******************************************************************************************** BIG’s News Letter 2007_04 (English Version) ******************************************************************************************** Introduction: During holidays the BIG challenge is both dead and alive. Dead as there is not much work done on the challenge itself and alive as members cycle throughout Europe or even outside Europe to increase their number of BIGs. It’s a nice contradiction. But now we are back and then we’re like a racing car increasing from 0 to full speed in seconds. And so we are able to produce a new newsletter on such short notice after the summer holiday. Now get ready yourself to get up to speed about all what’s happening in our BIG challenge. Read on! Chapters of this newsletter 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

TOP5 BIG news. 2007 Results. The BIG is online! About a BIG. Please Join! Conclusion.

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1. TOP5 BIG news. TOP 1: Zone 6 is alive! Our zone 6 (Spain + Portugal) is alive. A new challenge is born in Spain, a kind of small BIG inside the country, with a list of the best Spanish climbs (581 climbs are currently listed) to ride during your whole life. The challenge is called CIMA and is well activated: http://www.altimetrias.net/cima/index.asp. Just next to this country, Portugal has now a member inside our challenge with João Lourenço and his cycling website: http://pwp.netcabo.pt/joao.al. TOP 2: Pictures throughout the BIGs Summer has been full of our climbs and now autumn will be full of our souvenirs. Already, some pictures have been sent to us «throughout» the European BIGs. The BIG has decided to show the last ones in a small page of maximum 5 pictures in http://danielgobert.free.fr/actuphotos/actu-photos.htm . These pictures will not stay a long time there. It will be interesting for you to have often a look at this page to have a large view of the pictures sent. Don’t hesitate to send us your BEST pictures about your last holidays (only one, please). Some pictures about a forbidden cobbled climb in Poland called Snieszka (Šnežka) are also available at http://www.podjazdy.ovh.org/sniezka1.html : it’s enthusiastic and uncredible…but sorry, forbidden.

TOP 3: Holidays, holidays,… Plenty of you have spent holidays and will send us their new claims. But some of you present their travel before in websites, blogs or webpages: • • • • •

Claudiu Moga had special circumstances in http://danielgobert.free.fr/formulaires/romania.htm for climbing in 6 countries. Martin Kool shows his Great-Britain-zone 2 in http://www.geocities.com/martinkool/2007Schotland.html Olivier Dupeyroux has finished all the 75 BIGs of the zone 7 and shows and will show them in http://panneauxcols.free.fr. Ard Oostra has travelled in central Italy and sent us road-signs that you can see at http://bigascensions.free.fr/panneaux/panneaux-tablmat.htm Gyorgyi Domonkos has ridden in the Benelux, promising some texts for the annual review.

TOP 4: BIG’s members are writers Well known members in our challenge like André Tignon (Nous les cyclos), Alberto Ferraris (Ediciclo, Passi e valli), José Bruffaerts (public writer), Daniel Gobert (Les cols de la vie, Cotacol), Georges Rossini (Ediciclo, Cols d’Italia), Luc Oteman (Fietsen in Ierland, Portugal,…) have already written some official books sold in good bookshops. Now, it’s Marc Peeters (The Netherlands) who is coming with a new official book about our activity: By the end of September a book appears of his hand with bicycle tales, at publisher book plan (to see www.boekenplan.nl). Title: Price: Appears: Author: ISBN: Format: Scope: Content:

I cycle, therefore I am. 19.00 Euro's and 2.20 Euro to send the book. 25th September 2007. Marc Peeters 978.90.8666.033.9 13.5 x 21.5 cm 250 pages, paperback, illustrated. Marc Peeters. A true biker. In this book he reports his experiences in the form of 52 travel stories. The tales have been classified to the following headings: • • • • • •

Meetings (with colored characters) Mountains (concerning heroïek) Misery (Bikers sorrow) Exotica (distant travel) Sport (Notes about the races) Political (From the world of the bike associations)

These different topics have been written in an amusing, catching and passionate style with much humor.

Important note: The book is written in Dutch!

TOP 5: Last changes and the definite official list of 1.000 As announced very often already, our basic list of 1.000 will suffer its last great changes at the end of this year. The GIOs will vote about the possibility to change some small zones like this http://danielgobert.free.fr/changes/ch2007.htm for Portugal, Italy, Hungary and Ex-Yougoslavia. For deleting Turkey, six suggestions appeared like this http://danielgobert.free.fr/changes/ch2007-2.htm. After those votes, the possibilities to change one BIG in the list will be very hard and with extremely precise criterias. The GIOs will analyze them longly, one by one. The list will have a BIG stability. If you want to suggest a change, see our rules. But, above all, that means that we’ll have a great good list, on which we’ll be able to work inside, to get the datas better, to show in a better way all their characteristics, to edit a good book «Passacol» useful for a long time. It was a long way, but we’ll be proud to show the result soon.

2. 2007 Results. Between the 1st of September and the 31st of December 2007, all the members of the BIG challenge will be allowed to send their 2007-claims through the official BIG website. Attention: Send in your results only once in case you are certain not to climb another BIG during the 2007 season. To do this, please go to the left column of the BIG's website home page (http://users.swing.be/danielgobert) and click on the link called «resultats-2007-claims ». You'll reach a page showing 4 links on the top, one counter for the number of forms sent and a listing of the members colored according to the fact that they have or have not sent their results for this present season. The first link will invite you to fill the official form for your 2007-claims. You'll follow the instructions and note your characteristics and 2007-claims. You may choose between being a simple subscribed-member (0 ? - simply your name and claims in the BIG's classifications or being a registered member (10 ? - name and claims in the classifications + reception at home of the annual review in March 2008 + eventual diplomas). If you can't send the form by this way, please copy what you've written and send it directly to mailto:[email protected] Important note:

If you haven't climbed any new BIGs during this year or if you are a very new member just having sent your listing a few weeks ago, please, fill the form by writing « 0 » in the numbers claimed.

The second link will give you the updated classification based on the previous ranking plus the new claims sent for the year 2007. The third link will give you, just like the year before, for each member, the listing of his 2006claims with the countries of those BIGs. The fourth and last link will give you some statistics just like the average number of claims per person, the datas per country or the top20 of the members for the present 2007 season.

3. The BIG is online! This is a new chapter that we will see occuring in the coming news letters. We will highlight in this chapters websites of BIG members. The first website that kicks off this new chapter is one of a rather new member: Bas WOLFS (BIG member 580). You can find his page on: http://www.kuitenbijters.com/ The main part of the website’s address gives away what the website is all about. The Dutch word «Kuitenbijter» can be translated into «Calfsbiter». Do you get the picture? The site is strongly related to what I wrote in last newsletter’s introduction part: The terrible slopes with high gradients. And to be more precise, the terrible slopes with high gradients in the Wallonic parts of the Ardennes region in Belgium. I.e. BIGs 118 up to 137 (http://danielgobert.free.fr/carte/wallonie-map-bigs.htm). But also numerous other tough climbs that due to our restriction of 1,000 climbs in our list did not make it into the Passacol. These other ascents can be found in the Encyclopedia Cotacol for instance or just visit’s Bas’ website to see what ascents are there: http://www.kuitenbijters.com/ Bas invites you to join the discussions on the different ascents, to to indicate what you find the most beautiful or toughest climb in this region. Stories from all our members about these climbs are welcome. It doesn’t matter what language they are written in as we all share the same pain to master these monsters. And that’s exactly what the site is about. I’ve tried to have translate the intorduction part of the website for you: Welcom to Kuitenbijters.com Written by Bas Wolfs Tuesday 20th of March 2007

The Cotacol, the pain and asceticism of the climb. These pages are not about carbon frames and not about teflon chainspray. You will not find any information on the newest Shimano equipment nor that of Bianchi. These pages are in fact not even about cycling….. they are about suffereing ón the bike. The authentic suffering in it’s last, naked appearance, the bicycle, the foot, the summit… and the pain that seperates us from it. The modern suffering has it’s roots in romance. The same romance that in it’s most profound appearance, paves the Wallon roads. The Walloon slopes, besung by the Cotacol, despised by the commuter, and defied by the those with thirst for reflection. Sometimes in search of reflection, sometimes for praise, but in general in search of pain. The asceticism of the climb and the light that shines from the top, glimmering from the canted horizon. Never alone but always solitary….. Eijsden, Maart 2007

Well, my translation doesn’t do just to the writing style that Bas and others use to describe the climbs so vivdly that you can almost see them lying there in front of you. In the next newsletter, I will highlight a few climbs that are listed on Bas’ website ) in the ‘About a BIG’ chapter (Thanks Bas, for granting permission that we are allowed to translate these texts) In this way you can enjoy the same feeling that I have when I read about the ascents on his website. A BIG smile on my face of recognition and fear that creeps into my guts because one day I want to take on the challenge myself and conquer the very same climbs as are listed on Bas’ website!

4. About a BIG. Jean Luc MATTE (member 330, Belgium, see his profile on the website: http://odupeyroux.free.fr/Fiches membres/m330mattejl.htm) likes sun but also snow-covered landscapes. This is why he is fond of cyclo-climbing at Easter, a period which offers according to him a good compromise between good road conditions and the opportunity to check “that the mountain is beautiful”.

His choice this year was Pas de Morgins (BIG 572) which marks the FranceSwitzerland border with a 1369 meters climax.

According to the selected slope, the climb is very different. French side, it starts from Adondance (930 meters high) for a very soft rise in the valley, called dranse of Abondance. Up to La Ville du Nant, it is almost a flat zone. To reach Chatel then, it is an average 4% slope. The last 4 kilometers from 5 to 7% with a maximum 8% passage are most demanding.

At the top a charming small lake awaits you.

The Swiss side, it is another challenge. The departure from Monthey (altitude 424 meters) makes a climb with a 945 meters difference of altitude in 16 kilometers. It is not surprising then that our committee classified this frontier climb in the list of our Swiss friends (Zone 7). The road rises as soon as you leave the city. From the Troistorrents junction starts the most beautiful part of the climb with a succession of 5 hairpins. The continuation is less winding with a pleasant passage in forest but the slope is still between 6 and 8% with a passage to 11%. The crossing of Morgins offers a breathing space but it needs a last effort to reach the pass. This effort will give you a new BIG quoted 728 europoints (only 293 on the French side). History of Tour de France may give you a better appreciation of the quality of this climb : we don’t inevitably remember that in 1988 Ludo Peeters crosses Pas de Morgins at the lead. In this rise Laurent Fignon and Jean-François Bernard gave ground to their opponents among which Fabio Parra, stage winner in Morzine and third of this Tour won by Pedro Delgado. On the other hand, nobody forgot this royal breakaway in 1985 with the yellow jersey Bernard Hinault and the best climber jersey Luis Herrera which started precisely in this pass located 60 kilometers from the finish. The Colombian climber won in Morzine but Bernard Hinault took the best benefits of this feat which enabled him to push back Greg Lemond 4 minutes late and thus to win his fifth and last Tour de France. For the quality of the landscapes, it is enough to refer to the Jean Luc’s photographs ! Text : Jean-Luc MATTE and François CANDAU, Illustrations: Jean-Luc MATTE

5. Please Join! What about that, the BIG has a forum now that you can join, So you are all invited to join the forum and the discussions on it. The forum is split into a number of topics: • • • •

Generalities Postings per language (Français, English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, German and Hungarian) Zones BIG Postings per zone, zones 01 up to zone 12. Remarks Postings on the Passacol, e.g missing or wrong data, and our dear challenge, what is fantastic and what is a pity in the challenge. Souvenirs & plans Postings on the souvenirs of your BIG-claims in the year 2007 and the plans we have for 2008. But also on hostels and campsites or other accomodations very useful for climbing many BIGs and last but not least, if you want to request something or an information ? it's here !

There are already some people who have noticed that we have a forum and who have posted some messages. Interested in their message? You want to post a message yourself? Or you want to join the discussion? Then go to:http://big-forum.forumsmotion.com/

6. BIG’s Jerseys. It’s been a long time since we have promoted the BIG’s jerseys. So long already that perhaps you did not even know that the BIG has it’s own jersey’s. If you have never seen them then visit our website to see how they look like: http://bigascensions.free.fr/maillotbig.htm Here’s what we still have in stock: 1. Summer's jersey. Short-sleeved, long zip, 3 backside pockets. 4 in XL and 3 in XXL are available. Action price: 30€ instead of 46€ as these are the last ones in stock. 2. Summer’s vest. Without sleeves, in waterstop (waterproof, windcheater, breathfull and washable in machine), 3 backside pockets 1 in S, 2 in L and 3 in XL are available. Action price: 40€ instead of 54€ as these are the last ones in stock. 3. Winter’s jacket. Winter thermic jackets, in waterstop and elasthany, 2 backside pockets, protection under the zip. 2 in XL and 3 in XXL are available. Action price: 65€ instead of 94€ as these are the last ones in stock.

7. Conclusion: Well, it’s again a lot of information in this newsletter. And hence a lot of work for the translators. A BIG thank you for them as they make that you can read the newsletter in your own language. To be continued….

Best regards, The newsletters team José CASAS-ARAGON François CANDAU Helmuth DEKKERS Daniel GOBERT Piero ROTA Nico STAES