My new favourite place- Part 1

Discovery

After a 9 days of riding in a row I was still up for more. Tired legs, an increased appetite, and still with a hunger for more descending.

However Chamonix weather wasn't playing ball. I had no work, it's quiet time at the moment, but I also had nobody available to join me for adventure's. Solo it was to be. I sat in my apartment and looked where I could go to find good weather. First option, Finale. Stormy down on the coast. Inland around Switzerland, also stormy. The closest weather window appeared to be just below Grenoble, and westwards.

Heading around Grenoble the skies where still grey, the wind was still blowing, but the temperature was creeping up. I turned off the motorway, and headed left (west).

I'd planned to spend the next couple of days around Die and Crest in the southern Vercors pre-alpine Massif. As I lost mobile phone signal and the central line markings on the road you could feel the change from the Haute Savoie to the Mediterranean. Clay roofs replaced wooden.

I arrived at the Col de la Croix (745m) with the Bec Pointu (1342m) insight as my mission for the afternoon. Being in the middle of nowhere, there was parking space for maybe 3 cars at the col, luckily I was the only one. The wind was still blowing when I reached the summit after hike-a-biking the majority of the trail. Ready for a fun loose gravely descent!

Just down the road from the col I'd seen a quiet little track I could sneak down with my car to set up a camp spot. It was chilly, and I was as far out the ever blowing wind as possible. I climbed into my sleeping bag...

Comments

What guides do between work in the peak of July

Summer is here, and after fantastic spring riding in Southern France and then all over Valais, Aosta and Haute Savoie with good friends it's been time to get back to summer guiding, taking hikers around the Tour du Mont Blanc circuit. There's much worse things to do, but with three weeks off the bike I was itching to get back on some trails. With a carefully planned week between tours I was excited and made some plans to hit up some classic lines, and some new stuff too. It's mid July now, so in Chamonix valley you have to think carefully about where to go to miss the crowds, and to avoid going on the bike ban trails (July & August). Luckily it's still easy to find quiet trails in nearby resorts, or to simply drop round the back of a hill away from the frontside lifts. It went a little like this: Day 1- La Thuile with Wayne of newly qualified French legal mountain bike guiding service Chamonixmtb.com . Enduro race venue at it's best, rough and raw. ...

Aosta-venturing

Everything a good day should have: Thanks to Mael for most of the photo's Not too early a start Bread (French) Coffee (Italian) Road climb to gain some height efficiently Trail riding in a super scenic valley Hike a bike Lunch stop with a view Snow crossing River crossing A high altitude hamlet Alpine flowers bursting with colour Near death, non riding related A Virgin Mary statue A puncture with jizzing tyre sealant (not a good day for 27.5 PLUS tyres) Incredibly tight switchbacks Pine needle smooth singletrack (One of the best sections I've ever ridden this year!) A snake on the trail Sitting in a beautiful old town square by an old church Gelato More coffee More tasty snacks Cold beer Supermarket shop for local goodies A German lady expressing her desire for queuing efficiency at the Mont Blanc Tunnel Can you spot team green?

Tour du Mont Blanc: Voie Toller- INTRO

Introduction: Jo Toller is my skiing touring partner. He has been cycle touring for many years all over Europe, and last Autumn he cycled across America aboard is "ultimate touring setup" with 700cc wheels, Rholoff internal gear hub, Ortleib panniers and silly shaped handlebars. He also climbs and walks alot around Cham valley during the summers. For a couple of years now he has had this hybrid TMB route in mind. Last year when I went to watch the Downhill World Cup in Val d'Isere I picked him up from Courmayeur on my return over the Petit St Bernard. He'd left Cham and in 7 hours had reached Courmayeur. He hadn't gone the road cycling route via the Grand St.B & Aosta, no, near Verbier he'd headed up the Swiss Val Ferret Valley as far as the road went past La Fouly and then pushed his bike over the Grand Col de Ferret and descended all the Italian Val Ferret Valley to Courmayeur town. Having walked the TMB in the same, non classical, c...

Search This Blog