My Top Ten rides of 2012

  It's been a year in which I've hardly been out of the saddle. I've clocked up over 10,000 kilometres of cycling in Australia, Asia and Europe, so it seems appropriate I nominate my Top Ten rides of 2012, in no particular order. For a more detailed blog on each of the rides, click on the link. Some of the blogs featured include videos of the ride.

10. Col du Galibier, France: Let's start at the top shall we? The top of the French Alps, that is. Of all the mountain climbs, Col du Galibier was my favourite. For an Australian, the thrill of cycling in-between two-metre-high snow drifts was thrilling and, given it was summer, refreshingly cool. This climb is an icon of the Tour de France, for good reason - sumptuous views, excellent road surface and all that history.

9.  Hua Hin to Ban Krut, Thailand: Three days of riding along quiet backroads through beachside villages on the Gulf of Thailand. No hills, a strong wind at our back and fantastic food for lunch and dinner. While each day was close to 100 kilometres, it was perhaps the easiest cycling I've ever experienced. Every hour, we'd stop for tropical fruit or Thai sweets. Friendly people, great food, deserted beaches, luxury resorts.

8. Mount Buffalo, Victoria: A lovely steady climb in the Victorian Alps. I'd recommend this for every beginner road-cyclist. It's a real mountain, but the gradient is so consistent, the views so spectacular, that it hardly feels like climbing. The day I climbed, the road was closed half-way up, so after cycling around the roadblock, I had the mountain top to myself.

7. Basel, Switzerland to Bad Sackingen, Germany: It's always a thrill for we ocean-locked Australians to cycle across the border into another country. On this gentle meander along the Rhine River, I crossed between Switzerland and Germany on numerous occasions. The route is entirely on cycle paths and the German beer and food was a fitting reward for my effort. 

6. Canal du Centre, France: Of all the canal paths I've cycled, the 50 kilometre track either side of Paray-le-Monial in Burgundy is the most romantic. Still water, elegant shady trees, fishermen sitting beside old Renault vans... and Paray village has excellent boulangeries and a historic Abbey. I regret not spending another day just retracing my tyre tracks.

5. the river loop, Brisbane, Australia: How could I not include my childhood hometown in any list. This cycle was made even more satisfying in that it was research for an article I was commissioned to write for the Courier Mail. I was being paid to ride the paths of my childhood! A cool breeze off the Brisbane River, lots of cafes and West End market at the end of the loop make this the best ride, of many excellent rides, in Brisbane.

4: Megalong Valley, Australia: Cycling is at its best and easiest when you have a bike buddy. My buddy and I started riding this with our basic hybrid bikes two years ago, before graduating to road bikes. The downhill is a wild romp of bumps and curves through overhanging rainforest before being spat out into a pristine valley surrounded by sandstone cliffs. At the six-foot-track crossing, we turn around and begin the climb back up to Blackheath. Someone has thoughfully stencilled the outline of a cyclist on the tarmac as starting line for the hill-climb. No matter how many times I try, I still can't go under the 30-minute mark for the Category One, seven-kilometre climb.

3: A day in Strasbourg, France: There is no better way to see a town than on a bicycle. Strasbourg is a bike-friendly historic town in Alsace. I spent a day cycling over the cobblestone back alleys, along canal paths, through pedestrian lanes and beside the European Parliament - all at a leisurely pace and with frequent stops for beer and chocolate.

2: Mont Ventoux, France: My first 'hors category' French mountain climb. Before tackling Ventoux, I was seriously scared I would fall off half-way up with exhaustion and heat stroke. In the end, the weather Gods smiled upon me and offered a cooling mistral. The last five kilometres are truly the most unearthly cycling I'll experience - the moonscape of scree and boulders are indelible images of the Tour de France. Ventoux is the one mountain every cyclist should climb.

1. Blue Mountains, Australia: In the endless search for exciting cycling routes around the world, perhaps the best and most rewarding for each cyclist is the one they do every day. My 30 kilometre circuit takes in waterfalls, quiet suburban roads, gumtree forests, iconic lookouts and distant mountain views. And when it's ridden at a leisurely pace with my wife, it's a daily pleasure. 

I have recently released an eBook about my cycling adventures across France, including numerous Tour de France mountain climbs. If you're interested, it costs the princely sum of $2.99, here.