Tour Monte Fallere

Day 1.

The itinerary starts from the Old Mill campsite in Saint Oyen. Just outside the town there is a way to fill water bottles and water bags with fresh water. The route is immediately uphill, which is challenging. Having gained some altitude, already there is a magnificent alpine panorama. The climb, albeit on a good forest road, continues relentlessly without letting up for several kilometers before reaching the beautiful Ars Valley, not before a really challenging section where there is no way to advance except by pushing the bike. From there it is not long to the Chaligne refuge, where a stop is a must both to catch your breath and to enjoy the magnificent scenery in which you find yourself.

Leaving the refuge, the climb continues again to get to the point where the steeply sloping trail begins and consequently the shoulder bike section that leads up to the Col de Metz. One more effort to reach the Cima de Metz (2,550m) from where there is a 360-degree panorama of the surrounding mountains.

Reaching the maximum altitude of the first day, the fun part of the descent on single track begins and we quickly lose altitude. The next stop is Lake Fallère (2,415m), to get there we take a beverage-eating trail with pushing and shouldering sections that naturally weigh you down even more from the effort already put in. The lake and the view of the peaks above it, however, erase this additional effort, especially with another well-deserved restful stop.

From the lake to the Mont Fallère refuge (2,385m), the final stage of the first day, we get there by a tough section of trail, again interspersed with pedaled, push (or shoulder) sections and short descents. The view of the hut, from above, is the perfect view of the end of a wonderful day that ends precisely with a beautiful descent on single track. Given the early start, we arrived at the hut around 2 p.m. and consequently settled down for a good plate of homemade pasta. Having then taken possession of the rooms, washed and cleaned up properly, we relaxed until dinnertime. On this first day we covered about 26km with almost 1,800m of positive elevation gain.

Day two

After an excellent buffet breakfast, refilled water bottles and water bags, we set off in the saddle again for only a few hundred meters. In fact, the uphill trail that is no longer rideable begins immediately, first gentler (allowing you to push the bike) then steeper and steeper where carrying the bike on your back becomes the most efficient way to advance.

At the end of this section you reach Col Fènetre (2,728m) and from there, a little higher still, Mount Vertosan (2,821m). From here, the highest point of elevation, the view is lost embracing the giants of the Alps: from Mt. Blanc to Mt. Rosa and the Matterhorn to Gran Paradiso, while for most of the route the Grivola towers, which, with its snow-white mantle earns the title of true queen of the Tour. The descent from Col Fènetre is very steep, on single track, with some exposed sections where great care must be taken, and takes us to the alpine pasture of Tza de Flassin.

From here, being at a lower elevation, the landscape becomes greener again and the next stretch at altitude (with a slight descent) is great fun against a picture-postcard backdrop. At the end of the trail we find ourselves on the Tete du Bois de Quart, a stupendous vantage point from where, once again, the summit of Mont Blanc can also be seen. The final descent is very long, first on a very technical section with lots of very tight switchbacks, then the trail becomes more flowing and super fun all the way to Citrin Desot and finally back to the Old Mill campsite in Saint Oyen. The complete tour had us pedaling for about 40km, covering 2,300m of elevation gain. A truly amazing route, crossing beautiful alpine landscapes, in great company, enjoying being together and sharing the passion of mountain-biking!