The holiday is a great opportunity to experience three countries (France, Switzerland and Italy) in one week of cycling and upon returning to Chamonix, having the great satisfaction of saying you have ridden all the way round the Mont Blanc Massif. It really is the best kind of road tour, no carrying panniers and wondering where you will be sleeping that night, just pure stripped down road riding leaving you able to tackle the climbs with nothing to hold you back.
We circumnavigate the Mont Blanc in a clockwise direction taking in eight major climbs, two of which are over 2000m high. Riding from France to Switzerland to Italy and then back into France again, the route covers a total distance of 235 miles and climbs a total of 9000m. Most of the route is predominantly based in the Haute Savoie region, so local dishes make up most of the lunch and evening meal menus. Many of the dishes consist mainly of meat, potatoes and cheese with dishes such as tartiflette, raclette and fondue being very popular. However, through experience perhaps a salad is more in keeping when a 1500m climb awaits you just after lunch!
Accommodation each night will be in local hotels, which provide clean and basic rooms, our evening meal and breakfast. We actually bring cereal with us in the support vehicle for extra breakfast food as we have found the staple coffee and croissant in the morning isn't really sufficient with a big day in the saddle ahead of you.
One of the good things about the length of the tour is that upon your return to Chamonix you have a whole extra day to recover and check out some of the many great sights it has to offer, relax and do some souvenir shopping. (For a list of great attractions, check out the Non-riders section of the website).
The descent from the Grand Col St Bernard
