Torino Nice Rally - Day 2
Photo by Tim Wilkey
Day two was the day the trip REALLY began for me. We woke up in our bivvy bags, surrounded by mountains, surprised by the complete lack of light at 6am.
We were really getting into the route…and the mountains.
After a breakfast of chocolate brioche and a nut bar (and bonus Haribo because they were constantly to hand) we started our next climb…the Colle de Finestre. But first, few minutes up from camp was a toilet and a water vending machine…that also vended sparkling water! We skipped the sparkling, it wouldn’t have gone down well in our Camelbaks, and once we were filled up, off we went.
Photo by Tim Wilkey
The Colle delle Finestre is 18,6km of fairly consistent gradient uphill (7-10%) with a whopping 55 hairpins! The final 8km is the bit that you recognise and where the tarmac stops and the loose military road begins.
The long, swooping hairpins have featured in the Giro d’Italia and look just as unreal when you’re stood on them. It was great seeing all the little, slow moving specs that were other TNR riders taking over the mountain. When we hit the top, fuelled by the views and Haribo, we stopped to eat some lunch.
There was a smug satisfaction in making it to the top, surrounded by men on motorbikes, knowing our little legs had powered us the whole way up. No motors necesary!
Our work wasn’t done though, there was more mountain to conquer! Next up was the (in my opinion) far more enjoyable Colle De Assietta. Why? Because it was 14km of off-road goodness. I find extra energy and speed when I’m off tarmac. It’s more fun, more interesting, almost like a game to find the smoothest route! We had more motorbikes to contend with, and even camper vans! It’s also home to an All Terre Gang sticker now. 😉
Photo by Tim Wilkey
Climbing complete it was time to descend and eat more lunch. I was getting excited, filling my face with 1.5 cheese toasties and 2 cans of cola, because the next place we were headed was Montgenèvre. France’s oldest ski resort, and where I had been back in January to wreck my knee on a slope. I also have happy memories of the two, more successful, trips I’ve had there. On the way we got to ride through an atmospheric tunnel that had been closed to traffic.
We stopped by Go Montgenèvre to see Ben (check them out for quaint, queue-free ski trips) who said he would join us for dinner and even gave us a chalet for the evening! We opted to ride to meet him in Briançon rather than take the kind offer of a lift and I’m so glad we did. The descent was epic!
Yes, I enjoyed a bit of tarmac very, very much, but to be fair it was all downhill.
DAY 2 STATISICS
89.5km travelled
3,228m elevation
11km av speed
7:41 moving time
2 mountains conquered
1 boujee chalet
