Dear members, In January 2017, we will publish our 3rd National Challenge NAT(A)CHA. After Hungary and Romania, we've chosen the Principality of Andorra, a very important place for mountain cycling. 25 climbs will be selected, insofar as any list of the Challenge is a multiple of 25: 75 in Hungary and 125 in Romania, for example. This multiple makes it possible to create a unit between the Challenges, while offering a certain flexibility in the choices. For Andorra, to date, we've already identified 23 candidates, according to the criteria which define our philosophy: 1- Geographical The best possible geographic coverage, within the limit of the topographic opportunities, to discover the totality of the national territory. 2- Sport The effort is part of our DNA, the Superlist cultivates it and the National Challenges maintain it. 3- Tourist compared to the BIG The National Challenges grant a more important and accepted place (the higher total amount of climbs allows it) to tourist sites, natural and cultural, sometimes even with no regard for the sport difficulty. An undetermined quota is allocated for them. 4- Media The 90 BIGS most declared by the members of our Association are all “media”, that means in link with professional cycling races and seen on television. The National Challenges dig this vein, while being interested in the national races, with climbs of the past and forgotten today popularized through the media, like with those of the future. 5- Road and Variety of the tops Asphalt as a priority. Some unpaved roads are welcome, provided that they are “rideable” (S1 category) and that they show an added value (sport, tourism, media) is to say real and worthy. Priority to the passes and itinerant cycling. The dead end roads interest us as far as they show an added value (same criteria as “Road”).
List of 23 : A- The 6 BIGS To reinforce the link between the Superlist and the National challenges, any climb BIG is included again in the national list: Arcalis (BIG436) Ordino (437) Els Cortals (438) Envalira (439) Headed (440) Rabassa (441) B- 17 new climbs meet the criteria defined in preamble: Ruta del Ferro-Sorteny (6615522) Touristic valley Arinsal (6436169) Resort Comes de Banyas/Collet dels Colls (La Massana) (6571076) Bucolic valley Coma de Ransol (6444845) Touristic valley Vall d'Incles (6448854) Touristic valley Els Plans (6444938) Above El Tarter Cami del Riu d'Urina (Canillo) (6457527) Overpass 25% El Forn Grandvalira Sector Canillo (6457548) Twin sister of Els Cortals (BIG) Col d'Anyós-Baixalís (6457557) Media pass (Tour de France 2016) Estany d'Engolasters (6457838) Mountain lake Els Vilars d' Engordany (6457893) New residential district Pic de Carroi (6459366) Insane climb La Comella (6459389) Media (Tour de France 2016) Certés (6459466) Perched village Aixás (6459549) Isolated hamlet Collada de la Gallina (6463365) Pass Mur de Salze (6595892) Cobbled and surfaced wall through a village You can consult the layout of these climbs on http://www.openrunner.com/. Type in the box «search» the reference number, which is above between brackets behind the name of the climb : 6432526 for Sosteny, for example.
C- Wanted notice The list is not yet fixed. There remains to us two numbers to be allotted. Candidates were
identified, but the current collected informations aren't clear enough. If you know them, or if you have the opportunity to pass by there, do not hesitate to contact us. Our priority would go to the three first: Telecadira Pi de Migdia, Carrer Major in Santa Coloma and Camí Ministeri de Salut I Benestar. Telecadira Pi de Migdia (El Tarter) Openrunner 6454173 On paper, it is very attracting, especially by its northern slope. It is an unpaved road with a very high gradient (elevation gain : 450m in 3km), but the layout of the two slopes resemble curiously two ski slopes, which lead to the first stage: «esquirol» for the northern slope and «gall of bosc» for the north-east.
Track on Openrunner
View on the track and on the resort El Tarter
Compare the tracks of « esquirol » and « gall de bosc » with the Openrunner route
View on the northern side («esquirol»)
Carrer Major (Santa Coloma) (Openrunner 6550536) The majority of the climbs of the Andorran list leave the valley. Some do not leave, but offer something else. Carrer Major has a triple interest: a very high gradient (on a very short distance, 200m with 11 and 16%), small cobblestones in a narrow lane in the middle of the «barri antic» (historic district) and the proximity of one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches of the Principality. Problem: the total elevation gain is very weak and the computation softwares give results which do not offer all the guarantees. This climb interests us much, but we would wish to have further information.
The church of Santa Coloma, dominated by Pic de Carroi (also in the list)
Camí Ministeri de Salut i Benestar (Andorra la Vella) (Openrunner 6570241) It is a shortcut path, urban in its foot and green in its top. The foot is stiff and rideable (see photo); the top in balcony (Rec del Solà) offers very beautiful views on the Valira Valley, but we miss information about the middle part of the climb.
Foot parallel to the staircase
Balcony of Rec del Solà
The idea is to reach Rec del Solà. The plan of the city indicates several paths («camí»), about which we would be happy to know much more.
Rec del Solà. View on a camí down (de la Zu...a ?)
The heart of the climb ? What's its name ? If additional informations are negative, other climbs can take the place: Cortals de Sispony (Refugi) - Collada de Montaner From the crossroads Cortals / Pic de Carroi, there are 2,5 km that seem to be interesting (see Openrunner 6548186). Going further upto the Collada de Montaner is now impossible, for the path is very bad. But, if the situation changes in the future, the presence of Cortals de Sispony in the first list will allow us to integrate the Collada without any substitution. The last two are residential roads, which remain in the valley. Their touristic and sport values are definitely lower, but our informations are complete. Camí de la Basera (El Tarter) It is located opposite to Telecadira of Pi de Migdia and offers thus a very pretty viewpoint on a part of the ski area of Grandvalira. See Openrunner 6573701. Carretera de la Margineda (La Margineda) Balcony downstream from Andorra la Vella. Relatively easy, but sure climb, as for its coating and its feasibility. See Openrunner 6545949.
D- Refused climbs In the work of location, we drew aside several potential candidates. We will not take the resort Pal, because most of its layout is common to that of the Port de Cabús (BIG440). Same argument for Cal Rossello (first part shared with Engolasters and too short exclusive section. Llabatera is too close to Arinsal. We preferred Comes de Banyas in La Massana. In Vall d'Incles, there exist three ways to sheep-folds (Passage Vall d'Incles, Barranc del Fenefau and Reineres), which present a certain elevation gain, but they're rather anonymous and leave the Vall d'Incles, which is already taken in the list. Cami de Pardines interested us as unpaved road, but it is located between Engolasters and Els Cortals and the possibility of an unsignificant height gain is real. Lastly, in the extreme south, right before the Spanish border, Muixella (also called Camí Cortal del Sabater or Bordered-Sabate 1944) is a splendid spot for MTB: way all in hairpins with passage and hillside by a restaurant in a famous Andorran vineyard. But it does not have its place in a road challenge. Unavoidable nevertheless for a mountain biker, attracted by the Bottle. Here is the result of our preliminary work. Of course, if you know in Andorra some climbs which answer our criteria and which would have escaped us, do not hesitate to inform us. We will study them with much curiosity. Daniel Gobert et Eric Lucas
