Greatest cycling climbs #5 Alto de L’Angliru (Vuelta a España)

Alto de L'Angliru (Vuelta)

ALTO DE L’ANGLIRU

Location: Asturias, near La Vega-Riosa, Spain
Altitude: 1573 m
Length: 12.2 km
Vertical climb: 1245 m
Average gradient: 10.1 %
The steepest part, the Cueña les Cabres: 23.6 % (3 km from the summit) 

"Angliru starts off relatively easy - the average gradient on the first 5 km is 7.6 %, enough to hurt but well within the realms of rideable for a professional. The sixth kilometre is easy, flattening for a while and even descending for a short way. From then on, it gets tough. Very tough. The average gradient for the last 6 km is 13.1 %, beginning to stretch the boundaries of what can be done - but, as if that wasn't harsh enough, there's the Cueña les Cabres 3 km from the top with a gradient of 23.8 %."

http://cyclopunk.blogspot.com/2011/08/vuelta-espana-stage-15-preview.html

To be honest, Monte Zoncolan is brutal, but so is Alto de L’Angliru:

"We’re not animals and this is inhuman," David Millar cursed while refusing to cross the finish line in 2002.

"You go at 9 kilometers an hour. It's hell. There’s nothing remotely like it," said Roberto Heras, winner on the Angliru in 2002.

“What do they want? Blood? They ask us to stay clean and avoid doping and then they make the riders tackle this kind of barbarity,” said Vicente Belda, the manager of the Kelme team.

"Climbing the Angliru would have been impossible 20 years ago simply because the gears we used were too high. It's only advances in equipment that enable races to be taken up climbs like that now," said former British pro cyclist Graham Jones.

Prior to 1999, Alto de L’Angli (alternative name La Gamonal) was unknown among road cycling community. In 1996, Marcel Prieto (director of the ONCE team) explored the climb. He was impressed and introduced the climb to the Vuelta’s organization. At that time organizers were favoring the climb to Lagos de Covadonga which had been used several times since first inclusion in 1983 (and was last climbed in 2010). 

However, two years later the organizers of the Vuelta wanted a mountain to rival the Alpe d'Huez and Mont Ventoux in the Tour de France and the Mortirolo Pass and Monte Zoncolan in the Giro d'Italia, which would go on in 2003 to add one of the world's most demanding climbs, the Zoncolan, in an attempt to compete with the new Spanish climb. 

The Angliru was first included in 1999, on stage eight from León. José Maria Jiménez won after catching Pavel Tonkov a kilometer from the finish. He dedicated the win to Marco Pantani, disqualified from that year's Giro d'Italia, saying: "I dedicate it to Pantani by everything that he has suffered in this time."

In 2000, Gilberto Simoni won the stage at Angliru (all time fastest ascent time for Heras: 41'55''). 

In 2002, Roberto Heras won the stage:

In 2008, Alberto Contador won stage at Angliru finishing 42 seconds ahead of Alejandro Valverde and 58 seconds ahead of Joaquin Rodriguez. That year, the 10th place rider was three minutes back of Contador's winning time.

 

In 2011, Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins lost the overall lead of the Vuelta in Angliru. The climb proved to be too much for the Brit.

Juan Cose Cobo (Geox-TMC), who started the day in fourth overall 55 seconds behind Wiggins, took the stage and the leader's red jersey after a brilliant performance on the mountains slopes that ramp up to 24 %.

The Spaniard attacked with 6 km to go, and crossed the line 48 seconds ahead of Wout Poels (Vacansoleil-DCM), Denis Menchov (Geox-TMC) and Britain's Chris Froome. Wiggins finished 1'21" behind Cobo who won the Vuelta. Certainly, Alto de L'Angliru proved its cruelty.

Year	Winner of Angliru stage
1999	José Maria Jiménez (ESP)
2000	Gilberto Simoni (ITA)
2002	Roberto Heras (ESP)
2008	Alberto Contador (ESP)
2011	Juan José Cobo (ESP)

We will kill the Monte Zoncolan first. Alto de L'Angliru is next on the list. 

Col du Tourmalet in the Tour de France

Legendary Col du Tourmalet will appear again in 2012 Tour de France. It has been appeared in the Tour de France 81 times:

2011 – Jérémy Roy – France
2010 – Andy Schleck – Luxembourg
2010 – Christophe Moreau – France
2009 – Franco Pelizzotti – Italy
2008 – Rémy Di Gregorio – France
2006 – David de la Fuente – Spain
2003 – Sylvain Chavanel – France
2002 – Lance Armstrong – U.S.A. (La Mongie)
2001 – Sven Montgomery – Switzerland
1999 – Alberto Elli – Italy
1998 – Alberto Elli – Italy
1997 – Javier Pascual-Rodriguez – Spain
1995 – Richard Virenque – France
1994 – Richard Virenque – France
1993 – Tony Rominger – Switzerland
1991 – Claudio Chiappucci – Italy
1990 – Miguel Martinez-Torres – Spain
1989 – Robert Millar – Scotland
1988 – Laudelino Cubino – Spain
1986 – Dominique Arnaud – France
1985 – Pello Ruiz-Cabestany – Spain
1983 – Patrocinio Jimenez – Columbia
1980 – Raymond Martin – France
1978 – Michel Pollentier – Belgium
1977 – Lucien Van Impe – Belgium
1976 – Francisco Galdos – Spain
1975 – Lucien Van Impe – Belgium
1974-1 – Jean-Pierre Danguillaume (Stage Finish)
1974-2 – Gonzalo Aja – Spain
1973 – Bernard Thévénet – France
1972 – Roger Swerts – Belgium
1971 – Lucien Van Impe – Belgium
1970-1 – Bernard Thévenet – France (La Mongie)
1970-2 – Andres Gandarias – Spain
1969 – Eddy Merckx – Belgium
1968 – Jean-Pierre Ducasse – France
1967 – Julio Jimenez – Spain
1965 – Julio Jimenez – Spain
1964 – Julio Jimenez – Spain
1964 – F Bahamontes – Spain
1963 – F Bahamontes – Spain
1963 – Raymond Poulidor – France
1962 – Federico Bahamontes – Spain
1961 – Marcel Queheille – France
1960 – Kurt Gimmi – Switzerland
1959 – Armand Desmet – Belgium
1957 – José Da Silva – Portugal
1955 – Miguel Poblet – Spain
1954 – Federico Bahamontes – Spain
1953 – Jean Robic – France
1952 – Fausto Coppi – Italy
1951 – Bim Diederich – Luxembourg
1950 – Kléber Piot – France
1949 – Fausto Coppi – Italy
1948 – Jean Robic – France
1947 – Jean Robic – France
1939 – Edward Vissers – Belgium
1938 – Gino Bartali – Italy
1937 – Julian Berrendero – Spain
1936 – Sylvère Maes – Belgium
1935 – Sylvère Maes – Belgium
1934 – René Vietto – France
1933 – Vicente Trueba – Spain
1932 – Benoit Faure – Belgium
1931 – Joseph Demuysere – Belgium
1930 – Benoit Faure – France
1929 – Victor Fontan – France
1928 – Camille Van de Casteele – Belgium
1927 – Nicolas Frantz – Luxembourg
1926 – Odiel Taillieu – Belgium
1925 – Omer Huyse – Belgium
1924 – Ottavio Bottecchia – Italy
1923 – Robert Jacquinot – France
1921 – Hector Heusghem – Belgium
1920 – Firmin Lambot – Belgium
1919 – Honoré Barthélémy – France
1914 – Firmin Lambot – Belgium
1913 – Philippe Thys – Belgium
1912 – Odiel Defraye – Belgium
1911 – Paul Duboc – France
1910 – Octave Lapize – France

The Stelvio today...and the Stelvio in 1965!

Original at http://www.facebook.com/giroditalia

La Vuelta 2012

The route

Running from Saturday Agust 18th to Sunday September 9th 2012, the 67th Vuelta a España will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,300 kilometres. These stages have the following profiless:

• 6 flat stages
• 13 mountain stages
• 1 team time-trial stage
• 1 individual time-trial stage 

  

Distinctive aspects of the race

• 6 summit finishes
• 2 rest days
• 16 km team time-trial
• 40 km individual time-trial stage
• 37 mountain passes and hills 

Greatest cycling climbs #4 Mont Ventoux PART 2/2

Jussi Veikkanen, FDJ and Finland climbing
(photo: Touho Häkkinen)

The Mont Ventoux - Windy Mountain or Bald Mountain, if you wish - stands out above Provence plain landscape and the huge mountain is a point of reference for all around. On clear days one can even view the Mediterranean from the top.  Situated as last Alpine mountain ridge before the Rhône plain, the Mont Ventoux can be seen almost from everywhere in Provence. Its isolated position gives it a gigantic and dominating feature. In all directions youll have no higher peaks in the neighbourhood of the Mont Ventoux.

Many bikers know why it is called "Windy Mountain", the wind blows at 90+ km/h 240 days a year!












Mont Ventoux profile from Bedoin (ericbaes.jbridge.be)

Mont Ventoux is one of the toughest ascents in road cycling. The thing is, Mont Ventoux is chronic steep. From Bedoin the ascent begins with easy rolling and few percentages to grades of 9% to 11% throughout the rest of the climb. The difference to many other ascents: the climb is very constant.








Mont Ventoux has become legendary as the scene of the most gruelling climbs in the Tour de France history. The Tour has ascended the mountain fourteen times since 1951. The most recent TdF ascent of the Ventoux was won by Rabobank's Spanish climber Juan Manuel Gárate.

Lance Arsmstrong climbing Mont Ventoux 2009
(photo: Touho Häkkinen)

The race has finished at the summit of Mont Ventoux eight times:
1958 Charly Gaul  LUX
1965 Raymond Poulidor  FRA
1970 Eddy Merckx  BEL
1972 Bernard Thévenet  FRA
1987 Jean-François Bernard  FRA
2000 Marco Pantani  ITA
2002 Richard Virenque  FRA
2009 Juan Manuel Gárate  ESP

The race has also crossed the summit six times.
1951 Lucien Lazarides  FRA
1952 Jean Robic  FRA
1955 Louison Bobet  FRA
1967 Julio Jiménez  ESP
1974 Gonzalo Aja  ESP
1994 Eros Poli  ITA




Bobby Julich, special comment to ESPN.com:
"For me, the 18-kilometer climb up Mont Ventoux is like no other. You can see so much ahead of you on the road. You can see the riders up at the next turn, which can play mind games with yourself because you know it takes two more minutes for you to get to where those riders are. Plus, it's hard to tell if you're advancing or gaining time on those riders. Then you're over the tree line of the climb and you hit the lunar landscape. The last six kilometers are straight uphill and you are riding those last kilometers at a higher altitude, which is a factor. I was never a great altitude climber, so that's likely why I suffered so much. You assume you can keep a quick pace at altitude, but you can't push as many watts and you can't gain speed." (the American finished third overall in the 1998 Tour de France and won the Paris-Nice race in 2005)

Real old-timer at Mont Ventoux
(photo: Touho Häkkinen)

Every year there are amateur races to climb the mountain as quickly and often as possible in 24 hours, the "Ventoux Masterseries" and "Les Cinglés du Mont Ventoux". On May 16, 2006, Jean-Pascal Roux from Bédoin broke the record of climbs in 24 hours, with eleven climbs, all of them from Bédoin. Great respect from Team Zoncolan, Jean-Pascal!










Photo: Touho Häkkinen

The old man Oopee Z (photo) made this ascent in 2009, the day before Garate and other pro boys came to the mountain. "Let´s not talk about the time... The temperature was nearly 40° C. Before the open landscape the heat was terrible. The crowd was incredible, the media estimate was 500.000 people supporting and celebrating along the road! That was a real fight and the last hairpin less than 100 m from the top was nearly too much and I was wiggling like a teen-age-boy in front of the girls."

CLICK HERE TO see our article Mont Ventoux Part 1.

Just before Mont Ventoux climb, see the temperature!
(photo: Touho Häkkinen)

Greatest cycling climbs #4 Mont Ventoux PART 1/2

The Bald Mountain rules the landscape (photo: Touho Häkkinen).


MONT VENTOUX
Location: Vaucluse, Provence , France
Altitude: 1909 m
Length from Bedoin: 21,8 km
Vertical climb from Bedoin: 1611 m
Average gradient 7,5 %
Steepest kilometer gradient 10,5 % (between 8-9 km)



The legendary destination for road cyclists, Mont Ventoux (Ventour in Provençal), is a mountain in the Provence region in southern France, located some 20 km northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald Mountain".

Venteux means windy in French and the mountain can get very windy on the top part, especially with the mistral. Incredible wnd speeds as high as 320 km/h (200 mph) have been recorded. Mont Ventoux, although geologically part of the Alps, is often considered to be separate from them, due to the lack of mountains of a similar height nearby.

 

The real fight from Bedoin starts here
(photo: Touho Häkkinen).

The Bald Mountain can be climbed by bike by three routes:

1) The climb from south, from Bédoin to Mont Ventoux, one of the toughest in professional cycling: 1617 m vertical climb over 21.8 km. This is the most famous and difficult ascent. The road to the summit has an average gradient of 7.43%. Until Saint-Estève, the climb is easy: 3.9% over 5.8 km, but the 16 remaining kilometres have an average gradient of 8.9%. The last kilometres may have strong, violent winds. The ride takes 1.30 h - 2.30 h for trained amateur riders, and for professional riders take 1.00 h - 1.15 h. The fastest time so far recorded has been that of Iban Mayo in the individual climbing time trial of the 2004 Dauphiné Libéré: 55:51. The time was measured from Bédoin for the first time in the 1958 TdF when Charly Gaul was the fastest at 1:02:09.

2) The climb from northwest, from Malaucène: 1570 m vertical climb over 21.5 km is almosta equal in difficulty as the Bédoin ascent - but this side is much better covered from the wind.

3) The climb from east, from Sault: 1210 m vertical climb over 26 km. This is the easiest route up to Mont Ventoux. After Chalet Reynard (where the open "lunar landscape" starts) the climb is the same as the Bédoin ascent. here the average gradient is 4.4%.

The figure for the average gradients per kilometre can be found in many books and websites. The average gradient of the total climb and also the average gradients per kilometre differ slightly, depending on the source of the information. Accurate measurements from Bedoin side have resulted in an average gradient for the total climb of 7.43 %, based on a horizontal distance of 21765 metres and an ascent height of 1617 metres. The actual distance ridden is 21825 metres.

The mountain achieved worldwide notoriety when it claimed the life of British cyclist Tom Simpson, who died here in 1967 from heat exhaustion caused by a combination of factors including dehydration (caused by lack of fluid intake and diarrhea), amphetamines, and alcohol - although there is still speculation as to the exact cause of his death. He began to wildly weave across the road before he fell down. He was delirious and asked spectators to put him back on the bike, which he rode to within a half mile of the summit before collapsing dead, still clipped into his pedals. Amphetamines were found in his jersey and bloodstream. There is a memorial to Simpson near the summit which has become a shrine to fans of cycling, who often leave small tokens of remembrance there.

In 1970, even the great Eddy Merckx rode himself to the brink of collapse while winning the stage. He received oxygen, he recovered, and he won the Tour.

Also see our article Mont Ventoux Part 2.

You can not miss the starting point in Bedoin (photo: Touho Häkkinen).

Cyclist Card #5 Julio Jiménez

Julio Jiménez

Julio Jiménez was born in Ávila, Spain, 28 October 28, 1934.

Before he turned professional Jimenez repaired watches in Avila, Spain. Thus, he was nicknamed El Relojero de Avila - ‘The Watchmaker of  Ávila.’

During his racing career, Jimenez captured six King of the Mountains jerseys - 3 in Vuelta a España and 3 in Tour de France.

Vuelta a España

1963 King of the Mountains
1964 King of the Mountains
1965 King of the Mountains

Tour de France

1965 Mountains classification
1966 Mountains classification
1967 Mountains classification

As we all know, Col du Tourmalet is one of the greatest climbs in the history of cycling. It has appeared 81 times in the Tour de France. Julio Jimenez won Col de Tourmalet stage three consecutive times:

1967 – Julio Jiménez – Spain
1965 – Julio Jiménez – Spain
1964 – Julio Jiménez – Spain

Altogether, Jiménez took 28 victories during his career, no less than 21 of them at summit finishes.

Greatest cycling climbs #3 Col d'Aubisque

Alberto Contador approaching Col d'Aubisque 2011, here at Col Soulor
(photo Touho Häkkinen)



Location: Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Aquitaine, France

Altitude: 1709 m

Length, Laruns side: 16600 m
Climb: 1190 m

Average gradient: 7.2 %

Steepest portion: 13 %

The Col d'Aubisque (Occitan: Còth d'Aubisca) is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees 30 km south of Tarbes and Pau. Together with Col du Tourmalet, Col du Galibier, and Mont Ventoux, the Col d'Aubisque is one of the greatest legendary Tour de France climbs . Col d'Aubisque is the second most climbed Col in Tour de France history (72 times) after Col du Tourmalet (77 times)!

Col d'Aubisque profile Laruns side (www.velopeloton.com)

The heaviest climb to the Aubisque starts from west, in Laruns: 16.6 km with a vertical climb of 1190 m (average 7.2 %). The first km's finishing to the spa resort of Eaux-Bonnes, are easy. There is  a section at 13 % after the Cascade de Valentin comes . After that to the top the climb is 8 km at 8 % average, passing the ski resort of Gourette at 1400 m. The last 5 km:s are difficult.

From the east side, the Aubisque is much easier -  but it is climbed almost immediately after the tough Col de Soulor.




Col d'Aubisque appeared first time in the Tour de France in 1910. It was included in the TdF at the insistence of Alphone Steinès, a colleague of Henri Desgrange. Steinès had visited the man responsible for local roads, who said: "Take the riders up the Aubisque? You're completely crazy in Paris." In the Tour de France, the Col d'Aubisque has been climbed very frequently since then, almost every year.
 
Here some cool Col d'Aubisque highlights (http://www.podiumcafe.com/):

• In 1926, on the Aubisque stage, only 47 riders reached the finish town before midnight.  Suddenly a dozen or so riders surged into town together.  At the same moment an angry man approached the Tour General Secretary: "It's a scandal, the shame.  I took them in my bus and they haven't paid me." The Tour official quietly paid him. 
• Two time Tour champion, the Italian Ottavio Bottechia, or The Butcher of Frioul  (he also liked to sing while pedaling), was first over the col three times but abandoned on Aubisque in 1926.
• THIS IS TOUGH! Willem van Est (1923–2003) was a Dutch racing cyclist. He is best known for being the first Dutch cyclist to wear the Maillot Jaune in the Tour de France1951, but not less for falling into a ravine while wearing it. Van Est (nicknamed "le miraculé de l'Aubisque") fell of the cliff entering the cirque du litor, while descending Aubisque. Due to a flat tyre (according to himself), he slipped away and fell into a 70 m deep ravine! Miraculously, he survived the fall and had no serious injuries. Using a chain of tyres, and helped by spectators and his manager, he managed to get back to the road. Van Est wanted to continue, but was persuaded to go to the hospital.
• During his career, The Eagle of Toledo, Frederico Bahamontes, crossed Aubisque in front a record four times.
• In 1969 the great Eddie Merckx, while in yellow, had a 12 minute lead at the foot of Aubisque.  He suffered a rare défaillance, but still managed to catty home a seven minute victory on the way his first ever Tour victory.
• Sean Kelly was dressed yellow only once in the Tour de France.  In 1983, he wore it and lost it during the Aubisque stage.
• Until now, the only mountain top finishes at Aubisque were won by Stephen Roche in 1985, and the Danish ballroom dancer Rasmussen, in 2007.



Z climbing Col d'Aubisque 2010 (photo: Touho Häkkinen)

Legend - Tour de France

Le Tour De France

Legend - 1922 

1922, fierce battle between Belgian, French and Italian runners. Finally, Firmin LAMBOT (Belgium) picked up the yellow jersey. Robert JACQUINOT, man on the photo, was the leader during the first two stages, before knowing a difficult stage in Les Sables d'Olonne.

See more at Le Tour De France 

Team NetApp - Giro d'Italia trailer

They are like Team Monte Zoncolan:

"They are unknown
They are dedicated
They are brave
Fighting for their dream
Ignoring hours of pain
Giving it all to embrace the single chance
Just for the perfect moment
The moment of triumph
They are following a demanding road
Lined with unforeseen challenges
But they will not give up
And we will all be proud of their achievements
Competing at the toughest race in the world
The Giro d'Italia

This is our story told
This is our moment

Against all odds."

About Team NetApp: http://www.teamnetapp.com

Greatest cycling climbs #2 Passo del Mortirolo

Passo del Mortirolo in May 2013

We should have done the Passa di Gavia from Ponte di Legno, but there was 6.5 m snow on the summit and the whole stage was cancelled. That happened only third time in the history of the Giro!

Some redwine and relaxing in Ponte. The new plan was to hit the Mortirolo instead.

It was a mixed moring in May 2013 when we attacked the notorious Passo del Mortirolo. We parked the autocamper in Mazzo di Valtellina and rolled the few kilometres to Tovo di Sant Agata, the little village from where the Giro started this climb in 2012.

The climb started without mercy. Nothing comes for free. The weather changed continuously, after some hundred meters vertical ascent there was all of suddenly fog, rain and cold, then sun, and finally rain and snow. The climb is bad. Very high up there is a nice "flat part", but generally this ascent surely is one of the heaviest we have done. To make is nicer, take many different clothes with you to Mortirolo!



Oopee Z strtuggling in the early phase of the climb
(photo: Joni Z)

Joni Z and liitle smile on the top of Mortirolo (photo: Masa Z)

The Mortirolo in 2012 Giro: gazzetta.it

Passo del Mortirolo (Mortirolo Pass) (el. 1852 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Italian Alps.

The road from Mazzo di Valtellina is one of the most demanding climbs in professional road cycling racing. It has been featured in Giro d'Italia 10 times.

The first time was in Stage 15 of 1990 Giro d'Italia, between Morbegno and Aprica. The mountain pass can be climbed by many roads, although the one from Mazzo di Valtellina is the most famous and the only one climbed in Giro d'Italia so far.

The actual climb is 12.8 kilometers long at an average of 10.5% (height gain: 1317 m), the maximum gradient being 18%.

Passo del Mortirolo will appear again in 2012 Giro. From Tovo di Sant’Agata a very different ascent of the Mortirolo will begin (11.4 km with an average gradient of 10.4% and a maximum of 21%), arriving at 1718 meters, not far from the Mortirolo pass.

Since Marco Pantani died in early 2004, stages of the Giro that go over Mortirolo feature a special prize to the first man at the top of the pass called Cima Pantani. A monument to deceased Marco Pantani was erected in 2006 by the Italian Professional Riders Association in the eighth kilometer of the road from Mazzo di Valtellina.

Marco Panntani Memorial monument at Mortirolo (photo Joni Zoncolan)

First rider passing Passo del Mortirolo in Giro d'Italia

Year	Name	Country	Stage	Side
1990	Leonardo Sierra	Venezuela	17	Mazzo di Valtellina
1991	Franco Chioccioli	Italy	15	Mazzo di Valtellina
1994	Marco Pantani	Italy	15	Mazzo di Valtellina
1996	Ivan Gotti	Italy	21	Mazzo di Valtellina
1997	Wladimir Belli	Italy	21	Mazzo di Valtellina
1999	Ivan Gotti	Italy	21	Mazzo di Valtellina
2004	Raffaele Illiano	Italy	19	Mazzo di Valtellina
2006	Ivan Basso	Italy	20	Mazzo di Valtellina
2008	Toni Colom	Spain	20	Mazzo di Valtellina
2010	Ivan Basso	Italy	19	Mazzo di Valtellina

Eddy Merckx inducted into the Giro d'Italia Hall of Fame

Eddy Merckx 1973 (wikipedia.org)

Milan, March 15, 2012 – Eddy Merckx has been inducted as the first member of the Giro d’Italia Hall of Fame in a special ceremony in Milan.

Merckx was presented the Giro d’Italia Hall of Fame trophy for 1974, the year of his final Giro d’Italia victory.

Merckx was known as the ‘Cannibal’ for his voracity and determination when racing but was a true gentleman off the bike and has remained friends with many of his former rivals.

Merckx is rightly considered as the most successful rider of all time. He won his first Giro d’Italia at the age of 22, won a total of 25 Giro stages, wore the race leader’s pink jersey for 78 days and lead the 1973 Giro d’Italia from start to finish. He won the Giro d’Italia for a total of five times: in 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973 and 1974.


“Being the first person in the Giro d’Italia Hall of Fame is a great honour for me. I consider Italy my second home. I’m loved as much in Italy as I am in Belgium. I have a lot of fans here and that’s very special for me” Merckx said.

See more: http://www.gazzetta.it

Maillot à pois rouges

The polka dot jersey

The polka dot Jersey is worn by the best climber in the Tour de France. Points for best climber classification are awarded at the top of any classified slope.

The Mountains classification is a secondary classification in the Tour deFrance.

The leader of the classification is named the "King of the Mountains", and since 1975 wears the polka dot jersey (French: maillot à pois rouges), a white jersey with red dots.

Since 1905, the organising newspaper l'Auto named one cyclist of the Tour de France the meilleur grimpeur (best climber). Although the best climber was first recognised in 1933, the distinctive jersey was not introduced until 1975. The colours were decided by the then sponsor, Poulain Chocolate or Chocolat Poulain, whose chocolate bars were covered in a polka dot wrapper. 

Currently the jersey is sponsored by Carrefour supermarkets, which has sponsored the jersey since 1993, initially under the Champion brand, it switched to the main Carrefour brand for the 2009 edition of the Tour.

The points that are gained by consecutive riders reaching a mountain top are distributed according to the following classification:

Point Distribution Grid as of 2011
	4C	3C	2C	1C	HC
1st rider	1	2	5	10	20
2nd rider		1	3	8	16
3rd rider			2	6	12
4th rider			1	4	8
5th rider				2	4
6th rider				1	2

Since 2004, points scored on the final climb of the day have been doubled where that climb was at least a second category climb.

Jersey puntos azules

The mountains classification in the Vuelta a España was established in 1935, when it was won by Italian Edoardo Molinar.

Until 2005 the leader in the mountain classification wore a green jersey. Followed by an orange jersey in years 2006-2009.

As of 2010, the leader of the mountains classification is awarded a white jersey with blue dots.The mountains jersey is third in the rankings of jerseys, behind the jersey for the general classification and points classification in the Vuelta a España but before the combination classification.

David Moncoutié wearing blue polka dot jersey (http://www.lavuelta.com)

Cyclist card #4 Gilberto Simoni

2007 Giro: Simoni and Piepoli on Zoncolan (http://www.cyclingnews.com)

Gilberto Simoni was born in Palù di Giovo, Trentino, Italy, 25 August, 1971. He is two-time Giro d'Italia winner. He also holding the fastest time at Monte Zoncolan climb: impressive 39min 05sek. In my opinion, that is a record that will last forever.  

Simoni confirmed his potential as a road cyclist in 1993, when he won Girobio (also known as Baby Giro), which is the most important race on Italy's amateur calendar and it is considered the amateur version of the Giro d'Italia.

The list of Girobio winners is impressive. It includes great riders like Francesco Moser, Marco Pantani, Gilberto Simoni, Leonardo Piepoli and Danilo Di Luca.

Simoni turned professional in 1994 with the Jolly Componibili-Cage 1994 team. In 1997 Simoni won his first professional race. However, early years of his professional career were not filled with success. In 1998 he even had a short break from cycling and worked as a bicycle mechanic for 1984 Giro d'Italia winner Francesco Moser.

In 1999 Simoni joined the Ballan-Alessio team in 1999 and finished a surprising third on the general classification of that year's Giro d'Italia.

In 2001 Simoni took his first victory in Giro d'Italia. Following his Giro victory Simoni moved to the Saeco Macchine per Caffè-Longoni Sport team with the objective of repeating his Giro success of the previous year. 

In 2003, the Saeco team came to the Giro d'Italia with the only purpose of supporting Simoni to win the race. After impressive fights with Stefano Garzelli, Yaroslav Popovych and Marco Pantani in the high mountains in extremely challenging wheather conditions (hailstorms, etc.), Simoni cemented his second Giro d'Italia victory. 

In 2007 Giro d'Italia (stage 17) Gilberto Simoni takes his second victory on Monte Zoncolan. The 35-year-old Simoni crossed the line on the Monte Zoncolan ahead of team-mate Leonardo Piepoli to repeat his success of 2003, when the riders had come up the other side of the mountain.

The 2010 Giro d'Italia was the final race of his career. He finished 69th overall, 2:40:14 behind Ivan Basso. Simoni was characteristically frank about his last bid for glory, which emotionally saw him beaten in the sprint for the Cima Coppi KOM prize by the Swiss Johann Tschopp, at the summit of the Passo di Gavia in the second last Giro stage. Mobbed at the finish line by Italian media looking for one final quote from a rider who rarely hesitated to speak his mind, Simoni said:

"Perhaps if I'd played more of a bluffing game, I might have had something left for the finish but never mind. That's bike racing. I'm just glad the Giro is over. I've had enough now."

See more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilberto_Simoni