They didn't actually ride the Grandes Alpes® Route, but their adventure deserves to be told...
Can you introduce yourselves?
Marc and Jean-Marc. We're both 63 and work, one in real estate, the other in finance.... And above all, we're old sporting accomplices!
Why this Tour du Mont Blanc?
Because it's a nice challenge to cross 3 countries, by bike, circling around this Mont Blanc that I (Jean-Marc) see from my balcony in Chamonix.
Which route?
Chamonix - Chamonix in 2 days through Valais, Aosta Valley, Savoie, then Haute-Savoie. Total 338 km and 8500 m ascent.
On August 15 we set off at 7:30 am, for 173 km and almost 5000 m of climbing. After a stopover in La Thuile, Italy, we set off again the following day for 165 km and around 3800 m of ascent. We returned to Chamonix on the 16th at 8:30 p.m.
.With what equipment?
We were both on BMC Team Machine SLR 01s, each equipped with a lightweight pannier. All we took with us was a T-shirt, shorts, a pair of flip-flops and a toothbrush!
Your trifecta of passes?
Number 1, the Cormet de Roselend, from Bourg-St-Maurice. Magnificent!
In 2, the Col de Champex: 1000 m ascent in Switzerland, from Martigny to Orsières. Really nice and quiet!
In 3 Petit-Saint-Bernard, from La Thuile. We climbed it in the early morning, with a magnificent sunrise. It was so beautiful that we thought we'd come back in winter to ski-tour the area.
A word about the Great St Bernard... When you come out of the tunnels on the way up and catch the headwind, in freezing temperatures and a high-mountain atmosphere, it's really quite impressive!
Your best and worst memories?
The best part was arriving in Chamonix. The happiness of having done it, because it was still a big challenge.
Worst moment? Perhaps a little sluggishness on the climb up to Le Cormet, due to the onset of hunger pangs. But we made up for it very quickly by stuffing ourselves with polenta, in a restaurant after Lac de Roselend.
Ane anecdote?
In La Thuile, we had booked a 45' massage each. But as we were an hour late, the masseur gave it to us in accelerated, ultra-tonic mode, Asterix-style for those who know. We gritted our teeth! ....