Mont Blanc Tour
Genesis!
These last few months have passed... in a gloomy atmosphere, tinged with lockdowns and perimeters of a few kilometers not to be crossed... In all of this, it's not easy to go out for bike rides, to have drinks with friends... it's difficult to plan anything in this uncertain climate...
But now, for a few weeks now, it seems that we have a period of respite, between two virulent waves, we decide to seize our chance!
The to-do list is long!
Between the desire to hunt for new passes for the challenge and that of discovering new roads, new places to escape, we have above all a great desire for freedom and adventure!
What's better than a little bikepacking trip with the girls for that?
A first for us…
The prospect of connecting point A to point B, with our bags in complete autonomy, stopping wherever we want, eating and sleeping wherever we want, without any pressure, what better way to feel free again!
Come on !
The Tour du Mont Blanc is on the "to do" list anyway, you have to start somewhere, and it seems we're going to climb some incredible and famous passes too! Flore is taking it on, with OpenRunner she's drawing up a first draft of the route for us, starting from Annecy.
The main passes through which you pass are known by name, they are famous, crisscrossed by the Tour riders for the most part. Over coffee, we fine-tune the plan. We have four days to cover 450 km and 9,750 m of elevation gain. We plan several segments, agreeing on the best places to sleep and eat...
We don't really know, it's a bit new for us... we're going by feel, worst case scenario, it doesn't matter, we'll do better next time! Many people look at us with big eyes, warning us that it's going to be hard, even though we really feel capable of it, but their warnings about the difficulties of the route still scare us a little... what if it's too long and there's too much elevation? We hesitate, we change the routes, we talk to each other about the routes and passes not to be missed...
Finally, a week before, everything is in place, we just pray to the weather god to give us the sunshine slot that will allow us to leave and fully enjoy our adventure! No more apprehension, just the impatience to finally leave to live this sporting and human adventure which promises to be incredible!
Day 1 - Friday, July 9
Meet at 8:30 a.m. in Brumes for a coffee and a quick check-up on what's in store. Karine, a crossing guard, came to cheer us on, and Julien, the manager of Brumes, is also supporting us! Yes, it's not every day that two female cyclists leave his café for so many miles on their own.
9 a.m. it's time to set off! Excited and stressed, we set off on our adventure with a D+! Today, 110 km and 2,260 d+ : the Col de la Forclaz de Queige, Col du Méraillet and Cormet de Roseland await us.
We first ride along Lake Annecy and its morning delights. There aren't many people there, and that feels good. There's already a lot of chatting and laughing. We know this cycle path well, so it's easy to pass by. Arriving at the end of the lake, we continue to Ugine. It's not the most glamorous place to be in the industrial zone of Ugine, so we hurry and quickly gain altitude in the Col de la Forclaz de Queige. 6km at an average gradient of 8%, in the cool of the forest, and here we are in front of the sign to stick our first Matchy sticker.We're playing the sticker game! We chat with the only resident of this pass who's mushroom hunting. He's a little disappointed with his harvest but delighted to see us.
Heading for Beaufort and its long, false flats. We're stuck with our panniers and the headwind. We'd already done this section two weeks ago during the Beaufortain weekend with the crossing guards. It seemed much smoother to us... We also had our panniers, but perhaps less heavily loaded.
Arriving in Beaufort, we made our usual stop at the Frozen Bus. The waitress recognized us and this time asked us what journey we were embarking on. We were quickly served a Super Bowl and homemade ice cream (the best in the world, according to our waitress).
We set off again for the climb up the Col du Méraillet: 12 km and an average gradient of 7%. It's a pleasant climb through this pine forest with a superb view of Beaufort. The long straights between the hairpin bends allow us to admire the view and glimpse the alpine peaks.
Once at the Méraillet Pass, we make a quick detour to the Roseland Dam to admire the heights and take as many photos as possible of this turquoise water illuminated by the sun. It's magnificent.
There are 8km left to reach the summit of Cormet at an altitude of 1,967m. But the Refuge du Plan de la Laie is tempting us for a snack break! Yes, it's the last place to eat before reaching the summit and heading back down to Bourg Saint Maurice to sleep. So we're taking our time.
After this short snack break, we finish the remaining 3 km to the summit. It's not cold, but the mountain breeze is there, and the descent is likely to be chilly. So we get dressed and head down into the unknown of this descent! Yes, because from this summit, it's also the adventure of discovery that begins, since neither of us has gone further by bike.
The descent is incredible, 20km of bliss: at first, there are beautiful straight lines, offering a view of the wild peaks surrounding us. We finally reach the forest where small hairpin bends follow one after the other. We're having a great time, riding just the way we like it.
Once at the bottom, we cross Bourg-st-Maurice to reach the gîte in Séez: Alps Haven. Of course, it's in a dead end at the end of the village with a 13% slope. But it's worth it to arrive at a charming gîte with a jacuzzi prepared by the very welcoming English hosts. A quick dip in the 38°C water, a homemade pizza, a stretching session and that's it, good night!
Day 2 - Saturday, July 10
Wake up at 7:30 a.m.! We have a great breakfast. The English are very good at savory and hearty breakfasts. Everything we need to start this new day! On the program: 87 km and 2,276 d+ (2,276 m), including the Col du Petit Saint Bernard, the Col San Carlo, and the Balcons de Cerellaz.
The Col du Petit St Bernard is long (26.5 km) but rolling (5% average). We take the Tour de France route which passes through Montvalezan at an average gradient of 9% over 6 km. We turn into Stéphane Plaza seeing all these high-end houses. We pass through the pretty village of Le Châtelard to end up on a road that rolls out a pink carpet for us, La Rosière, before rejoining the main road.The view is perfect for photos!
We then continue to the La Rosière station and as soon as we reach the end of the village we take a turn to the right and there, change of people, we took the door " Stargate, The Stargate » to find ourselves in an alpine valley. We may have passed through time gates, but Jean-Michel, in his Ardèche jersey, is still on our wheels, changing worlds with us. He's not moving fast, but as we're constantly stopping to take photos, he catches up with us and finally finishes the pass with us.
We were then blown away by this pass that we had watched so much on TV or while planning this trip. After looking at photos for a long time, we were there, in front of the hospice, on the border between France and Italy. The pass offers, among other things, a view of the Italian side of Mont Blanc. Finally, this famous Mont Blanc that we were circling! We were wondering when we would see it again. : we go around but were we really going to see it?
We stick the sticker on the sign and also take the opportunity to play the tourist at the summit before going back down on a pleasant road, with varied bends providing pleasure to drive.
The only negative point of this pass between La Rosière and La Thuile where we will make our lunch stop is that it is covered in electric cables.
In La Thuile, the first Italian restaurant means pizza. Fanny takes the opportunity to practice her Italian and order us the best pizzas we'd hoped for after this long climb. We also take the opportunity to learn a little history: why St. Bernard? Who is this statue at the top of the pass we just crossed? We're leaving feeling less stupid!
We devour our pizzas before heading back to Colle San Carlo: 6 km at an average gradient of 8% in full sun. This pass is magnificent! It begins with two steep 14% slopes as we leave La Thuile. It continues with switchbacks that reveal glimpses of Mont Blanc, before entering a pine forest again. We'll remember that the summit is the place to be on this Saturday, July 10th, because it's packed with cars and leaves little room to reach the sign and stick our sticker on.
We descend for 10 km at an average gradient of 10%. We remark to ourselves that we were ultimately happy to go up the other side. And here we are at the least fun part of the day: the Aosta Valley and the headwind, again! We are then on a big valley national road, with cars driving at 80 km/h alongside... not the most pleasant. The idea is to avoid it as much as possible. We only spend 11 km there in relays before exiting at Avise.
Heading for the balconies of Cerellaz. We hadn't been too wary of this last difficulty. We then embarked on a 6 km climb at 12% against the cliff. It was hot, but we still saw Mont Blanc for the last time of the day and we finally arrived at Cerellaz. I then waited for Fanny in the shade and after 3 minutes of catching my breath, I noticed that a local woman was staring at me, sitting in front of her house with her newspaper. I said to her: Hello " It didn't take much for her to start speaking to me in Italian. I pretended not to understand anything she was saying, but she continued and told me a thousand times " Well done, well done… » Fanny arrives out of breath, and the woman continues talking to her. Fanny tries to answer her in Italian between breaths. The woman was delighted; her day was made all over again.It must be said that the village is truly deserted. Behind a string of small villages, we can enjoy an incredible view of the Aosta Valley and the surrounding mountains.
We then gently descend towards Aosta where we will sleep in a somewhat shabby hotel but with very friendly owners.
We slumped for a good hour before heading back into town to enjoy Italian pasta and gelato!! Yes, that's Italy too. We discovered a small, historic and lively city center. They are in the evening the Italians! They look at us surprised : it's not every day that you see two women walking down the streets in their shorts, their big cyclist tan lines and recycled socks! So much for style, the most important thing is recycling !
We return to the hotel, a little stretch and good evening!
Day 3 Sunday, July 11
Today is the longest day, 138 km and 3470 d+.
So, we leave earlier than other mornings. Wake up at 6:30 a.m. for a 7:30 a.m. departure.
Breakfast isn't very generous; it's a buffet, but many of the items are very sweet, individually wrapped biscuits. We try to stick to our savory fare with eggs and sandwich bread. We have to finish packing our bags and head back to the Col du Grand St Bernard, the Petite Forclaz, the Col de la Forclaz (Martigny), and finish with the Col des Montets.
The Grand Saint Bernard Pass isn't very interesting at first. We're still in the heights of Aosta, the houses are stacked one after the other, and Stéphane Plaza would have some work to do around here...
After only 10 km, a break is necessary to stretch. Indeed, some pain remains intense, especially if you haven't been serious about stretching the day before. We then spend 20 minutes in a tunnel to wake up our bodies and release these unpleasant tensions.
Ready to set off again, we continue along the long, straight stretches of the national road before arriving at the village of San Leonardo, where we finally turn right and take the road to the pass. Indeed, when we continue left after San Leonardo, we cross the border via a large tunnel that passes under the Grand Saint Bernard Pass.
For our part, we'll opt for this small road with its smooth, shaded tarmac. We'll enjoy beautiful bends, small villages, and quality roadworks. Fanny assures me that the Swiss are working hard to help the Italians maintain the pass road. It is so iconic that it must be properly maintained! » So we're looking at a road in Switzerland that's perfect, like a billiard table. We'll see that in 17 kilometers.
The famous tunnel passes us by one last time, and as soon as we leave it behind us, we see the next hairpin bends awaiting us. It's huge and impressive, and we can't wait to climb higher and higher to admire each of these turns. Higher up, we see the Casa per ferie Don Angelo Carioni (a hotel and restaurant). It has the charm of a Saint Bernard hospice. Once we reach this house, we enter a new mountain cirque, rocks and cliffs all installed and sculpted with class and immensity.We feel so small!
We cross a small, open stone tunnel before turning into the final bend and crossing the finish line of the pass. A small, fully landscaped lake welcomes us. There are a lot of people, including many motorcyclists who yelled in our ears for a good part of the climb. We walk along the lake and reach the hospice. We take our last photos and stick on our stickers: a must on this pass on the Italian/Swiss border, which we've been waiting for so long, like the Little St. Bernard.
We begin the descent, which for the first 6 kilometers is superb except for the tarmac, which is not at all maintained by the Swiss. But once past the 6 km mark, we reach the exit of the big tunnel. Behind, the descent is hardly interesting since it plunges into half-open tunnels where we can see the Toules dam. The road is not very reassuring with cars driving fast. This wide national road continues like this for several kilometers with the wind against us again. We then say to ourselves that it is time for lunch, but it is Sunday and not everything is open. We are saved by Le Catogne !
We don't hang around too much because we've done 67 km and there are still 72 to go! So we set off again on this uninteresting national road, still with a headwind. Once again, like in the Aosta Valley, we want to leave it as quickly as possible. We then head to Martigny-Combe to chain together 14% steep climbs over 3 km. This is the little Forclaz. Finally, we reach the main road for the Col de la Forclaz (Martigny). Not much interest in this 7 km climb, quite smooth and stuck between a wall and cars that are far too dangerous. We stick a sticker on it before going back down into the hollow to cross the border one last time (Switzerland/France).
Back in France. All that's left for the day is the Col des Montets (8 km at 4%). It's rolling and runs along the tracks of the red train, emblematic of Chamonix. Despite everything, we managed to rack up some serious elevation gains. Fanny felt good all day. I, for one, was more stuck with pain in my knees and back.
But that's it, we've reached the top of the pass. In our heads, it's over! We're slowly descending back to Chamonix, to be as close as possible to Mont Blanc, which we've skirted throughout the trip. After Chamonix, we arrive at Les Houches, the last steep climb of 1.5 km in the forest that takes us back down to Servoz. It's a great ending because the road is perfect, the hairpin bends too, and we're descending for a long time even though we only climbed 1.5 km just before. Once past Servoz, we know there's nothing left before joining Alice, a friend who's welcoming us into her home for the night. Thanks to her for her support and the success of this trip. It's already 8 p.m., the evening goes by way too quickly! Pizza, sharing with friends, and off to bed.
Day 4 - Monday, July 12
Today is going to be cool, 83 km and 1742 d+! The hardest part is behind us!
We leave at 9 a.m. this time; we have time; we only have two passes to do: Col de Romme and Col de la Colombière. We then set off on small roads in the Arve Valley. Thank you Openrunner for always indicating the right sections. It's true that being on the main national roads wasn't really the option I had considered. The app showed us lots of small country roads that allowed us to avoid the cars.On the other hand, we still haven't avoided the wind... To sum up, during this trip, as soon as we found ourselves in a valley, or on the flat, we had the wind in our faces... not very practical for increasing the average. But deep down, who cares, we're here for the adventure with bags between girls more than the average!
We arrive in Cluses and therefore at the foot of the Col de Romme. We attack directly with 11% ramps. It's the beginning, we're fresh... and then after the little Forclaz it doesn't seem so steep ^^
This pass is quiet, car-free. We enjoy the 8% average gradient for 9 kilometers, and we're impatient to reach the end of our journey.
The little village of Romme is super beautiful, and very peaceful. We can easily imagine ourselves there, taking a nap in the garden of the house! Come on, come on! ! We continue, no sign to stick our sticker. We descend to the Reposoir and finish our last climb: the Col de la Colombière. We have 7 km left at 9% before we give up! Because this pass is the goal! After that, it's flat all the way to Annecy (with a little headwind?).
Today, the roles are reversed: I feel good and the last 4 km are tough for Fanny. The nerves are breaking and the emotion is intense. I encourage him. Don't cry now, you'll cry upstairs, don't waste your energy now "We stay together, we finish this beautiful adventure together!
2 more kms, it seems like the slope is getting steeper with these panniers... come on, let's hang on, 1 km and finally the finish line. Very emotional! We did it :)
We treat ourselves to one last little meal at the summit before descending back to Le Grand Bornand. The view is incredible. The turns follow one another. This descent is superb, just the way we like them. 2 cyclists are sucking our wheels on the way down. And when we reach the cul de cul of Saint Jean de Sixt, they overtake us and congratulate us on our descent where they didn't manage to overtake us. We progressed, we gained confidence, we are happy.
Final straights in Thones, we see our friend Bertrand waiting to give us the locomotive to Alex! We feel like we're flying, satisfied with this tour that we're about to finish. Last little pass of Bluffy before diving into the lake (literally and figuratively)
This trip is over, we've gathered all the strength and confidence we need! We've also soaked up all the sun we could from this rainy summer! We've been keeping our cycling tans well maintained!
And finally when we stop, we only want one thing: to go back!
