The August Tour,

[velotel]

Solude, Emparis, Gondrans, Strada dell’Assietta, Lauson-Blegier, Jaffrau, the High Traverse, a dream list of dirt. Or mostly dirt, access via blacktop, sometimes a lot like the first day and last day rides, sometimes only a bit, like the trail to Lauson.

(If you saw my first post for the tours, you’ll notice itineraries have evolved.)

First day, pickup at the Geneva airport, drive to our hotel in Bourg d’Oisans. What happens next depends on timing at the airport. If everyone arrives early morning, normal for flights from the states, we’ll stop for lunch on the way if people are hungry. If not, straight to our lodging to unpack, prepare bikes, go for a ride.

A good one, Col du Solude. Steep and crazy spectacular, the road carved out of vertical cliffs, and three times through the cliffs. You’ll need lights for the tunnels. They’re black and steep inside! Not everyone has to have a light if we ride together but you might feel better with your own light. A stunning road. Finally leaves the cliff and zigs up through a forest clinging to remarkably steep slopes to arrive at the village of Villard Notre Dame where believe it or not people live year-round. There’s even a bar in the village.

Road’s been either a one-laner or a generous one-laner with good blacktop until now. After the village packed dirt and gravel up then traversing the mountain with Bourg d’Oisans seemingly under our feet and across the valley the famous Alpe d’Huez switchbacks. The back side of Solude is a ripping good descent to the valley floor where we’ll do a small detour to get back to Bourg d’Oisans via a fast, gravel track along the river.

Day Two, short shuttle, unload bikes, roll off, destination Plateau d’Emparis, one of my all-time favorite places accessed via one of my all-time favorite climbs. First on asphalt to the village of Mizoën perched on a hill overlooking the Chambon dam and reservoir, then 2 K of twisting, paved one-laner carved out of the hillside. Dirt kicks in at a switchback with a fountain of spring water for topping off bottles for the climb to come. Some 900 vertical later (3000 ft) lunch at the Refuge les Mouterres.

Usually I don’t eat during rides but this little restaurant on the Plateau d’Emparis is too good to pass by. Great food, sublime views, and a delightful young couple who own the place. You’ll love it. A few Ks to the top, including some big ring spinning, then a 12 K plunge off the mountain, first 6 K exciting dirt, second 6 K fast, twisting blacktop down to and through the medieval stone village of Besse followed by road spinning back to the van. A day to remember. Then a shuttle over Col du Lautaret, down through the Guisane valley, past Briançon, and up and around into the gorgeous and somewhat remote valley of La Clarée to our hotel near Névache where we can finish up with a sauna, hot tub, or steam before dinner.

Day Three, fun cruise down the valley to Briançon then onto the road to Col de l’Izoard for a few K. Swing left onto an old military road that once was paved but now consists of eroding asphalt, gravel, and dirt, destination Col des Gondrans. Few cyclists have heard of it. 13 vertical meters lower than Col de l’Izoard lots of switchbacks, some short tunnels, plus some long sections of brutal steepness.

Views but nothing dramatic, Southerly exposure, steep slopes dropping into a narrow valley. And a killer finale, 3,5 K at 10,5%! Thankfully once past that the road goes all limp across a rolling landscape of meadows and flowers and big views in every direction. For those with energy to burn, an interesting option, a road to an old fort on Mont Janus. Steep with an often loose surface, adds another 300 or so vertical to the climb. Huge views off the top. Coming back down tricky with the loose gravel. Then down through the Montgenèvre ski area via a long dirt road to the Col de Montgenèvre highway and down to our small road back to the hotel where we can once again finish up with a sauna, hot tub, or steam before dinner.

Day Four, short shuttle to our hotel on the Colle di Sestriere. Out of the van and onto the bikes, and up to the Strada dell’Assieta, the famous dirt road wandering back and forth along the ridge between the Sestriere and Susa-Bardonecchia valleys. Technically there’s nothing hard on the strada, fat tires aren’t even needed, just more comfortable. The hardest part is getting up to it. We’re doing it the easier way, up the road from Sestriere.

A good climb, honest steep, not hero steep, a thin forest then nothing but meadows and rock fields and views that go into permanent expansion mode as we climb. Over a hill; down to Colle Basset and the gate controlling access to the Strada. Romp city, then 6 K of fast rolling until an at times quite hard climb for a couple of K up to 2500 meters with a fine view off the top.

Quick plunge to Colle Blegier where we’ll be tomorrow followed by a long fast section, to, as usual, another climb, but easier. That’s the Strada dell’Assietta, lots of up and down and lots of smiles. Colle dell’Assieta is the start of a long glide to the valley floor but if anyone’s of a mind, Colle della Finestre can be bagged with a 300 vertical (960 ft) climb. (There’s another super interesting option to Finestre but I need to check it out to be sure what it amounts to.) Back to Sestriere is a 14 K run up the valley, mostly easy but, of course, with one rude section just to remind us we’re in the Alps.

Day Five, shuttle to Oulx for what might be my favorite day of the tour. I love double-tracks, especially when they ride like a single-track, and this one is a beauty. From the valley floor to the Strada dell’Assietta 16 K and over 1500 vertical (5000 ft) away. Switchback heaven, round and delightfully ridable, up through a forest of melèze shading slopes carpeted in low bushes, moss, and ferns. Trail shifts into a flowing rise through a thinning forest into meadows of grasses via a long contour; a fun, at times semi-technical trail, finally topping out on the ridge between Colle Lauson and Colle dell’Assietta. Turn right on the road for a fast run reversing 4-K’s worth of what we rode yesterday to Colle Blegier and the start of an invigorating descent. Major fun all the way down to the valley floor. We’ll either reverse what we rode up all the way down or maybe partway down turn off and follow a track across steep slopes to a twisting, paved road down through Sauze d’Oulx and on to Oulx. Fantastic day, not the longest nor biggest in climbing but a ride I could do over and over if I lived there.

Day Six, Fort Jafferau, 2805 meters (9203 ft), our highest summit and longest sustained climb, lots of switchbacks, lots of exposure, a gorgeous ride. The original idea was ride Colle del Sommeiller, summit 2995 meters, but decided to do Jafferau because in the end it’s a more pleasant climb. Sommeiller really wants fatter tires, especially for the descent, and low gears, a full-on mountain bike or something like a Moots Baxter that can run tires damn near as fat a mountain bike’s. Sommeiller is one of those climbs to do once and call it good; Jafferau’s a repeater.

The first 9 K of the climb is a classic mountain road of rustic asphalt and a tight roadbed with half a dozen switchbacks linked by long traverses. The shift to dirt goes into a series of stackbacks up the mountain followed by a long contouring traverse across the mountain through scattered forests and across fields of grasses sweeping down from the ridgeline above. A few switchbacks and long traverses and we’re up at almost 2600 meters elevation and the start of a glorious romp along the ridge with some sections featuring nice air off the side. Some 4 K and 200 vertical later we’re on the summit, elevation 2800 meters, 360° panorama. Best view of the tour. Then we get to ride down all that we came up, icing on the cake.

Day Seven, a possibly frustrating shuttle from Oulx. Frustrating because of the drive up to Col du Mont Cenis; you’ll want to be on bikes instead of in the van. Big climb, 30 K, almost 1600 vertical (5250 ft), rarely hard, but long. If everyone wants to do a classic road col, why not. We could even ride up to the lake, cross the damn, ride a gravel road to join the superb road to Col du Petit Mont Cenis. Otherwise it’s over the col in the van and down the Maurienne Valley to La Chambre at the base of the roads to Col du Glandon and Col de la Madeleine. Park, jump on the bikes, head up to what I call the High Traverse, 7 K of sublime dirt road linking the Col de Chaussy and Col de la Madeleine roads.

Two ways to the High Traverse, via the Lacets de Montvernier and Col de Chaussy or up the road to Madeleine for around 5 K then up the tight road through Montaiment. The lacets are beautiful and cool but short, 200 vertical in 2,6 K followed by a long run up to Chaussy. Good climb, moderately steep, col at 1533 meters, a broad saddle of meadows with a small restaurant followed by an invigorating plunge on a buffed one-laner of a road to the turn to the High Traverse. Not sure why but my preference is the road through Montaiment. Less vertical but generally steeper with some rude ramps along the way, a pleasure of a climb.

The High Traverse, starts out on a one-laner of smooth blacktop, steep then easing off as it approaches Lac du Loup. A few stackbacks above the small lake gets us on a small plateau where the pavement ends and 7 K of dirt and gravel riding kicks in. A few steep ramps to keep everyone honest but all easily ridden. The only thing missing on the High Traverse is length; it’s not nearly long enough. I mean it’s so much fun you want it to go on and on. Instead it dives down through the ski area to join the road to the Madeleine 2,5 K and 187 vertical (614 ft) away. From the col back to the car is a crazy fast, twisting plunge down the old road through the village of Montgellafrey and back to La Chambre and the van, over 1500 vertical (5000 ft) of intense downhilling.

In the van, last shuttle, this time to Aix-les-Bains and our hotel next to the town’s port on Lake Bourget. Some hang time along the lake, maybe with a beer in hand, followed by a fine meal and good wine and savoring all that we just did, one hell of a week of riding. Nothing left but the shuttle to the airport the next morning and the August tour is in the history books.

Price per person, 2125€; lodging, breakfasts, 3 dinners (hotels with demi-pension pricing, possibility of 1 or 2 more nights with demi-pension, to be negotiated, might affect the price, maybe not), airport pick-up and delivery. If rental bikes need to be picked up that can be done too, depending on from where.

A few totally miscellaneous pics.

[velotel]

Details for anyone interested in the August and September tours, starting with how to make it happen.

Write me : hankbarlow at gmail

Tour slots are limited, logistics for small groups are easier.

Included in the tour price is airport pick-up and return, seven nights of lodging with breakfast each morning (at the moment each tour has 3 nights with dinners included in the prices, that may increase), pricing is double occupancy but obviously one to a room can be arranged.

One guide on all the rides (young and strong, not old and slow), second guide (the old and slow one) driving and riding when possible. The van won’t be following along behind to pick up stragglers but will be available if needed.

Rides in the August tour are loops or out-and-backs, in September most are point-to-point but sometimes with looping or out-and-back options. Flexibility is built-in so we can always shift things around if needed or desired, depending on wants. We’re there to have fun.

Not included are lunches and around half the dinners. Lunches because maybe people just want to haul something to eat along with them or maybe some spur of the moment stop will happen at some restaurant along the way, like at a refuge somewhere in the mountains. Dinners I prefer leaving to everyone because I have no idea how people eat, other than probably not like me. The exceptions to that are at hotels with demi-pension plans where alternatives are thin on the ground, or where the hotel’s restaurant is an excellent call anyway, which is often the case.

There’s also no masseur nor masseuse along for the tour. No mechanic either so best if you know your bike well. And where we’ll be most of the time no handy bike shops either.

Both tours are clearly groad oriented, or using the more common name gravel bike oriented, especially the August tour. The September tour is weighted towards fat-tired road bikes but can be ridden with normal road tires though as fat as 28mm is strongly recommended. Italian pavement is far from buff with cracks and holes and ragged repairs pretty much standard conditions, at least on the kind of small mountain roads we’ll be riding. My recommendation is running tubeless 35 mm to 40 mm tires.

Low gears are also recommended but that’s coming from someone who’s 74 years old and who now finds a 30/32 barely low enough on too many climbs, but still getting up ‘em. All of the rides include big climbs with grades in the high single-digits and sometimes ramps in the low double-digits. Believe me my objective was not finding the steepest, hardest climbs in the region for the tours; I was not an inquisitor in a previous life. But if you want to ride in the Alps, you’re going to have to ride steep grades. The only choice is how steep and whenever possible I always take the easier way, unless the hard way is just too gorgeous to pass up. The aesthetics of where we ride are always for me of utmost importance.

Okay, I guess that pretty much covers things.