TMB - a Ride of Three Halves
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 12:06 am
Having done minimal research on the TMB Route, other than downloading some free Open Source Mapping tile (which turned out to be worthwhile, if not up to Ordnance Survey quality), I set off from a Sun Drenched Chamonix with Slugwash and three other adventurers. We used the last lift of the season the start the ride on the Brevent ridge, descending the rugged switchback trail to Les Houches, where another lift assisted our progress. Puncturing within 500m from the start, it rapidly became clear that the terrain was going to be unforgiving, and the downhill through the woods to Les Contamines was equally challenging, even on a dry day, but tremendous fun. The day finished with some climbing on a 4x4 trail to the Nant Borrant refuge, and some very nice cider!
After an easy first day, the climb to the Col du Bonhomme was a shock, requiring extensive pushing and shouldering the bike up the steep rocky trail, gaining 1000m before a welcome lunch at the high refuge. The descent was also tricky and by this stage I was convinced I should have brought a dropper post or at least a QR for saddle height adjustment – I don’t have enough clearance to use a saddle pack on the small FS Spearfish anyway. The afternoons climb to the Col de la Seigne, and Italian border, was also a long push-fest, but finished with a nice descent to the pleasant Refuge Elisabetta. Certainly the slowest 30km I’ve navigated for some time, with hikers leaving us well behind.
The ride to Courmayeur the following morning started with a pleasant cruise down the valley before another solid hike up the Eastern flank with the promise of some scintillating singletrack into the town. I expect the singletrack was there, but not on the official TMB route, which turned into a frustrating un-ride-able staircase through the woods above Courmayeur. The road up the valley was a pleasant change to carrying the bike but the rapid progress soon stopped at the hike up the Col Ferret, where we passed a group of bikers coming the opposite way, mostly pushing down the track! Thankfully the descent into Switzerland was the best on this route, followed by more rapid progress down the valley before a stiff climb on the road to Champex-Lac. This should have been a bivi night, but with a stormy forecast and a very pleasant B&B available, the soft option was taken!
The next day was our first in wet and foggy conditions and involved a long HAB up the Bovine, followed by a slow, steep descent through wet rocks and roots, much of which was ride-able, but not without consequences if there was a lapse in concentration. It was obvious that flat pedals and hiking boots would also have been wise, for confidence on the steep down as well as the extensive walking. With snow falling on the high ground and no appetite for more HAB misery, we elected to take the road from Col de la Forclaz back to Chamonix, missing out the Col de la Balme.
At this point I was happy to be finished, and whilst it was a fun adventure, a lot was type 2 fun, and it wasn’t a route I wanted to take my bike hiking on again. 24 hours later Slugwash and I met up with Gairy and took the tunnel to Courmayeur to ride an alternative version of the first half, in reverse direction. We where blessed with perfect weather and the road/trail ride up to the Col de la Seigne was fantastic and almost all done in the saddle, despite snow on the col. The descent down (what had been a tedious push a few days earlier) was a high speed classic, just what I hoped the Alpes would offer. The rest of the day was spent on empty roads, climbing the Col de Roselend, then descending to the lake where we found a very nice ‘bivi’…
The next day was also a blinder, and in perfect conditions we climbed, on the bikes, up a trail to a ridge west of the Col du Bonhomme, avoiding the tedium of a long hike up and significant walking down this beast. In contrast the descent to Les Comtamines was a mix of techy singletrack then gravel trails, all of which was great riding. With time pressure to get back to Chamonix we took the train up the valley from Le Fayet, at the end of a fab day. This left me wanting to come back for more Alpine riding, free from the constraints of ‘official routes’, exploiting local knowledge, where possible, to ride the best trails. There are many ways to Tour of the Mont Blanc massif and once you get over the need to follow a walkers route, there is lots of good riding that exploits the topography for two-wheeled tourers. A big thank you to Slugwash for pulling this trip together, and Gairy for showing us a different perspective to the TMB.
After an easy first day, the climb to the Col du Bonhomme was a shock, requiring extensive pushing and shouldering the bike up the steep rocky trail, gaining 1000m before a welcome lunch at the high refuge. The descent was also tricky and by this stage I was convinced I should have brought a dropper post or at least a QR for saddle height adjustment – I don’t have enough clearance to use a saddle pack on the small FS Spearfish anyway. The afternoons climb to the Col de la Seigne, and Italian border, was also a long push-fest, but finished with a nice descent to the pleasant Refuge Elisabetta. Certainly the slowest 30km I’ve navigated for some time, with hikers leaving us well behind.
The ride to Courmayeur the following morning started with a pleasant cruise down the valley before another solid hike up the Eastern flank with the promise of some scintillating singletrack into the town. I expect the singletrack was there, but not on the official TMB route, which turned into a frustrating un-ride-able staircase through the woods above Courmayeur. The road up the valley was a pleasant change to carrying the bike but the rapid progress soon stopped at the hike up the Col Ferret, where we passed a group of bikers coming the opposite way, mostly pushing down the track! Thankfully the descent into Switzerland was the best on this route, followed by more rapid progress down the valley before a stiff climb on the road to Champex-Lac. This should have been a bivi night, but with a stormy forecast and a very pleasant B&B available, the soft option was taken!
The next day was our first in wet and foggy conditions and involved a long HAB up the Bovine, followed by a slow, steep descent through wet rocks and roots, much of which was ride-able, but not without consequences if there was a lapse in concentration. It was obvious that flat pedals and hiking boots would also have been wise, for confidence on the steep down as well as the extensive walking. With snow falling on the high ground and no appetite for more HAB misery, we elected to take the road from Col de la Forclaz back to Chamonix, missing out the Col de la Balme.
At this point I was happy to be finished, and whilst it was a fun adventure, a lot was type 2 fun, and it wasn’t a route I wanted to take my bike hiking on again. 24 hours later Slugwash and I met up with Gairy and took the tunnel to Courmayeur to ride an alternative version of the first half, in reverse direction. We where blessed with perfect weather and the road/trail ride up to the Col de la Seigne was fantastic and almost all done in the saddle, despite snow on the col. The descent down (what had been a tedious push a few days earlier) was a high speed classic, just what I hoped the Alpes would offer. The rest of the day was spent on empty roads, climbing the Col de Roselend, then descending to the lake where we found a very nice ‘bivi’…
The next day was also a blinder, and in perfect conditions we climbed, on the bikes, up a trail to a ridge west of the Col du Bonhomme, avoiding the tedium of a long hike up and significant walking down this beast. In contrast the descent to Les Comtamines was a mix of techy singletrack then gravel trails, all of which was great riding. With time pressure to get back to Chamonix we took the train up the valley from Le Fayet, at the end of a fab day. This left me wanting to come back for more Alpine riding, free from the constraints of ‘official routes’, exploiting local knowledge, where possible, to ride the best trails. There are many ways to Tour of the Mont Blanc massif and once you get over the need to follow a walkers route, there is lots of good riding that exploits the topography for two-wheeled tourers. A big thank you to Slugwash for pulling this trip together, and Gairy for showing us a different perspective to the TMB.
