first stop by Courmayeur to Les Chapieux
Distance traveled: ~ 40 km
Ascending: ~ 1900 meters.
hours on the bike: ~ 5h (1h drive portage + 10 ')
Maximum altitude: 2516m (Col de la Seigne)
Time: 10.00 - 18.30 (including all breaks)
July 31, 2010
beautiful part motivated by the parking Entreves and almost immediately we stopped in a grocery store run by Pugliese (!) which prepare us for the delicious bacon sandwiches appreciate that along the way: good start ... !
We go so in Val Veni and soon we reach Rifugio Monte Bianco CAI Uget managed by Turin and then the beautiful valley with a hotel and amusement park in Le Pra at an altitude of 1900m. where the coffee break is almost mandatory. The sight of glaciers Brenva of Freney and Miage, the same group of white tip and we face together the day with a wonderful weather we fill the heart of real mountain, the muscles warm, the wind takes the right pace The spirit of hard work right pianom grows gradually as you ride.
continue on the steep dirt road and we begin to see the first trekkers in almost every sense way we are curious enough to look at us and smiling, some even a photographer there. We come then to Rif Della Courbe Tzeleuna and then go down to the hut next to the coffee-Col Chècroui place in a beautiful meadow basin. Do not fail to notice that the discharged battery chair of tourists to climb up the 2000 with their trolley to address the inhuman hardships of gargantuan grill offers the refuge.
We pull straight ahead, pretending not to see or smell the scents coming from the steaming trays that pass alongside. Now we're on a true path, finally!, We remain at high altitude, on a beautiful balcony, Apo his car would consume the entire picture today you start to push the bike on foot, then portage, we are in seventh heaven, the effort would begin to be felt, but did not we listen!
Let us first with Arp Vieille sup. and then lower and therefore we engaged in the dirt of the valley to Rifugio Elisabetta Soldini arraccando. Donato continues without stopping, said to have an open account with his calves, will be the verification of his tenacity, his head is working well, we'll find up to the Col de La Seigne to expect happy dressed in alpine wind ... Claudio Paul and I are the compass, by reference, and I bike, I do not stop to photograph and admire this creation of the highlands.
After the rite of immortalized the hill, and 'down time, we expect a thousand meters in the first part is on a nice single, technically, never boring, exciting, runs well, such as photos, and we arrive at the Chalet Ref . Mottets des, then dirt road and after passing the village of La Ville des Glaciers, we follow the asphalt ribbon of fast, always downhill, now in the shadows and landed in Les Chapieux to 'Auberge De La Nova, where the friendly couple of managers, he shows us our two beautiful bedrooms, dinner and sleep thinking about the present day has just ended and the path of tomorrow. The bikes are safe in the garage, the site is very cool and very close with a quick post-dinner walk. Fortunately, there are discos!
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Second stage: in Les Contamines Les Chapieux
Distance traveled: ~ 52 km
Ascending: ~ 1920 meters.
Ore Bike ~ 5h30 '(push ~ 50' ~ 10 + portage ')
Maximum altitude: 2359m (Col de la Gitte)
Time: 08.30h - 18.30 (including all breaks)
August 1, 2010
After a hearty breakfast, we start with the specific intent certainly to avoid the brow the infamous Col du Bonhomme that according to all bikers who have preceded us in this endeavor, it is 'something' that does not make much sense to bike. The day promises to set bright and crisp. We go up a trail and sometimes mixed stone grassy hill to the above, but we leave after about 150 mt. in altitude to take the D902, one of the few stretches of asphalt in our Tour will then comes the Cormet du Roselend to 1976m altitude. Apo coffee is already in withdrawal, so must for dark brew ciofeche French semi-like espresso.
soon embark on one of the Apo-variants that despite initial grumbling of the other 3 of his comrades, will be quite appreciated by all. Basically it is a very interesting 'is long' performing an infinite ring, around Lake Roselend more or less modeled on a part of the Tour of Beaufortain with peak maximum at Col du Grand Fond and, at times even with full technical and after about 600mt. uphill will take us to land on the dirt road that surrounds the lake from its southern part with ups and downs that will lead us to Les Lanches, micropaesini one of the lake. For an inviting bar on the right along the road (the first of two), we see a little 'bike stacked that invite us to stop. Shyly ask for the sandwiches, the operator gives us a face as if to say: "Abandon all hope Ye who enter here "and kind, a good menu propina we say so 'rider' who, in good taste, we appreciate very happy, washed down with good beer. We know what we expected, or better, Apo had described it to others. Shortly before the second part of the bar business on a cart rather brutal with fifteen turns, with our foremen in the hot sun of early afternoon, will take us up to the beautiful grassy Col de La Sure. Right onto a trail soon grassy path that is very close and we will lose about 120mt. height difference. Below you will ride only up to an altitude of about 2000m. And then with the total thrust the bike on the steep grassy slopes of the Col de La Gitte (2359m.). The effort of this second part of the day you definitely feel, eat, and while we meditate on masochism chronic mountain-biker, I realize that this hill I know more than that of the Apennine Alps. Initial stretch quite technical descent that together we are committed and uplifts us and we we gear on the asphalt that climbs to the Col du Joly (1989m.), civility, too, Italians, photos and requests made by various groups that meet, the inevitable beer the wind that grows with our satisfaction. We go down, and ... other Apo-variant, technical as it is very narrow and exposed, I recognize that they are not quite sure exactly where we will bring, and instead will work, exciting, fast-paced, unpredictable. We go along steep woods on the classical pathway of TMB settled down on the ground floor mixed rock solid, giocosissimo, but ... we must also pay attention to the many hikers who respectfully salute, the most parts, but others just for the truth, however much they do not like our passing. We come to Notre Dame de la Gorge, the area is very beautiful, dotted with playgrounds for children, teens and adults! The area is very cozy place where we try our overnight stay, the Chalet des Contamines CAF, where the faithful friend Mark, our 5th travel companion to today, our reliable taxi waiting for us-trekker-accurate precision. We welcome with great joy. The Refuge is really cozy, spartan but warm, nice hot shower, the lady who runs the hotel is very kind, a group of British taste the delicious dinner with us. In 5 of 6 people dortoir a deal for all 5 of us, great.
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Third stage: from Les Contamines Les Grassonnet
Distance traveled: ~ 42 km
Ascending: ~ 1200 meters.
hours on the bike: 3:50 a.m. ~ '(pressure ~ 40' + ~ 0h portage)
Maximum altitude: 1653m (Col de Voza)
Time: 09.30h - 15.30 (including all breaks)
2 August 2010
tough After two beautiful days, now almost a stage of transfer, but nothing is ever ordinary bike, which is why we love this sport, is not it dear readers?! In fact, in spite of "transfer", the climb to the Col de Voza, will prove quite difficult due to the very high average slope of the dirt path. We get there after passing the villages of La Villette and Le Champel after a stretch of downhill to St. Gervais and turn right on the steep earthwork which gave hints above. In the beginning, we push the bike at times, more or less ...
us curious about the hill the legendary Tramway du Mont Blanc, a beautiful rack railway that leads to the bases of the glaciers of Mont Blanc, via the Col de Voza, Bellevue and up to Nid d'Aigle. We stopped by the funny guy older than the French Bar Hill, Apo but insists he wants to go there, it gives me the idea that there is an air of history, mountaineering, ice, rock, and in fact is so, and ... eventually recognize that other supranational French lady at the bottom is not so bad.
For the descent we use the Bike Park, Les Houches, the bottom is very muddy and slippery and care must be taken, let's try some catwalk strictly blue (the red ones seem to us their 'toxic' to be done the first time) while the rest of the walk down the path always blue except for a stretch of red with the mud and the slope will prove to be 'too'. .. In any case the rest of the tour we will find land and also much more technical stuff that Apo is much like that other than for the artificial bike parks in a lot of playful.
Always following the GR5-E2, cross-country skiing in winter and away from the traffic of N205, we come across the beautiful tourist Chamonix, but there is no time for shopping, it's raining, sometimes , but of those "features" pretty intense!
In a break with rain, we take advantage to merge up to speed Refuge "Le Nouveau Grassonnet" in the homonymous village 2-3 km before the village of Argentiere. This home is definitely more spartan, economic as amazing of all the Tour We are surprised as curious, seem to be plunged back back in the 70s of flower children ... The pair of operators is both funny and what particular alternative, everything here is almost self-management, the preparation of the tables up to wash dishes! Luckily Apo had booked dinner as well, otherwise we would have also had to cook, maybe going to make us spending, who knows ...! Dinner is simple and abundant, the shower excellent, the indoor cycle. In spite of how it looks on the outside, the structure is really great and the room where there is a gigantic beam dated 1799 (!) In all heavy and ancient wood, where there are mountains of old books is a 'parlor' connected with a huge stone fireplace which lies in an 'other neighboring room. In one of the many other rooms, there is also a ping-pong, and in the evening, before dinner we love to taste rods. It pours out in torrents, we feel really lucky.
Donato will appreciate this place, definitely unique, definitely not to miss ... including odors
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Fourth stage: Les Grassonnet to Champex
Distance traveled: ~ 32 km
Ascending: ~ 1350 meters.
hours on the bike: 4:40 a.m. ~ '(push ~ 2h10' portage + ~ 20 ')
Maximum altitude: 2250m ~ (Col de la Croix de Fer)
Time: 09.30h - 19.00 (including all breaks)
August 3, 2010
The forecast is still uncertain, but not quite bad and we are confident that even timidly in afternoon will improve. We know now that the day will be a long, long, and the chilly climate and uncertain not entice a lot.
cross the Argentiere where we do the nasty trick of holding a boulangerie that saddled four baguettes, pound of ham with the discrete local toma at an exorbitant price, to prepare the sandwiches come without stuffed food vendutoci precious weight in gold.
Take Balcon du Nord and reach the village of Le Tour (1453m), typical village ski resort base. Apo is not very convinced, but eventually the gang, a little fearful of uncertain weather, decided to take cable car lift to reach the 2191m +. Col de Balme, we are on the Franco-Swiss border! While I realize that in fact we go up the climb was definitely hard to cycle though. There is a pretty cool, a must in hot coffee on top of the hill Refuge. Next, on the advice of the elderly lady owner of the structure, avoiding the path to the right denied to bikes, take the track uphill and beautiful markings with cycling of '80% brings us to the Col de la Croix de Fer at about 2300m altitude and then descend Close to Catogne d'en bas les Tseppes, and we sense to be on the variant of the Tour du Mont Blanc Vallorcine. The single is fun, medium-technical tight, never dull and quite pending. At one point, at an altitude of 1850m would say. the surprise: the path that I sense to be 'normal' bike from (left) is interrupted for work on cutting timber, randonneur a careful reading of the sign several times and finally decided to go right for a single-track and narrow steep. What about us? Well, we decided to follow him, not we break the laws of Switzerland 'only' because the other side of the trail would be much easier (at least at first sight so parrebe). The descent will be very challenging but very stimulating, a succession of several tight hairpin bends and sometimes all with significant slopes. If I remember badly, I consider, however, a cycling around 90% for good cyclists.
arrive, or better land in Trient with sore wrists and calves from 1000 meters down to very serious. Cross the bridge and after 200m. uphill brings us to the Col de la Forclaz. Stop and edible caffettuosa a must. We meet the first real group of Austrian bikers like us want to take the tour in VTT. They start down the path that leads to the Col du Bovine, APA-evil-genius-sadomasochizzante who knows what others say about this hill, decide, propose, partly through such nonsense requires svalicare path, since only in this way I call for a biker. I will do short, ie numbers. After cycling industry for about 600-700 meters, 400 meters we sorbitol. Rise between thrust and portage, which is certainly not non-downhill, where there shoulder it-even-at least 500! The land is viscidissimo that day, the bike is beyond us sometimes unwittingly, and we walk! Fall over with it is not so difficult, in some passages it hard to understand where and how we get when we arrive at the excavation we say it is a miracle that no one has taken a great distortion to the ankles. And 'certainly a path for an average hiker on foot, it is no easy trek. When we get on the Hill, however, we enjoy a good beer "de le reine" in honor of Milio which I promptly sent a photo to my arrival in Italy. From the hill of the original beautiful cycling path balcony above the beautiful pastures (guessed from there the name of the hill), to deceive us great and we hope that the path is not as brutal, but it does not forgive! We arrive at the excavation, then the asphalt, we come with his last strength to the beautiful resort of Champex Lac and came to 'Hotel Alpina Hotel Chalet, we are greeted by Mark and accurate by the owner of the beautiful hotel where we sleep in two beautiful rooms, all wood Ferret overlooking the valley and Gran San Bernardo against the backdrop of majestic Grand Combin. The bathroom has a Jacuzzi tub! Apo E you get lost in for at least half an hour. Excellent dinner at night even better, super breakfast, nice salty account. We are around 90-100 € for half a skull. None of the group complains, indeed, the day after, a nice prize!
Fifth stage: from Courmayeur Champex
Distance traveled: ~ 50 km
Ascending: ~ 1730 mt.
hours on the bike: ~ 5h30 '(push ~ 1h + portage 0h)
Maximum altitude: 2359m (Col de la Gitte)
Time: 09.00h - 18.15 (including all breaks)
August 4, 2010
From the square of our great hotel we decide to get off on a beautiful dirt road and not just get the asphalt to which we connected after one kilometer and a half of trail in the beautiful forest. We are in the valley, but soon go back up to the village where Prassurny in steep slope, we take a dirt road that leads to a narrow path where we can push the bike path to link to the classic TMB. Another Apovariante success, and I think "I went well ...". And continue the path becomes at times too few cycle for the slopes or the bottom rather uneven, but they are only short steps. After several salts come down, swoop down on Issert finally, we are in Switzerland, and we soon realize: there is very little people around, everything is most perfectly ordered, even the cows just seem out of a grooming service (!), the houses seem painted by two days, the grass is perfectly cut "at", in the beautiful wooden houses almost all are to spruce up various wooden animals including a bear that even tries to climb to a support beam of the balcony rather than the inevitable, beautiful, funny little men with lots of smiling White Sfizera that governs them. After a long but not overly strenuous ride, with a bright sun, we come to La Fouly located approximately 1600m. level, and here the rest pappatoria is (at least to us) almost a must. A nice salad 'cycling' is not there no lever. We know what we're waiting ...
Resume, then we go to Ferret and after crossing the river in the valley of the same name, attack, dry up, we start to understand that you do not mess around anymore, but morale is high, especially that of Claus, which -non-trained, seeeeee, just him! Trudging up like a deer for all ripidoni to Col du Grand Ferret! I do not remember, at that point, to have seen off the bike, I can assure you that the fifth day, and those with slopes that fund, almost a record. Paul also is not far behind, I will give in and Dona well, but ... sometimes, not very often (think worse), we have to inevitably push, even to preserve the healthy muscoletti to get up the hill but also especially in Courmayeur. Once in the Peul meet one of the few groups of bikers, this time English, likeable, their counter-clockwise, I think the third day and started from Les Hoches, with whom we exchange views and laughter. In this pasture, there are many very hungry tourists, other than in the sun, is the post-stage of the mules, which are exploited here to carry luggage, backpacks of hikers 'lazy' in Italy and that svalicano back in Switzerland along the Val Ferret. Along the way we have to ask the road to warn of our arrival (we are faster than them, what satisfaction!) Without risking a whore even in the face. As we climb we cross countless groups of tourists, hikers say the Japanese to look good (apart from a few isolated and lonely trekkers Japanese or Chinese who always carry their good zainone) could be dressed and prepared to be exactly the same way to Piazza San Marco New York Financial Center or at the Falls of Niagara, for their own equipment and super super telephoto lenses with Nikon from two feet, included in the visor hat, jacket style hunter with a thousand pockets, water always available and the inevitable large-lens glasses ... office!
surplus While I am heartened by hearing the applause of a group of children with disabilities who have been inclined to do hiking up there, that knot in the heart, for a moment make me shivers down my arms and back, _loro_ I applaud ...
finally arrived to the Col du Grand Ferret, a lot of people up there, and also two mules, mangiottiamo, we do a lot of photos, the glaciers of Pré de Bar and Triolet to dominate the entire context.
down the saddle and go down, this single piece of non-trivial at all air, sometimes scassatelo and maybe a little digging, but advises caution certainly encourages us, and the pictures are wasted, we come to Elena Hut and the weather is nice and cool, the sky-is-here a bit too close '. From the refuge we take the path that basically starts from the bottom of the terrace, and even here, I would say until Arnuva, nothing trivial, but handsome and air, via a combination of the other, then more enjoyable, more peaceful, up and down La Vachey. End of "games", or the end of suffering, depending on how one lives ... We decide not to go the balcony and the Bonatti refuge Bertone 'that we already have' to just 'like that! So we relax much along the asphalt along the Italian Val Ferret, Apo at some point stopped, attracted by a written sales tome and fontina in a hut along the way, makes the purchase and serve you a nice person of color that we lacked a little would begin to speak in patois (!), I, there in a hut crammed with fragrant cheeses handsomely (or puzzosi for those who love them), Val d'Aosta, as in Switzerland, served by a person who immigrated from Ghana from Senegal or Mali, fully integrated, the younger sister outside to load material presumably lead to the pastures. I did not feel like I'm taking photos, so today I can not tell if they were mirages after 5 days. efforts of a few salts or supplements that may have taken during the same, tell you what I know for sure is that my backpack weighed up to Entreves cars with all that damn sure a little 'bit of cheese that I bought the Alpine, but if you want to see for themselves, there remains that you also try to do the Tour du Mont Blanc en VTT!
__Guido Apo__
Total bike TMB 2010 (indicative)
| Stage | Path | Km | Disla. + | Net time | in pushing | + Portage |
| 1 | Courmayeur - Les Chapieux | 40 | 1900 | 5h 10min | 1h | 10 ' |
| 2 | The Chapieux - Les Contamines | 52 | 1920 | 5h 40min | 50 ' | 10 ' |
| 3 | contaminants - Grassonnet | 42 | 1200 | 3h 50min | 40 ' | 0h |
| 4 | The Grassonnet - Champex | 32 | 1350 | 5h 00min | 2h 10 ' | 20' |
| 5 | Champex - Courmayeur | 50 | 1730 | 5h 30min | 1h | 0h |
| | | 216 | 8100 | 25h 10 ' | 5h 40' | 40 ' |
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