The Col du Glandon is one of the most beautiful climbs in all of the French Alps. From the tree-lined start to the open-top hairpin heaven finish, it’s quiet and peaceful and gets you so close to nature you can taste it. Traffic is almost non-existent. The sound of rushing water and bird song fills the air. There are no ski stations to speak of. No ski lifts litter the landscape, no restaurants or delivery trucks. They are all kept well away over the other side of the mountain. Just one wooden hut at the top selling coffee and cake.

The Glandon starts in Saint Étienne-de Cuines, just opposite the road leading to the Col de la Madeleine. Once clear of the town, you’re very much left to your own devices, just you, the road, the birds and the bees, and the river. The occasional bird of prey and a few sheep, the odd cow. The road meanders back and forth across the valley without a care in the world. Before deciding it’s time to head up through the clouds onto the lush green summer pastures into a playground above the tree line. Once over the top, the road meets up with the Col de la Croix de Fer in a cycling paradise on what feels like the roof of the world. To ride up here is nothing less than a gift, a privilege. Of course, it may not feel like that at the time.