As an alternate route after Col de Tende, I would recommand the western side of the Roya Valley, through Baisse de Peirafica and Casterino. It brings you much quicker to Saint Dalmas than the Via del Sale option, and still in a beautiful high mountain scenery, with stunning views over the 46 hairpins of the col de Tende road. It's gentle ups and downs on old tarmac or soft gravel roads, then a nice descent on tarmac from Casterino, passing along a lake.

I've put this in my calendar for 2018. I'm still gutted to be missing this.

I'll do all I can to be there for the 3rd!

Thanks Robert! That's the route the Pannier/Cafe du Cyclist guys took for the bunker research tour I think? We looked at it for the 2015 ride and decided to go long or short .. but the spirit of the ride is to go and find a new route here and there - might try the medium option this year if we have time, but not enough time for the Via del Sale east side.

Wow, quite a lot of info. will have to research!

I am choosing the tyres for the rally. For you guys with experience on the route, what is the recommendation? I am hesitating between a heavier touring tyre, tube system (like Conti tour ride 35mm or so) or a more gravel oriented and ligther(WTB resolute 42mm, tubeless)...
What do you think?

No matter what you choose, set it up tubeless.

monskton wrote:Wow, quite a lot of info. will have to research!

I am choosing the tyres for the rally. For you guys with experience on the route, what is the recommendation? I am hesitating between a heavier touring tyre, tube system (like Conti tour ride 35mm or so) or a more gravel oriented and ligther(WTB resolute 42mm, tubeless)...
What do you think?

I'd recommend as much volume as you can fit. So the 42mm WTB over the 35mm Conti on that basis alone.

FWIW I went with the fast-rolling Schwalbe G-One, 38mm, tubeless, and thought they were great. (I did get one puncture though, on downhill section of the rocky Via del Sale track, where a particularly sharp rock tore a tread block away from the carcass. But I think that was a freak incident. We stuck a tube and boot in and it was fine the rest of the way. It certainly hasn't put me off using them again this year.)

Hmmm I would say opposite due to large amount of tarmac. I was dead happy on 2.0 Conti Race Kings. But dont do what the Italian guy did and run 28mm slicks..we saw him use his pump, everywhere.

monskton wrote:Wow, quite a lot of info. will have to research!

Have a read through last years thread, as theres lots of information on there:
http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... &hilit=1st

From what everyone else ran last year, i'd go with some form of large volume semi slick.

Dave Barter wrote:Hmmm I would say opposite due to large amount of tarmac. I was dead happy on 2.0 Conti Race Kings. But dont do what the Italian guy did and run 28mm slicks..we saw him use his pump, everywhere.

I'm not advocating knobblies, rather advising 42mm over 35mm. The G-Ones I used roll very nearly as fast as slicks (or feel like they do).

Though perhaps route choice comes into it again. The roughest bits (apart from Colombardo) would have been missed out by those who took the two shortcuts*, and they'd also reduce the track to tarmac ratio. I confess I hadn't considered that.

*for want of a better word

Hey, to change the subject to gearing I would love some advice. I'm going to be running 1-10 set up with 11-40 rear cassette and have 3 chain rings to choose from, I currently run a 43 tooth which is great for riding around Bristol but I have a 36 or a 34 to choose from as well. I am concerned that the 34 I will spin out on the flats too often but anything bigger I wont get up the hills either.
What do you think would be a good compromise? Cheers

Beesey wrote:Hey, to change the subject to gearing I would love some advice. I'm going to be running 1-10 set up with 11-40 rear cassette and have 3 chain rings to choose from, I currently run a 43 tooth which is great for riding around Bristol but I have a 36 or a 34 to choose from as well. I am concerned that the 34 I will spin out on the flats too often but anything bigger I wont get up the hills either.
What do you think would be a good compromise? Cheers

My advice would be to gear as low as you can. Don't worry about spinning out descending, your speed going down will be controlled by gravity and braking. And there's very little flat. So it's all about climbing. Think 10km stretches at 12%, with 7kg of luggage, on rocky gravel that's loose so you can't stand up or you'd lose traction. Last year I had 1x with 38T chainring and an 11-42. This year, I'll be fitting a 34T.

(That said, I'm sure some rode bigger gears with less pushing up Colombardo than me. But I've heard others also say they wished they'd geared lower, and no-one say they wished they'd geared higher...)

Beesey wrote:Hey, to change the subject to gearing I would love some advice. I'm going to be running 1-10 set up with 11-40 rear cassette and have 3 chain rings to choose from, I currently run a 43 tooth which is great for riding around Bristol but I have a 36 or a 34 to choose from as well. I am concerned that the 34 I will spin out on the flats too often but anything bigger I wont get up the hills either.
What do you think would be a good compromise? Cheers

You can never have too many gears. I ran 24/36 at the lowest, although no need to go lower.
You'll either be going up or down. Alps passes are usually 20k from bottom to top, so choose a gear that your happy to pedal for a couple of hours.

Personally i'd forget 1x and just fit a double up front and enjoy the range of gears.

I got by last year with 30 x 11/36. There were a few times I would've liked 40 at the back and on the flip a few times I'd have liked 34 at the front. I think I got a reasonable balance between killing myself on the climbs and having to spin on what little flats there were to keep up a good speed of around 15-20mph (2.2" tyre up front/2.0" on the back). Downhill...was all about letting the brakes go for as long as possible. :) Getting to the start is the real trick.

Greetz

S.

Chew wrote:

monskton wrote:Wow, quite a lot of info. will have to research!

Have a read through last years thread, as theres lots of information on there:
http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... &hilit=1st

From what everyone else ran last year, i'd go with some form of large volume semi slick.

i got 70mm semi slicks

Thanks guys, just need to get out and ride my bike a lot more now!

jameso wrote:

monskton wrote:

SixPotBelly wrote:The other takes you from the Col Turini to Nice with only a couple of small rises, almost 50km downhill.

If you're using this route, I highly recommend popping in to the park next to the Musée Matisse in Cimiez (or even visit the museum itself perhaps). It's a great place to chill out, watch the petanque and enjoy an icecream: https://goo.gl/maps/r19MtJuzdnk

^ good tip, thanks..

The route files were sent out last week, a few days late as I had to add a note to the cues and a GPS file to potentially cut-off part of the route. There have been landslips near Monesi di Triora on/ after the Via del Sale section, about half a day east past the Col Tende. 4 areas damaged over ~8km of route. The route GPS has an info flag in this area and the cues highlight this and the cut-off option.




(photos by C. Struck, from a recent ride on the route this summer)

The cut-off uses a section I've ridden before. The slip areas have been passed by riders this summer in dry conditions but if it's raining or you're not fully confident in passing the damaged sections it may be better avoid it by back-tracking to the cut-off.

That's a shame, but my extra-special favourite part of the Via del Sale was the section up and across from Tende to the Don Barbara. Looks like one could still do that, spend the night there ( not on the fully booked weekend) then ride back to Tende in the morning for the Hundred Hairpin descent. Hmm, now that sounds like a plan :)

That's a great section, agreed. You could also ride that amazing double-back bend in the track a couple of km beyond the refuge and take the cut-off route a little further on - some of the Via del Sale's good stuff and a fair bit shorter overall.

Joachim has a nice plan to ride the Strada Cannoni as well as the death road this year, you can look it up via his link in the comments on the death road route on the TNR Komoot page. Options ..

Patches have arrived and flights have been booked. Just need to sort out a place to store a couple of bike boxes now. If any Torinese have any recommendations that would be much appreciated.

Getting a bit excited all over again.

CT, I have a tip, there should be space there still. PM or use the TNR contact email thing on the site.

what level of travel insurance is best to use,used snowcard insurance before but there wanting 60 pounds for 2 weeks cover

I've either had BMC insurance, whichever one covers bike touring, or no insurance. You don't need racing cover. Can't recall the cost there but imo BMC is a good bet in general.

Last year, I took out whatever basic policy covered 'cycling' and promised to get my dead bits back to the UK should the need arise ... think it was less than £20.

+1 for BMC - I took single trip insurance TNR...then took another for the Spain C2C this year.

In other news, looks like I'm not going to make it this year; work has ramped up more than anticipated and is showing no sign of slowing down. Can't see me clearing the slate before liftoff.

Greetz

S.