What is OCD Cycloclimbing?

• OCD Cycloclimbing is a club for cyclists who enjoy visiting high places by bicycle
• It is run separately from the Ordre des Cols Durs (OCD) in France, although links are maintained
• The emphasis is on the European Alps and Pyrenees but the field of interest also includes the mountainous areas in the UK and the rest of the world, such as the Rockies and the Himalayas
• The OCD Cycloclimbing's main asset is a large collection of data concerning all the worthwhile passes in the various touring areas which the members visit each year. The (printed) information in our guides is aimed at helping Members to plan their tours flexibly on the best possible routes. Thus the guides include sketch maps as an invaluable aid in planning tours so that you make best use of limited time. Other details include: height, road surfaces, difficulty, traffic levels, tunnels and possible new construction. Campsites and hotels are recorded if recommended by Members in the past 10 years or so. There are also subjective opinions about scenic merit and difficulty, and hints about any unusual hazards. These 'Pass Guides' are kept up to date thanks to a continual stream of feedback from Cycloclimbing members who visit mountainous areas
• The Pass Guides are concerned mostly with tarmac roads, but they do acknowledge some of the best rough crossings as well, and links are maintained with the Rough-Stuff Fellowship: the OCD Cycloclimbing and RSF combine to produce Guides for rough passes in the Alps, with useful information about the degree of difficulty, and feasibility at various seasons of the year.
  • Answer to a FAQ: our guides do not cater for the specialist interest of those who like to look at detailed gradient profiles. You will find links in our "Web Information" pages to such information, for instance "Altigraph" publish the best known profile guides for France - see under "France" in our links

As announced in the Spring 2004 Magazine (No. 100), Brendan Rowland has done an enormous amount of work revising the guide to the West Pyrenees and putting it online. At present, the guide is available to all; please send any comments to the Secretary.

Hodology

Alan Kind, editor of Byway and Bridleway, has recently sent a link to his website, which includes "A Compendium of High Roads and Road Passes in Great Britain" which will certainly be of interest to members. The introduction to the first part includes the criteria he has used in making the list, which has a strong emphasis on the historical origins of many of these routes. It's a fascinating browse. Alan would welcome any comments and any additional photographs of routes in the compendium. I have also made a summary of the routes.

Current Magazine

	Issue 106 - Spring/Summer 2008
	Club Stuff
	Cards and Correspondence
	Triplet on the Moors - Peter Hinton
	Col de Castillon - John Gilchrist
	Cycling in the Alps - Malcolm Clark
	A month in the country: France in June - Gerald Cowham
	Claims

This page was originally written by Francis Cooke and his kind help is acknowledged.

Copyright OCD Cycloclimbing.