The Mont Blanc bike tour :
Switzerland - Italy - France

We start the day gently by taking a slightly hilly road for about forty kilometers.

We then cross the Valle d'Aosta, famous for its medieval castles, its typical hamlets and its emblematic snow-covered peaks among the highest in the Alps. If you look up, you can see the famous Mont Blanc massif on the horizon. It reveals itself to us from several angles during our journey. Once again, we are amazed. The vision of these imposing landscapes makes us forget the aches of the day before.

Once the muscles are warmed up, we challenge the Petit Saint-Bernard pass, less high in altitude than its Swiss counterpart but still culminating at 2'188m. This long ascent starts gently. The slopes are a bit steeper, but never extreme, on the last kilometers. You can give yourself courage by imagining that this route has been covered four times by the riders of the Tour de France. The purists will be proud to add this new summit of more than 2'000 m to their list of achievements, a few years after the mythical heroes of that time, the famous Gino Bartali and Michele Gismondi, wearing their red polka-dot tunics.

At the highest point of the climb, you have time to take some pictures in a high mountain atmosphere.

Then we leave this viewpoint and plunge into the Haute-Tarentaise valley which reveals its green vegetation and its varied fauna and flora.

We cross the border once again to reach France.

The town of Bourg-St-Maurice welcomes us for a well-deserved rest and a meal composed of local Savoyard products.

The serious stuff starts right away with the ascent of another mythical pass climbed by the valiant riders of the Tour de France: the Cormet de Roselend.

This climb between Tarentaise and Beaufortin is located on the Route des Grandes Alpes, not far from Italy. It offers us a beautiful diversity of landscapes. Between alpine pastures and mountains, our five senses keep us awake all along the climb, so that we quickly forget the difficulty of the effort.

I must admit that this pass is one of my favorites of this trip around the Mont-Blanc. I have done it many times, in competition and with friends. Each time, I rediscover it with great pleasure without ever getting tired of it. I am looking forward to taking you there.

At the highest point, at 1'968 m of altitude, you will have the feeling of being alone in the world in the middle of this raw nature.

We start the descent to reach the impressive and grandiose Roselend dam and its turquoise waters. The surrounding mountains, including the famous Pierra Menta, complete this postcard landscape.

Then, we take some height for a few kilometers on a bucolic road that leads to the col du Pré. This alternative adds a few vertical drops to the stage but allows us to admire, from another angle, the breathtaking Roselend dam.

A nice descent then takes us to Arêche, then to Beaufort, a real playground for mountain bike and ski touring enthusiasts. This village is also famous for its Beaufort AOC, a tasty mountain cheese, the pride of the Savoyards.

We have a well deserved break before starting the last difficulty of the day: the ascent of the Saisies pass.

The small mountain road that takes us there is a well known itinerary for cyclists in the region. Here, we cross few motorists and motorcyclists. We almost believe that this route was designed especially for us. The slope is pleasant at the beginning, then, it becomes slightly harder on the second part of the route which leads to the French winter sports resort located at the top of the pass, at 1'633 m of altitude.

We finally switch to the Val d'Arly to reach our final destination: Megève.

We stay in the heart of this resort with its authentic charm and its extraordinary heritage.

That's it, our journey is almost over.

We are getting tired but the beauty and diversity of the landscapes we encounter during this last stage gives us the courage to get back on the saddle to cover the last kilometers.

We are getting closer to the Mont-Blanc, the roof of Europe which culminates at 4'809 m. You can observe it at your leisure when we arrive in the Chamonix valley. The legendary glaciers and peaks that surround it are called the Aiguille Verte, the Grandes Jorasses, the Drus. They are the dream of experienced mountaineers, contemplative tourists and skiers from all over the world. Chamonix is an ideal resort to take a little break to eat before going on with the last slopes. We stop in the old town to get our strength back before getting back in the saddle.

A low percentage climb leads us to Argentiere where the slopes are more sustained until the Col des Montets. You are now in the heart of the magnificent Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve. This little corner of nature is also the starting point for alpine hiking tours in the middle of the mountains and other short walks facing the Mont-Blanc.

We start the descent and the majestic panoramas follow one another for our greatest pleasure.

We cross the Swiss border and gather our strength to undertake the ultimate ascent of our adventure around the Mont-Blanc: seven short kilometers during which we never stop admiring the landscape that surrounds us.

First, we discover the Emosson dam, which saw the arrival of the Tour de France in 2016.

When we arrive at the village of Trient, we see the glacier des Grands and the majestic Aiguilles du Tour.

A few pedal strokes separate us from the Col de la Forclaz which culminates at 1'526 meters.

You are almost there! What a personal victory when you reach the road sign that marks the summit.

Finally, we plunge cautiously into the Rhone valley, through the vineyards until we reach our starting point. We reach Martigny with heavy legs but light hearts.

We are proud to have completed this human and sporting adventure.