Mont Vial from Pont Charles-Albert via Gilette

Done this climb with rain and lots of fog... In between, managed to catch a glimpse of the beautiful scenery. It should be a very nice climb in a beautiful setting, with a nice view of the Var valley. In terms of the climb itself, the first 18km are sedate, never really difficult and it cycles up nicely all the time. You pass the idyllic village of Gilette, definitely worth a stop for some nice photos. From km 18, when you leave the main road at the 'Mont Vial' sign and turn right (after the village of Revest-Les-Roches) the percentages rise to double digits. Very occasionally, the climb shows grace with a short stretch to catch your breath, but it continues to bite until the top. At the top, due to fog, I couldn't see anything of the surroundings, but I imagine it must be breathtaking on clear days. I will definitely come back again to experience that....

Mont Vial had been on my bucket list for over 7 years, because of the fantastic photos's of it I had seen on the cafe du cycliste website. In 2017, I planned to climb it too, however, I also had to return my rental bike on the same day and did not succeed in terms of time. I then finally climbed it in 2024, via Gilette. I had bike packing bags with me on the road bike, which made it a bit spicier to climb. Up to Gilette, however, the climb runs nice and smooth and you can keep a good pace. After Gilette, I found the gradient quite tough until the junction with the road from Bonson. After the villages of Revest and Tourette you reach the Col Saint Michel, this is not really signposted, but you can see as the road is flanked by 2 rock walls. After the Col Saint Michel, it's up and down a bit and you soon reach the turnoff to Mont Vial. Up to here, I was on the road for more than an hour anyway. I decided to temporarily leave my bike packing bags there at a bus shelter, in order to ride up the last heavy section as lightly as possible. And that is necessary, because in the last 6 km there are many stretches against 10％. Here, however, I can also really enjoy the views, which become increasingly beautiful. The hairpin bends here are really plastered against the steep mountainside and on the summit and way back you get to witness this wonderful view. In terms of views, this really is one of the most beautiful cols I have ever done. You can also really see all the way to the coast and on the other side to the highest peaks of the Mercantour.