The 1st Torino-Nice Rally, anyone?

[gairym]

Never rains in the Alps, we've decided. And they must ship the snow in each winter.

I wish that were true but we've only just emerged from a solid month of heavy rain (still thunderstorms every other day).

From my experience September is likely to be nice, dry and warm but not as hot as the previous two months.

But last year we had snow and so you never can tell.

I'll have my car (leaving it in Turin and getting the train back up from Nice) and will be heading to the UK in October and so in theory a small amount of kit could be be taken 'just in case' which I could then deliver to BB Towers at the BB200.

If that's too much risk then the weather forecast the day before you'll all be flying will be accurate enough to pack accordingly (with sensible contingencies).

[SixPotBelly]

I may not have been being entirely serious

Just returned from a week of getting wet in the Dolomites. Hoping there'll be no rain left in Italy by September!

[Chew]

Cheers for the update James

Just to get my head around things, is the full fat route;
1_Turin-Cerv
2_2_Cerv-CDP-VV
3_VV-Tende
4_1_Tend-Turini
5_Turini-Eze

[Bearbonesnorm]

Cheers for the update James

I've just spent the last hour trying to jettison as much weight as possible from my kit ... might have to saw an arm off

[jameso]

Cheers for the update James

Just to get my head around things, is the full fat route;
1_Turin-Cerv
2_2_Cerv-CDP-VV
3_VV-Tende
4_1_Tend-Turini
5_Turini-Eze

That's it. With an added sprint up the Vallon d'Elva option and back for bonus bragging rights over a beer on the beach. Actually you might want to hope it earns you a beer from someone else .. current Euro rate and Med beer prices .. It'll be a cheap cubi of plonk for me this year : )

[SixPotBelly]

James, was away when the cue sheets went out and only just had a chance to start properly going through them. Just wanted to say they're superb. Many, many thanks for putting all this together

Laurence

[jameso]

Thanks Laurence

[Bearbonesnorm]

Anyone else struggling with bike choice? The 3 sensible sounding options at my disposal would appear to be:

1/ 29" Inbred - decent range of gears and I'd pop some suitable fast rolling tyres on but not known for lightness.
2/ Surly Disc Trucker - again, plenty of gears and will accept bigish tyres but also reasonably heavy.
3/ Arkrose - set up 650b, so 2" tyres, lighter than the others but less gear range.

Opinion seems mixed with some folk opting for rigid 29ers and slimming down tyres and others going the CX route and beefing up the rubber department - thoughts, observations, laughing and pointing welcome.

[Dave Barter]

I'm going 29" Rigid. Nice upright position to take in the views. Was thinking 2.2 Conti X-King tyres. Bike set up 1 x 11 and keeping it all very light.

From experience hardtail is less miserable than CX if the weather goes to poo.

[gentjim]

Having broken my Singular on its first (extended) outing at the WRT, I'm going to be taking a Sonder Camino on 40C WTB Nanos.

Hopefully the ability to move on a bit on the tarmac / gravel might offset the periods of time I'll be getting bogged down and swearing a lot.

Not sure that anything short of a concealed motor will offset the hole that two weeks laid up with kidney stones has just put in my (already very loosely defined) "training plan".

[gairym]

Rigid 29er here with CX 40c tyres though.....

I've yet to ride/test the tyres as the Alpkit CX wheels I bought won't play ball.

When I fit the cassette there's a wobble which I only assume means the hub is off straight.

The cassette is new and spins perfectly on another hub and another cassette from another bike also wobbles on the Alpkit wheel.

Anyone else ever experience this?

Looks like I might be sending 'em back

[SixPotBelly]

Anyone else struggling with bike choice? The 3 sensible sounding options at my disposal would appear to be:

1/ 29" Inbred - decent range of gears and I'd pop some suitable fast rolling tyres on but not known for lightness.
2/ Surly Disc Trucker - again, plenty of gears and will accept bigish tyres but also reasonably heavy.
3/ Arkrose - set up 650b, so 2" tyres, lighter than the others but less gear range.

Opinion seems mixed with some folk opting for rigid 29ers and slimming down tyres and others going the CX route and beefing up the rubber department - thoughts, observations, laughing and pointing welcome.

Arkose 2 here, the 1x sort, but with a Sunrace 11-42T on the back. Would similar be enough range for you? On 40c G-Ones (or Nanos if it looks at the last minute like it might be very wet).

No idea how suitable it will or won't prove to be. But finding out's going to be part of the fun :)

[benp1]

For what it's worth, I put 2.1 WTB Nanos on my rigid El Mariachi (along with an Alfine 8).

It's my 2nd mountain bike so I've turned it into a gravel style MTB as I've taken off the 40c WTB Nanos on my Arkose 2 to use it as a commuter on the road, now running 32c marathon plus tyres

I was pretty impressed with how quick the 2.1 Nanos felt on the 29er, though I was running a Butcher/Purgatory combo (I think) so it was always going to feel better.

If I was coming for this trip I'd bring this bike, though another few gears might be nice

I think the comfort of a bigger tyre would be nice, but if you've got a 650B Arkose then you're in another niche!

[Scattamah]

Taking Lois (rigid 29er) with 2.0" WTB Nine Line TCS, pending I can still afford it all after moving next month. Have a feeling they'll be a touch draggy on the flats, but a little more grip on the descents. Alternative is the current setup Wolverine on the front and Nano on the back which was really good last weekend on gravel.

Greetz

S.

[jameso]

a touch draggy on the flats

Don't worry, there's only about 25 miles of that in total : )

I'll be on Horizon 650s so will probably have gravel rash before the end..

[jameso]

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?app= ... E39kZ135lA

This was sent over to be shared with anyone that may find it useful - a google map of the whole route and refuges, campsites, B+Bs, etc. Even a little swimming pool icon at Molini. A group of French guys are riding the route next week using this and they'll be able to update it before the 6th.

[gairym]

Now that's a bloody handy link!

Looks like there's less on the route than I'd imagined, really looking forward to this one!

[jameso]

Hope this isn't too close to spam .. for a cause though. Email went out last night to anyone who's signed up on the site for a sew/iron on rally patch, repeated here as I have a few more patches than are really needed and covering the minimums would be a result : )

(I should add that the donations will go to Smart Shelter via gift aid)

Woven, iron- or sew-on patches like this, below, 88mm wide, are due week after next so here's how to donate to Smart Shelter to get one and let me know what to do with your patch/es.



They're paid for, so all of your donations in return for them will go to the Smart Shelter Foundation.

Any of us who have set up a basic camp in poor weather should be able to begin to imagine the harsh life under plastic and corrugated iron that is a long-term reality for so many people after earthquake or flood devastation, not just a few nights while touring on holiday. The Smart Shelter Foundation is a charity that builds and develops methods to construct environmentally-resistant facilities such as schools out of local, sustainable materials with local community involvement then transfers this knowledge and experience via workshops. I met founder Martijn Schildkamp in 2008 on the edge of a glacier when I was making a basic bivi site among the snow and rocks. He asked about my shelter and we got talking. He was there taking some well-earned time off from work in the area, having started the charity not long before that after a sucessful architecture career, using his knowledge to help improve the lives of people in places such as Nepal, India and South East Asia. The foundation's work is not only the end result in the buildings themselves but also the value of empowering people in those areas to learn building techniques with local materials that help to rebuild their lives, plus working to widen the understanding of their techniques so that they can be used and developed as widely as possible - smartshelterfoundation.org for more on their work.

If there's a cause that you support that you'd prefer it went to that's no problem at all, just let me know when making the paymment or by return email.


To co-ordinate all this you'll need to trust me a little. Paypal to this address, james.olsen.remote at hotmail.co.uk, means I can match up who's donated with where the patches are going and send it all over to Smart Shelter (or elsewhere). I'd like to get all payments in by the 10th August so I can send it all over to Smart Shelter well before the ride and get patches out in time, but I'll mail you all individually to show your payment being forwarded on as they come in. So timing isn't critical, it just streamlines it for me.

I'd suggested a donation of £10 (inc Paypal fees is fine, or as a Paypal Gift meaning the whole lot goes to the charity), that's about 12 Euros currently. Feel free to donate more in Euros rather than remind me of how low the £ is since that vote .. : ) But any donation is welcome.


I'll need to know how to get the patch to you - send me a note with the paypal payment whether it's collection in Turin at the night-before meet up or include your address if it's to be posted. Postage cost is £1.50 to Europe, 64p to UK, just add that to the Paypal total.

With some luck, enough stories of memorable miles and photographs of fantastic views there will be a second Torino-Nice Rally. These patches will be a rare and valuable memento of the first, if only to the brave who ride out this September!

If you'd like one just use the mail address above to get in touch or send a donation. Thanks.

[Dave Barter]

I did not get the email James, but donated anyway

[TheHappyCog]

Getting very excited about the trip now, route plans seem OK, kit seems good so it's just me that needs sorting out.

I rode some of the route last year in reverse on the TCRNo3 and there are some pictures of the Assietta etc on my event write up : https://adventuresbybike.exposure.co/th ... laid-plans The photos will hopefully give you an idea of the terrain and the surface. Expect to meet loads of big BMW's and KTM's normally piloted by Germans and French guys, they are pretty good at making themselves heard - LOUD - and it's worth while stopping and chatting to them if you have the time and if inclined have a fag with them, they all smoke rollies. You might see BIG 4x4's too and we did see 1 Fiat Panda with an Italian pensioner at the wheel in possibly the roughest part of the trail. The surface is loose so go carefully on the descents. The climbs are hard but really rewarding when you see the scenery. Look out for the sheep dogs too! They are big mountain dogs that live with the flock, do not approach them, if they are close to the trail get off your bike and walk, they won't do you any harm if you leave them alone and tbh you may not see them, you will see the caravans that the shepherds have though perched on the side of the hills.
Expect the section from the bottom of the Colle delle Finestre Road over the Assietta Road to Sestrierre to take 4 or 5 hours it's pretty tough.
Once you get to Sestrierre go to Pinkie's for a PIzza, he stayed open late for us last year, i think we ate at about 1am. We also stayed at the Hotel Cristalo, because we arrived at 11pm and that's where the checkpoint was being hosted. So if you want a night of comfort it's worth a look. The staff were vaguely exciting, we took our bikes into our rooms and got a huge breakfast, the organisers had arranged a reduced rate but at that time of year it's quiet so you could probably get a cheap deal:
www.hotelcristallosestriere.com/en
hotel cristallo sestriere. menu. hotel · Rooms ... PIVA 01682940448 - Tel. +39
0122 75 07 07 - Fax: +39 0122 75 51 52 - info@hotelcristallosestriere.com

The road from there into France is amazing, don't ride through the big tunnels though, we did by mistake and it's horrid.

We road steel Shand Stoaters that were amazing, 28mm Schwalbe 1 tubeless tyres on Stans Grail rims, not a single puncture the whole trip. vaguely exciting. This trip i'll probably use 36mm Chalenge gravel tyres on the same wheels.

See you on the Monday night.

Fraser

[jameso]

Good tips, thanks Fraser. Great pics too - you had much clearer weather than we did a week or so earlier.

don't ride through the big tunnels though, we did by mistake and it's horrid.

The route gps and cues direct you onto the old road to the left of that tunnel on the way up the Col Montgenevre to the French border, it's now essentially a traffic-free bike path with it's own tunnel. Could be an easy turn to miss though.

[TheHappyCog]

We did have great weather up there. Fingers crossed for this trip.

RE: the tunnels, i think it's coming the other way where it's easy to miss the bike route, the no entry signs make it look as if it's one way and we were tired, cold and wet so probably not firing on all cylinders.

I'm looking forward to riding the proper route this time, it's supposed to be an vaguely exciting road.

[TheHappyCog]

2 other wee things worth noting in France when you're riding:

If it's after dark you 'must' wear a yellow vest or sam brown type affair.
It's now illegal to ride wearing earbuds or headphones.

200Euro on the spot fine if you get a really knarcky Gendarme. A magnum ice cream if he's a fellow cyclist.

[cyclingtiger]

Doesn't need to be a "yellow" vest per se but meet high visibility standards as per EN471, class 3. Definitions of dark can extend to dusk or if there are very dark clouds or it's foggy/misty.

[jameso]

^ didn't know that - I've been lucky the last 2 years of riding to Eurobike then, thanks