Alpine Playground – Adventure around Mont Blanc
Pünkösti Vincze Gellért, 32
Hometown: Kolozsvár
Height: 175cm // 5’7”
Weight: 72kg // 158lbs
Instagram: @punkosti.gellert
The Tour of Mont Blanc (TMB) is an absolutely spectacular alpine enduro multi-day ride passing glaciers, crossing high mountain passes, and traversing the borders of France, Switzerland and Italy, totaling about 180 km and 8000 m elevation in 4-5 days.
There are many ways of doing it—clockwise or counterclockwise, more roads or fewer—but either way, it's going to be a great adventure. There is an MTB-specific route that is probably the easiest and most bike-friendly, but it involves a lot of pedaling on 4x4 "roads", which can be a bit monotonous from a riding perspective. I chose to follow a combination of the runners' and bikers' routes, which has a lot more hike-a-bike segments. However, overall, the riding experience will satisfy the experienced mountain biker way more.
The perfect rig for this ride is the Bold Linkin Ultimate, a lightweight, versatile Swiss pocket knife on two wheels. It’s really fun on the fast flowy sections, super precise on the technical, low-speed rock gardens, very lightweight, hence easy to throw the tail at every endo turn (which you’re going to end up doing a loooot), and yet still very efficient on the long climbs.
Talking about flow and lightness reminds me of how much I hate carrying a heavy backpack and how it ruins the ride a bit. You might notice that I didn't have a backpack during my rides. Well, this was possible thanks to Bold's genius little "Save the Day Kit", which includes a tube, pump, levers, multi-tool set, chain links, and I even managed to squeeze in a tubeless repair kit. The best part is that all this kit fits inside the frame. Having this amazing feature on the bike allows the rider to stash the rest of his essential kit in a small hip bag.
The ride itself starts in Chamonix with a clockwise direction up to Le Tour, where you can take a lift to save some energy. As soon as you are at the top, a short traverse to Refuge Col de Balme, from where the first of many epic descents begins. This is a Chamonix classic with technical rocky sections for the first half, but amazing loamy, rooty switchbacks in the forest all the way down to Trient. From here, a 30-minute pedal up the road or trail to Col de la Forclaz.
On the next section, having a light bike will make a difference because it's about 2 hours of push/hike-a-bike that can put some people off, leading them to prefer the longer way down the valley and more on roads. If you choose this route, the downhill will be very rewarding all the way down to Champex, starting with some high-speed flow sections and getting more technical and steeper in the forest. Expert riding skills on steep, rocky, exposed terrain, and mastering the endo turn are a must to truly enjoy these sections. I spent the night at Gite Bon Abri where the host Gábor greeted me with some traditional Hungarian Pálinka to warm the spirits and some nice local Swiss fondue.
Day 2 started with a short but cold descent at 6 am to Orsières, from where one of the longest uphills begins. It's about 4 hours of pedaling on relatively easy and all-bikeable terrain. As soon as the sun hits, it gets really hot even though it's late autumn, so make sure you have enough water. After this long but scenic climb, you arrive at the border with Italy at Grand Col Ferret. Make sure you take a nice long break and enjoy the stunning scenery of Triolet Glacier and Grand Jorasses peak.
The next descent is one of my favorites, with fast and smooth high-speed straights leading to some steep switchbacks—all in stunning alpine Italian glory. You can ride all the way down the valley next to the river on some smooth and easy trails. If you still have some energy, there is a lot more to explore on the left side of the valley all the way down to Courmayeur on some flowy ups and downs. Once in the village, treat yourself to a big delicious Italian pizza and Tiramisu.
Day 3 starts yet again with another long climb at the foot of Monte Bianco, but these huge giants feed you with incredible energy to muscle your way up to Col de la Seigne and back to the French side. From here, most of the routes would descend, and you would have to spend another night before the last day. I decided to push on and try to finish on the 3rd day. I found almost no info on the next part, so the real exploring was just starting. I know the other side is going to be really nice for biking, as I've been exploring there before, but this approach turned out to be a long and exhausting hike/climb-a-bike that I don't recommend, except for those who really want to push their limits.
Finally, I reached Tête Nord des Fours peak, which at 2756m is the highest point in the tour. Oh boy, the downhill looked so promising from here, and it really was. Fast, open, smooth terrain, just letting go of the brakes, swooshing down this amazing peak. If you have time and energy, I really recommend exploring around Roselend lake. There is one specific ridge line that is just perfect for biking, if you don't mind the massive exposure on your right. With very little time, I rushed down to Les Contamines, and with no more daylight, I had to continue down the road to Le Fayet and take a train back to Chamonix.
On the train back, I had a bit of time to just take it all in, staring at my dusty Linkin, realizing what a good two-wheel partner it was in every scenario, no matter what the mountains threw at us."
Frame: BOLD LINKIN 150 Ultimate, Medium
Fork: FOX 36 Float Factory Grip2 150mm
Setting: 2 Token, 84psi, LSC +9 clicks, HSC +3 clicks, LSR +4 clicks, HSR +4
Shock: FOX Float Nude5
Setting: 184psi, LSC +6 clicks, LSR +8 clicks
Bar/Stem: Syncros Hixon IC SL, 780mm
Grips: Syncros Endurance
Brakes: Shimano M9120 XTR
Rotors: Shimano RT-MT900 CL 203/180mm
Seatpost: Syncros Duncan, 200mm
Saddle: Syncros Tofino 1.0
Cranks: SRAM XX1 Eagle
Rear Derailleur: SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS 12-Speed
Shifter: SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS 12-Speed
Cassette: SRAM XX1 Eagle 12-Speed
Chain: SRAM XX1 Eagle 12-Speed
Wheels: Syncros Revelstoke 1.0S
Tyres: Front: Maxxis Minion 29x2.5 Exo // Rear: Maxxis Minion 29x2.5 Exo
Pedals: HT X1
Total Weight: 13 kg// 28lbs
