Giro del Lac Gignoux da Cesana

Beautiful high altitude ride with start and finish in Bousson (hamlet of Cesana).

Convenient parking right at the beginning of the dirt road that, with constant slopes around 9-10%, leads on an excellent bottom in the direction of Lago Nero. Before the Black Lake turn right to reach, with a dirt traverse characterized by gentle ups and downs and excellent bottom, Sagna Longa. From here you go up again on excellent dirt road with not excessive and regular slopes to Colle Bercia.

From the pass a short stretch still with an excellent bottom allows you to take a breather, before a narrowing and worsening of the bottom that preludes the last steep ramps to Col Saurel. The first climb ends just below Col Saurel, because on the right you take a path (S1 with a single S2 passage) that leads on a fantastic route (never too technical and at the same time quite smooth) to the ski slopes of Claviere. From here you cut left on a fast but rocky descent to Monginevro.

At Montgenèvre the climb begins, always on excellent ground, leading up to the area of multiple forts near the Col du Gondran. Those with legs can also climb up to the Janus on a rougher and steeper bottom, otherwise continue on a dirt road with fantastic views up to the last fort of the Col du Gondran. Access to this last fort involves a short ascent and a downhill section on trail, all of which is easily circumvented by keeping to the right at the fork before the fort (you do not pass through the fort but go around it with comfortable dirt road downhill).

After passing through the fort area you finally begin the magnificent traverse, which, with wonderful views, offers several miles of idyllic up-and-down singletrack on dirt. Very few stones and obstacles, crazy enjoyment even if there are some challenging ramps (especially at the beginning). At the end of this trail you reach the beautiful Lac Gignoux (or Lake of 7 Colors).

To reach Col Saurel from the lake you have to overcome a short but deadly ramp, but soon afterwards you take the path on the right that, passing Lake Saurel, leads on a spectacular trail (smooth and not very technical but still S1) to the Mautino Hut. The piece of trail before the Mautino Hut is rougher and more uneven, so those who want to can avoid it by taking a handful of hairpin bends downhill on the dirt road. From the Capanna Mautino you take the trail again, which now offers a few flat sections in the woods, slopes that are never too steep and a trail that is always fairly easy (some sections S0, but generally S1) that cuts across the dirt road taken at the start of the tour in some places. After a while the trail widens and climbs, the gradient increases, and it continues in this way until Bousson. The last little piece of trail, which is taken to the left of the paved road literally at the first turn taken at the start of the tour, can safely be avoided because it is ruined, short and basically useless compared to the whole of the fantastic previous trail.