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The Tour of Mont Blanc by bike is one of the greatest satisfactions a bike lover can take away. The cold, hard numbers explain why: 320 kilometers and 7,400 meters of elevation gain is not a trivial exercise. There are a number of routes to complete the Tour of Mont Blanc by bike: in this post I describe mine, which sticks almost entirely to the more classic route.

I rode the Tour of Mont Blanc in three days in early August. I set off in bikepacking mode, without a tent and with my faithful Wilier, with a 34×32 as a lighter gear. The first bikepacking trip with the Wilier had been to the Canary Islands: seven islands in seven days! I decided to start from Aosta, riding the Tour of Mont Blanc counterclockwise: good choice!

Mont Blanc bike tour: from Aosta to Chamonix

The first stage of the Mont Blanc Bike Tour starts with a bang. Starting in Aosta, after only two kilometers you find the SS 27 leading to the 2473 meters of the Great St. Bernard. The gradients are never challenging, but the mileage is: 35 kilometers at an average 5.5 percent is not exactly trivial!

The road is initially busy: it passes through the medieval towns of Etroubles and Saint-Oyen. The famous Via Francigena also passes through here: the Great St. Bernard is the highest point of this very famous route that connects Canterbury to Rome.

After Saint-Oyen the road becomes much less busy: in fact, near Saint-Rhemy-en-Bosses cars can take the St. Bernard tunnel, while with my faithful bike I continued on to the pass.

Starting from Aosta, it took me about three and a half hours to reach the pass, including a long break in Saint-Rhemy to refresh myself with typical Aosta Valley lard. The views from the Great St. Bernard Pass are magnificent! Near the summit there is a beautiful alpine lake and the famous Great St. Bernard hospice, that is, a monastery-shelter dating back to the year 1000.

The Great St. Bernard is also a great place to grab a bite to eat.

Over the pass, I entered Swiss territory, in the canton of Valais. In front of me I had 40 kilometers of pure downhill: basically I never touched the pedal for a good hour.

The descent of the official route passes through Martigny: I well decided, however, to turn first, at Martigny-Combe. This way I took the second climb of the day, the Forclaz, head-on. In fact, passing through Martigny-Combe you go through narrow roads, with little traffic but…very steep! The first two kilometers are well over 10% average: it was not easy to face them in bikepacking mode! In return, I was rewarded by spectacular views of vineyards, valleys and Martigny itself.

Six kilometers from the summit I rejoined the main road. At four kilometers, however, I took a second shortcut, with the same result as before: magnificent roads, not busy, but once again constantly in double digits. I thus arrived very tired but overjoyed at the 1527 meters of the Forclaz, the second pass of the day.

The descent offers wonderful views of the chain of Les Aguilles: it is truly a spectacle! The border between Switzerland and France also marks the beginning of the last climb of the day: the Col des Montets, at an altitude of 1461 meters, offers sensational views of Mont Blanc! A quick descent leads to Chamonix, where I finished the first stage, 116 kilometers long and with 3200 meters of elevation gain (Komoot trail).

Mont Blanc bike tour: from Chamonix to Bourg Saint Maurice

In Chamonix I followed the provincial roads that allow one to avoid the freeway. I passed through Les Houches, a town from where the cable car that leads to the start of the Mont Blanc ascent (here you can read the description of my climb to the summit of Mont Blanc).

The first 25 kilometers of the second stage are very pleasant. I passed through small villages like Servoz and Passy, also admiring a beautiful waterfall.

A first climb took me to Megeve: in the famous Alpine town, I stopped to eat a pizza, since the biggest difficulties still awaited me.

In fact, about ten kilometers after Megeve I started the climb to 1657 Col des Saisies. The climb is long but never steep: it is 15 kilometers at 5.5 percent average. The Col des Saisies was the scene of Pantani’s last unfortunate performance at the Tour: in 2000, in fact, the Pirate attempted a desperate attack to turn the tide of the Tour dominated by Armstrong, but unfortunately the attempt failed.

The Col des Saisies offers very beautiful views, although the pass is far too busy.

As soon as the descent was over, I started the last ascent of the day, the most complicated of the entire Tour du Mont Blanc. In fact, to reach the Cormet de Roselend, I faced 20 kilometers at 6.5 percent: excluding three kilometers of counter slope near the Col de Meraillet, that comes to 17 kilometers at a generous 7 percent. The climb is therefore tough, especially after what I had done before. The views of the Roselend reservoir and the chapel of the same name are definitely worth the effort!

From the 1967 meters of the Cormet de Roselend, I faced the 20 kilometers of descent that brought me to Bourg Saint Maurice, where I finished the second stage, 117 kilometers long and with 2800 meters of ascent (Komoot track).

Mont Blanc bike tour: from Bourg Saint Maurice to Aosta

Stage 3 began with the long ascent to the Petit St. Bernard. I had already tackled this long and easy ascent during the Susa – Aosta (another ride that deserves a description).. The climb is about 30 kilometers long, but the gradients never exceed 6 percent: the average is just under 5 percent.

Eight kilometers before the pass there is the ski resort of La Rosiere: it is a great place to refresh yourself. At the summit of the 2188-meter Little St. Bernard you can admire splendid views of the Mont Blanc range. The pass also marks the border between France and Italy.

A nice descent led down to La Thuile and later to Pont St. Martin. Here I took the state road again, which, slightly downhill for about 30 kilometers, brought me back to Aosta.

The last stage of 87 kilometers and 1400 meters of elevation gain made me successfully finish the Tour du Mont Blanc: the feat was successfully completed!

BEFORE WE GET INTO THE DETAILS ABOUT THE MONT BLANC CYCLING TOUR, YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN…

Carretera Austral: Cycling Through Chilean Patagonia!

Cycling Through the Balkans!

All the Canary Islands by Bike!

Patagonia by Bike!

INFORMATION FOR THE MOUNT WHITE BIKE TOUR

In total I rode about 320 km, with 7400 meters of elevation gain.

In Chamonix I slept in the Vert Lodge. A bed in the dormitory cost about 50 euros-that says a lot about French prices.

In Bourg Saint Maurice I slept at the Base Camp Hostel: 40 euros for a single room of 7 square meters, no windows and of course shared bathroom.

Aosta is well connected with Turin thanks to the railway network.

The Tour du Mont Blanc by bike can only be tackled in the summer season. In fact, the Great and Little St. Bernard, as well as the Cormet du Roselend, are definitely closed in winter.

You can also do the Tour du Mont Blanc in the reverse direction. Honestly, however, I prefer the counterclockwise direction of the Tour du Mont Blanc. In fact, the part from Aosta up to the Petit St. Bernard is characterized first by a long uphill falsopiano and then by some tunnels, which are not very pleasant to ride uphill.

During all three stages I found several small towns where I could refresh myself. Also, you can find food at the Great St. Bernard, Forclaz, Saisies and Little St. Bernard mountain passes.

I mention the Annapurna restaurant in Chamonix: excellent Indian at honest prices!

In my backpacking I carried very few things. I had a couple of spare parts with me, everything needed to charge electronic equipment, and little else.

The Tour of Mont Blanc can be completed in a range of days from one to five. Some crazy people, in fact, sign up for the Granfondo, which allows them to cover the entire route in one day…very long!

Among the various Tour du Mont Blanc alternatives, I was recommended the climb up the Col du Joly, which offers extraordinary panoramic views of Mont Blanc. Unfortunately, only one side of this pass is paved. Another climb I was recommended is the Champex-Lac climb.

The Col de la Forclaz detour is absolutely a must. I absolutely do not regret the choice of tackling those ten kilometers at 9.5 percent average!

I had tackled the Cormet de Roselend during the 2019 Etape du Tour. I still consider it one of the most beautiful climbs ever done, and that Etape is part of the most beautiful Granfondos ever tackled!