Somewhere you shouldn't ride, and somewhere you think you shouldn't ride...

French travels afar and much much closer to home

I was in Corsica last week for a holiday. A holiday, but you live where you want to holiday? A friend had been guiding there for the whole of September so I went out to join him for a client free few days of island warmth.

I flew into Ajaccio at 0730, my friend was on his last day guiding, so I took a walk from the beachside town up into the mountains. Think of Finale, just with a bit more French, so good bread to make lunch from & a warmer sea to swim in(though there is an ever real Italian influence all over Corse).

We did one of the best canyon's on the island. And the jumps and abseils into gorge lined pools was great fun. A new sport to add to the list of gear purchases.

After another night eating great local food and chestnut flavoured beer we set out on a pretty big hike. 1500m vertical with a lot of scrambling. We hardly stopped all day and we just beat the guide book time of 7 hours. Two fit guides! Those Corsicans are bloody mental and fast.

The terrain everywhere is really tough. There probably is some good biking somewhere on the island, but I wouldn't bother taking the mountain bike without being really sure. Sturdy hiking boots, canyoning gear and swimming shorts!

Meanwhile back in Haute Savoie...after ticking of some classic rides with mr Humpage and using the last lifts in le Tour we started to explore a little.

I had an idea for a trail I'd walked which I felt would be fun to ride. So me, and two Frenchies left a car in the beautifu l (!)Sallanches Carrefour supermarche carpark and drove the second half way up the hillside towards the Aravis mountain range.

"We can go past this chalet that I went to a wedding at", Mael said. Cool, coffee, and a rest after the very steep, but efficient 4x4 track climb up 550metres. What a place! Classic Savoyard farm/refuge with stunning views back over les Houches and the Mont Blanc Massif.

AND THE DESCENT, MEGA BON! Gentle fun and fast at the top, rooty in the middle, and then narrow singletrack to the valley floor. We finished riding back to the ugly supermarket, a place I never thought would be the finish of a fantastic trail. Savoie Surprises are still out there to be found...

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Aiguille de la Grande Sassiere 3751m

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