspective. challenging, even demanding, but in a way that leaves you stronger. The company is good, as is the cafe at the top. Wall-to-wall sunshine can be too much of a good thing, so throw in some

Having successfully established the Tour de France in 1903 and introduced mountain stages in 1920, Henri Desgrange and his team continued to look for ways to innovate and promote what had become a big hit with the increased readership of the L’Auto newspaper. 

The Col du Galibier is a climb that makes your heart beat a little faster even before you turn the pedals. At 2,642 metres, it’s the giant of the Alps - high, exposed, and legendary in Tour de France history. From a cyclist’s point of view, it’s both awe-inspiring and humbling.

The Cinglés du Mont Ventoux is the ultimate endurance rite of passage for cyclists on the Giant of Provence, Mont Ventoux. “Cinglés” translates to the crazies—and the name is fitting. The challenge requires climbing Mont Ventoux three times in a 24-hour period, each from a different side: Bédoin, Malaucène, and Sault.

The Col de la Colombière (1,613m) is one of those climbs that feels like a proper Alpine experience—never the longest, never the steepest, but full of character and variation that keeps you on your toes.

The Col du Tourmalet is the kind of climb that’s as much about mental strength as physical power. At 2,115 meters, it’s the highest paved mountain pass in the French Pyrenees and one of the most iconic ascents in Tour de France history.

Three-quarters of the way up the last of 14 climbs on this sportive from hell, slumped against a low wall, like a mortally wounded soldier, taking his final few desperate breaths, lay an exhausted, fallen cyclist. 

The mountains are calling, from the cloud-covered tops of the Col d'Aubisque to the hairpin bends of the Passo Stelvio. They get me out of bed every morning and keep me working late into the night.

The Call of the Wild is a limited edition collection of black and white duotone fine art cycling photography prints celebrating the wild and beautiful places many of us are inspired to reach for.