The 2nd Torino-Nice Rally

[SixPotBelly]

Quite a few of us stayed at the Tomato Backpackers last year. OK, so it's not a hotel but it was much nicer than I was expecting for a hostel.

[jameso]

so this is my plan have 12 days vacation,stay in turin night before the start,leave my bike bag at hotel,ride to nice.
ride back to turin along the country roads is this possible.
anyone know a good hotel to stay in turin

If you head towards the Roya valley (and look up the info on trains on the TNR updates page) it's easy enough to ride back to Turin with the option of grabbing a train in stages via Tende and Cuneo as needed.
Hotel - as Lawrence says try the Tomato Hostel, if full let me know and I'll ask our man in Turin for a couple more recommendations.

[Richard G]

Looking unlikely I'm going to make this because of work. Gutted as it looks awesome. :(

[windjammer]

Looking unlikely I'm going to make this because of work. Gutted as it looks awesome. :(

get a new job,what is more important than a adventure across the alps

[Richard G]

Alas, it's a business I've spent the last 15 years building up... so binning it for a ride might be a little short sighted.

[jameso]

That's a shame Richard but the route's not going anywhere and there's always next year.

[Pyro]

Won't make the Rally but love the look of the route. I've headed out to the Briancon/Argentiere-la-Bessee area the past few years to go kayaking, and have wondered about a way of getting a couple of days decent riding in. We head out in June though, so there could still be snowpack on a some of the higher sections...

Hmmm...

[Scott L]

Hello all,

Thinking of incorporated the rally into a longer tour in Europe. Just waiting on pay day to book the relevant flights.

Can any one recommend maps for a garmin etrex for use in Europe? Ideally covering Austria, Slovenia, Italy and France...

I use the UK Bikepack ones off the forum here in the UK.

Thanks
Scott

[SixPotBelly]

Can any one recommend maps for a garmin etrex for use in Europe? Ideally covering Austria, Slovenia, Italy and France...

I used Wanderkarte http://www.wanderreitkarte.de/garmin_de.php?lang=en

[ZeroDarkBivi]

Can any one recommend maps for a garmin etrex for use in Europe? Ideally covering Austria, Slovenia, Italy and France...

I use tiles from the site below for all my overseas trips - free & with routable roads, they might not be Ordnance Survey standard, but have always been good enough:

http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

[monskton]

Hi,
Wanted to know if anyone is planning to make it in a 5-6 days pace. Is it feasible? Sleeping at least 5-6 hours sometimes hostel, or bivac.
My fellows from Barcelona don't plan to ride the rally this year so I would like to make acquaintance in advance with someone I can follow
I have ridden CAT700 this year which is a MTB Brevet of 650 kms and 15000m+ in 4 days.
cheers,
Xavi

[Dave Barter]

We did it at that pace last year Monkston with plenty of sleep

[SixPotBelly]

Depends on whether that's taking one or both of the two big shortcuts or doing the full route. 5 days including the Dronero loop and the Via del Sale would be quite an achievement, though I don't think impossible. The group I fell in with took 9 days (or so, wasn't counting), with plenty of stopping to take in the views and proper sit down dinners. We were the lantern rouge group though. Mind you, I heard nobody say afterwards that they wished they'd done it quicker, but I've heard plenty say they wish they'd taken more time...

[monskton]

We did it at that pace last year Monkston with plenty of sleep

Thanks Dave, I have seen also your strava rides very useful on the planning.
If I am finally coming I would be very glad to know you.

[monskton]

Depends on whether that's taking one or both of the two big shortcuts or doing the full route. 5 days including the Dronero loop and the Via del Sale would be quite an achievement, though I don't think impossible. The group I fell in with took 9 days (or so, wasn't counting), with plenty of stopping to take in the views and proper sit down dinners. We were the lantern rouge group though. Mind you, I heard nobody say afterwards that they wished they'd done it quicker, but I've heard plenty say they wish they'd taken more time...

Thanks fo the info sixpot. Certainly it would be very nice to spend 9 or more days, but unfortunately I have limited vacations. Interesting what you say about the cues and shortcuts. I did not have the chance yet to have a look at them but I guess you save time but also miss good scenery... on 2018 there is a bunch of riders planning to come from Barcelona, so my point would be take the shortcuts if necessary this year, and plan the complete route for next year.

[jameso]

Depends on whether that's taking one or both of the two big shortcuts or doing the full route. 5 days including the Dronero loop and the Via del Sale would be quite an achievement, though I don't think impossible. The group I fell in with took 9 days (or so, wasn't counting), with plenty of stopping to take in the views and proper sit down dinners. We were the lantern rouge group though. Mind you, I heard nobody say afterwards that they wished they'd done it quicker, but I've heard plenty say they wish they'd taken more time...

Thanks fo the info sixpot. Certainly it would be very nice to spend 9 or more days, but unfortunately I have limited vacations. Interesting what you say about the cues and shortcuts. I did not have the chance yet to have a look at them but I guess you save time but also miss good scenery... on 2018 there is a bunch of riders planning to come from Barcelona, so my point would be take the shortcuts if necessary this year, and plan the complete route for next year.

I've ridden the options and in the wider area, tbh it's pretty much all stunning with no shortage of memorable riding on or off-route. All the options do is make it flexible, more involving, maybe a reason to ride it again in future etc. The TNR route just links up some classics in that area with some less-known but truly beautiful sections but I'd always say you're better off riding a few and enjoying it then short-cutting through some nice villages on road, than getting to that 'Bollocks, another huge climb .. ' tired and jaded stage : )

There's 2 more significant short-cut routes in the files this year, one after the Little Peru section that takes out the 2 minor climbs that follow it (replaced by a flat valley ride of similar distance, uses some slightly busier roads but nothing like some of the valley roads can be). The other takes you from the Col Turini to Nice with only a couple of small rises, almost 50km downhill. Using both of those if needed and riding efficiently in good weather, 5-6 days can be enough to ride plenty of the highlights.

Route files done, just doing some new cues in French, Italian and German .. with the help of google translate

[Chew]

I wouldnt call them 'short cuts' either.
We decided to take the 'alternate' down the "Road of Death", and it was one of the highlights of the trip.

There are so many highlights in that area it would be difficult not to find something you like.

[Bearbonesnorm]

"Road of Death"

Just remember to turn your lights on at the top ... even if it's mid-day

[SixPotBelly]

I wouldnt call them 'short cuts' either.
We decided to take the 'alternate' down the "Road of Death", and it was one of the highlights of the trip.

There are so many highlights in that area it would be difficult not to find something you like.

I would, on the grounds they were shorter and cut not insignificant time from the route,



Full route (as I've coined it) in red, first shortcut in blue. Saves maybe 3/4 day, as the high altitude track to Dronero was perhaps the rockiest and hardest to ride of the route.

The second shortcut, coming straight down from Tende, cuts out even more. It took us over a day to get from the ski cafe on Tende to La Brigue at the bottom going via Don Barbera and the Via del Sale.

But I'm aware I missed something special by not taking the Road of Death descent. I'll be going that way this year The Via del Sale was a highlight though, and I'll be doing that again :)

[jameso]

Well they are short-cuts, just not sh1t-short-cuts : ) maybe 'alternates' is a better word but (confusingly, probably) the route is broken down into sections, in some sections you take 1 of 2 options, and there's short-cuts within some of those sections. Even if one of the options - the Tende switchbacks - is shorter it's still a major landmark ride / section in it's own right. Didn't want the 'short cut' thing there to make anyone feel like they were 'bailing or failing'. It was a real dilemma in 2015 which route to take there, we rode the Via del Sale in the end but took the switchbacks last year. It's simply in the right part of the route to save a chunk of time if needed.

Will, Ben and I also took the death road last year, in many ways it's more of a unique and memorable section that the Strada Cannoni that it skips. The Cannoni is beautiful but hard-going on a gravel bike .. there's another shortcut (unmapped, just a cue note direction) if you want to bail off it about 1/3 of the way along after riding the early ridge area.

[SixPotBelly]

Absolutely, my post wasn't meant to in any way belittle the achievement of those that took them. It was merely meant to highlight that 5-6 days going that way is a different proposition to 5-6 days going the other way. I hope no-one took it differently!

[jameso]

No, diodn't read it that way at all Lawrence. Just route chat and I agree, 5-6 days on the full route would need a bit more focus. I was also trying to justify how we split up the route when really it fails any logic test : )

5 days using the full route and the original 'Fred Wright inspired' route options would be even more focussing, but that's getting closer to grading the option combos and discussing times again .. "moving on..."

[rufus748]

Another massive for the road of death!!
Stunning, possibly one of the most memorable sections of the ride.

[Bearbonesnorm]

possibly one of the most memorable sections of the ride.

It is possible*








*just for Andy and Chew.

[SixPotBelly]

Definitely going to go that way this time. I've heard so much about it. The promise of it is going to be what keeps me going when I'm pushing my bike up Colombardo!