Bealach na Ba snakes up from

Richie Porte leads Chris Froome up the Alpe d'Huez in 2013, where LeMond expects this year's race to be decided (pic: Sirotti)

The Col du Galibier has been pulled from the 2015 Tour de France route (Pic: cyclepig / Creative Commons)

Cycling is an intrinsic theme of the story, with Ventoux the perfect metaphor (Pic: Sirotti)

Want to tick off both sides of the Col du Tourmalet in one sportive? Then the Marmotte Pyrenees is your event

The iconic Passo dello Stelvio is likely to feature on the 'must ride' list of any cyclist

The climb of Monte Zoncolan is the toughest ascent in Italy (Pic: Serafino Centenaro / Creative Commons)

Which roads feature on your must-ride list? (pic: Marie, via Flickr Creative Commons)

Chris Horner celebrates on the Angliru after he all-but sealed the red jersey in 2013 (pic: Sirotti)

(Pic: James Creegan / Creative Commons)