MenuThe catalogues are beginning to evolve in real time….
If you remember several ICCs and AGM presentations we underlined that one of the advantages of the database of cols underlying all our catalogues was the possibility to update them more regularly. Finished, would be the annual catalogues with their modifications and additions often as old as 12 months or more.
Now we begin to enter the phase of modifications that are more dynamic and responsive.
If you have recently looked at the catalogue download page of our site, you may have noticed that several countries have a ‘date of reference’ (ie. latest update) of February 2023.
For the moment this mainly concerns revisions to access and grading. The working groups now have the ability to themselves update details of access, sources and some cartographic information, without going through a more laborious process. The alterations are made in the database, which instantly updates the downloadable catalogues. In the case of changes to surfacing (off-road to road, or the reverse) the revisions are echoed immediately, both in the catalogues and in the lists of brevet cols. We began by testing and then effecting amemdments in the catalogues of Spain and Italy, but this procedure can be applied to any country. The more complex work on new cols will remain periodic for the moment.
With databases that can be changed all the time (like any other database, IGN’s for example) we need to change and adapt our habits as well. Maybe download the appropriate new catalogue before you go abroad, or download that of your own country every 1 or 2 months. Its for everyone to find out what suits them best.
I’ll now change the subject a little to speak of the catalogues of the world that concern our great travellers.
Having accomplished the catalogues of the whole world we have done a little work on the documentation, which might interest you. Each catalogue has its own ‘notice’ that at a minimum explains the generic terms used and the maps sourced. For those countries with more than 100 cols the notice is generally fuller and may extend to 30 pages.
In order to avoid repeating the same explanations everywhere (for example ‘Type’ and ‘Diff’) we have developed a general user’s manual that you can find on the intoduction page of each catalogue and via the link below:
https://www.centcols.org/documents/catalogues/_commun/Manuel_d_utilisation_des_catalogues.pdf
On the same page you can also find:
Finally if you are a fan of languages and toponomy (place names) like me you can find a new article in the section “Cols/Toponymie” on our website.
https://www.centcols.org/toponymie-des-cols-mondiaux/
A description of the terms worldwide that can suggest the idea of a col now joins other articles in this section on France (Michel de Brebisson) and on Switzerland (Christian Bingelli) as well as fairly well developed notes on this subject for Spain, Italy and the UK.
Via links in this article you can find:
- the list of the main word for “col” by country (more than 500 in total!)
- and the list of ISO codes of the 78 languages concerned
Good reading if you have a little time before the cycling season really starts.
Graham Cutting
Februar 2023