Col de la Bonette

So, are you looking for the ultimate summit kick for your tires? Then forget the Stelvio Pass for a moment – we're talking about the Col de la Bonette now. This isn't just any pass; it's the "Roof Terrace of the Alps" with a healthy dose of French grandeur. The "Cheating Summit" at 2,802 meters The French are known for their pride, and they've given the Bonette a little boost. The actual pass (Col de la Bonette) is "only" at 2,715 m. But because that wasn't enough for the title "Highest Road in Europe," they simply paved an additional loop around the summit, the Cime de la Bonette. Boom – 2,802 meters! This effortlessly beats the Stelvio Pass (2,757 m) and the Col de l’Iseran (2,764 m). While the Ötztal Glacier Road scratches even higher into the sky, it's a dead end. The Bonette is a true through-road, a "Boulevard of Giants." The Route: From Jausiers into the "Void" You have a choice of two sides, and both are a poem for your lean angle sensor: The North Ramp (from Jausiers): 24 kilometers of pure bliss. You start in lush greenery and spiral ever higher until the trees surrender. Here, the road narrows, the asphalt gets rougher, and the marmots by the roadside watch you carve through the 48 hairpins (total over the entire stretch). The South Ramp (from Saint Étienne de Tinée): This side gets wilder. You'll ride past the ruins of Camp des Fourches, an abandoned military village that looks like the set for an Alpine Western. Why you have to go up there The panorama at the top of the Cime is a 360-degree slap for your senses. On a clear day, you can see almost all the way to the Mediterranean. The landscape above the tree line is a lunar landscape of dark slate – surreal, barren, and absolutely stunning. A little insider tip: The air up there has about 30% less oxygen. If your bike still has carburetors, it might get a bit asthmatic at the top. But don't worry, you'll feel the same way if you try to sprint the last few meters to the viewpoint (2,860 m) on foot. Better leave your helmet on the bike and take it easy.