Today, the Tour de France climbs three of the most picturesque and terrifyingly difficult summits in France. We have a few here, too. 

The Col de la Madeleine, the Col de la Croix de Fer, and the summit finish high above the clouds on La Toussouire make for the hardest stage of the 2012 Tour de France. The stage itself is just under 150km, but almost all of the race is spent climbing or spiraling down the backside of the mountain with the next peak looming not far off in the distance. The stage is going to be the first true summit finish of the Tour and the first real opportunity for the likes of Evans, Nibali and Menchov to grind Sky down and isolate Bradley Wiggins.

For those in Michigan, however, a treble of incredible climbs is not quite so easy to locate. So, here are three you can ride back-to-back-to-back to test your commitment to climbing. It’s also an excellent trio of climbs to keep in mind for the upcoming Circle of Death Challenge from kolo t.c. and Rapha.

First up, the most known climb, Philosophy. For most Leelanau Rides, Philosophy looms as a final test on the way back to civilizations. Often called Hoxie as well, Philosophy is a long, gradual climb with a few kicks towards the top almost tailor-made to break up groups after a long ride. With miles in the legs, there’s no climb quite as unforgiving as Philosophy. Some of the best riders around confirm their reputation with solid times and legendary attacks. The don’t quite tell the whole story on a climb like this, but here they are, nonetheless.

Distance: 3.1 Miles
Average Grade: 2.3%
Elevation Gain: 385

Rank	Name	Date	Speed	HR	Power	VAM	Time
	Brian Hofstra	Apr 18, 2009	20.5mi/h	172bpm	323W	–	9:07
2	Chris Kushman	Jul 24, 2010	19.9mi/h	172bpm	332W	–	9:25
3	Jason Whittaker	Jun 24, 2012	19.8mi/h	–	317W	–	9:28
4	John Leach	Jun 16, 2012	19.5mi/h	–	302W	–	9:37
5	eli brown	May 22, 2012	18.5mi/h	–	340W	–	10:06
6	Dan Hofstra	Apr 13, 2012	18.2mi/h	166bpm	–	–	10:16
7	Webbcorp .	Apr 13, 2012	18.2mi/h	–	338W	–	10:18
8	Wes Sovis	Sep 04, 2011	18.1mi/h	–	280W	–	10:22
9	Cody Sovis	Jun 29, 2012	18.0mi/h	–	296W	–	10:23
10	Don Waddell	Aug 07, 2010	17.0mi/h	159bpm	–	–	11:01

1	Jason Whittaker	Jul 01, 2012	16.7mi/h	–	355W	1212	4:07
2	John Leach	Jun 16, 2012	16.4mi/h	–	333W	1193	4:11
3	Chris Kushman	Jun 16, 2012	15.9mi/h	172bpm	373W	1156	4:19
4	Brian Hofstra	Jun 16, 2012	15.7mi/h	162bpm	290W	1143	4:22
5	Dan Hofstra	Jun 23, 2012	15.5mi/h	153bpm	338W	1130	4:25
6	Cody Sovis	Jun 16, 2012	15.4mi/h	–	346W	1117	4:28
7	Wes Sovis	Jun 16, 2012	15.2mi/h	–	359W	1109	4:30
8	Webbcorp .	Jul 07, 2012	14.5mi/h	167bpm	341W	1055	4:44
9	Joel Gaff Jr.	Jul 07, 2012	14.3mi/h	–	355W	1043	4:47
9	Chris Fisher	Jul 07, 2012	14.3mi/h	146bpm	276W	1043	4:47

	Brian Hofstra	May 30, 2010	17.3mi/h	168bpm	302W	1119	4:38
2	Chris Kushman	May 21, 2011	16.7mi/h	174bpm	331W	1076	4:49
3	Jason Whittaker	Jun 19, 2010	16.1mi/h	–	297W	1040	4:59
4	Brian Griffin	Sep 17, 2011	15.8mi/h	160bpm	260W	1016	5:06
5	Dan Hofstra	May 12, 2012	15.4mi/h	192bpm	302W	991	5:14
6	Cody Sovis	Apr 27, 2012	13.5mi/h	–	259W	871	5:57
7	Chuck Ball	Jul 12, 2011	12.9mi/h	167bpm	–	834	6:13
8	Peter Leugers	Aug 06, 2011	12.8mi/h	–	–	823	6:18
9	Chris Fisher	Jun 28, 2012	11.9mi/h	136bpm	208W	768	6:45
10	Carol Waddell	Jun 16, 2012	11.2mi/h	167bpm	160W	725	7:09

Cody Sovis	Sep 06, 2011	15.3mi/h	–	294W	824	9:45
2	Wes Sovis	Jun 13, 2012	15.2mi/h	–	294W	815	9:51
3	derek delzer	Jul 05, 2012	13.6mi/h	–	284W	734	10:57
4	Brian Hofstra	Sep 08, 2011	13.2mi/h	143bpm	223W	709	11:20
5	Jason Whittaker	Apr 29, 2010	13.1mi/h	154bpm	222W	707	11:22