For the many Belgians who cycle along the Spanish coasts, the Coll des Rates is a dream challenge. So, back in the spring, Marc Noben and former Paris-Roubaix winner Jean-Marie Wampers had already made plans to add this climb to the Ropa Cycling Group program. Ropa Cycling Manager Gino Deweirdt quickly agreed. The winner of the International Reningelst 2000 – who beat Tom Boonen in the sprint – threw his weight behind the project, and soon around twenty participants were registered for the three-day event. On day two, they lined up at the start line at Hotel Cap Negret in Altea after the 150km opening stage for a good 100km up the Coll des Rates.
Thanks to the strong group atmosphere, the compact Ropa Cycling peloton reached the summit of this "mythical" Spanish climb. The summit photo will undoubtedly go down in the history books of both Marc and the other participants.
