Mountain Biking in Chamonix

On the chair...

In France, I marvel at the scale of things.  The engineering, the mountains, the roads, the tourist attractions.  I'm coming down the road from Chamonix, squeezed, as the only passenger,  into an Eezy bus... Ready to be late for my Easyjet flight from Geneva.  The mountains loom like layers of granite cake, with crumbling sides.  The rich covering of pine and greenery seems to hold it back from falling in.  I look down into the valley, towering pillars of concrete holding the motorway high up above the sprawling industrial metropolis that fill the lowlands.

I've been impressed with France, as I always have been in the past.  I look at the way they tackle problems, and wonder how we would do it in Britain.  It's late July, and as opposed to cutting down, Chamonix, famous for it's winter sports, is thriving.  When the snow disappears, the chairlifts are put to good work taking ramblers, sightseers, and mountain bikers up the hill.  I, fall amongst the latter.  Mountain biking has fast become a passion of mine, and it's great to checkout how it's done on the continent.  I've been to a few trail centres around the UK, and it's been fantastic, but this was the first time I'd been to an uplift one - that is, the hard work of cycling up the hill is taken out of the equation.  That's not to say you feel any less tired at the end of a day's cycling.  On the contrary, you just work muscles that you never knew you had... The downhill ones!

The train station in Chamonix

I went to Chamonix, not to bike, but as a family holiday.  I packed light, as I was only taking hand luggage (it was in between work commitments).  I therefore only had my padded cycling undershorts... And that was it.  I asked around for the best hire place, for bikes and kit, though this was narrowed down, as I wanted a full suss with a dropper post... Which Intersport couldn't  provide.  The shop I found - http://www.slashchamonix.com -  provided me with a Trek Remedy 27.5, with dropper, full suss, and included helmet and puncture repair tools.  I had some walking shoes, which would have to make do as a poor substitute for my 5-10s.  The hire price was 60 Euros for 3 to 6 hours.

On the morning of the hire, I headed to the shop and picked up my bike.  As I pedalled to the station to catch the train, I noticed the dropper post wasn't holding it's height.  This was bad news if I was to be pedalling up hill - but the bike shop guy said I wouldn't be doing this, so I pushed on.  The train ticket was two to three Euros, and I was directed to platform-B of the Chamonix station.  It was slightly confusing when the train came, but I finally figured out that I needed to go on the furthest part of the train to get off at Montroc (where I was heading).  Secondly, when I got onto the train, it took someone else to show me that you hook the front wheel up to lock the bike in it's transport position inside the carriage (it makes sense if you see it in action).

In the bubble

It took about 30 minutes and a few stops before we arrived at Montroc.  I wheeled the bike off the train, across the tracks, and then was guided by a father and two sons who were also going to Les Tours, to head up the hill.  So I pedalled, without h a low slung saddle, all the way up the hill... Which was very tiring, considering I had to do it all standing up.  yes, I was cursing  the bike hire shop by the time I reached Le Tour, and I was sweating like a pig (it was very hot, very sunny, and very steep).

Next challenge was the ticket office for the ski lift.  I didn't know how much this was going to be, but was told 20 Euros.  Lift pass in hand, I pushed the bike up the bike rail next to the steps, and hit the first chair lift, which was actually a bubble car.  The way to get a bike into a bubble car, is bike pushing it in, sitting down, then lifting the back wheel up high and putting it on the seat!  Not sure how that works when it's muddy though...

The bars were at a 'sensitive' height...

This was my chance to adjust my helmet, clean my sunglasses, and take a few photos.  It always seems like you are climbing higher and higher (you are), which feels all the more scary, that you will soon be making the descent.  Below, bikes wound their way through berms and switchbacks, crisscrossing the mountainside.  It did look good, though I'll admit I was nervous, though more because I just didn't know what to expect with the red and blue runs in France.  Blacks in the UK are for the most part all rollable, and very achievable.  Would the French have the same grading system?

Getting out of the Bubble was simple enough, and the chairlift was opposite the exit, so I pushed it over.  The attendant told me to go to the entrance on the left "It is wider... For the bike".  This was an open air chair lift, and the attendant then puts your bike on next to you (they sometimes send it up after you on the next special bike adapted chair.  You then pull down the safety bar, and climb.. Higher and higher.

Finally, at the top, I stepped off and pulled my bike backwards off the chairlift.  A few steps down, and I was facing the entrance to the Le Tour downhill track.  I waited about a minute, not knowing what to do, then decided to go for it.  A Scandinavian man, with fully armoured suit and full face helmet stopped me.  "Your, ur, helmet.  It's not done up".  That was my false start.  I awkwardly hopped my bike away rom the entrance, and tightened up my helmet, then moved to the entrance again.  There were bars either side, that you have to push aside to progress, and hurt slightly when cycling into them.  I cycled into them, they swung out then snapped back, just missing my soft unprotected parts.  Then it was down...

a few interesting features, including boardwalks

I chose the blue run to start off with.  Les Tour is split into two - the top, and the bottom part.  The top, as I discovered, was made up of a small red section, followed by the blue.  The bottom gave you a variety of options, though I just went for the red.

It was all rollable, though some sections required you to commit, or gravity would take the back wheel sliding past you.  You could also find yourself going at the kind of speeds that mean you will leave the ground at the sections marked as jumps - and sometimes, you are not concentrating on the signposts, so you will miss the yellow hazard signs.  Some of these will tell you it is a very steep dip approaching, others will give warning of jumps.  Basically, they are pretty useful markers.  At the top of the chairlift red run, after the entrance gate (the hut, which I backed out of as it seemed a little too narrow), there is a drop off, which is a unavoidable.  It's not big, but you have to commit to it.  I hit my arse on the wheel after this the first time, but it was fine after that.

Another patch to master, was the tight switch back after the nearest gate to the Bubble exit, going down.  It turns tightly downhill to the right.  I tried this slowly the first time, but found gravity pulled the back wheel down as I turned.  The knack was simply to keep rolling - a simple technique, but a useful one.

At this point, I'll mention one fundamental issue with hiring a French bike.  It is something the hire shop will not tell you - probably because they assume we do it wrong, and the French way is correct.  That is, as you take your first jump, then realise there is a tight bend immediately after, you will slam on the brakes... It's only natural.  At this point, if you are not aware of the 'French issue', you will pivot over the front wheel, and tumble off down the mountain.  The point is, the French have there front and rear brakes reversed.  Yes, you brake with opposite hands.  And the man in the shop told me "No... It is because.. Uuuh, eet haz Shimano.... Brakes.... Eeeeur.... Leeevers " (he points at the brake levers, and I nod in agreement, as if I know exactly what he is on about).  So when you slam on the rear brake for the all important show off slide at the end of the run, it turns into the all embarrassing and highly painful front flip.  And at that point, you wish you'd paid the extra 15 Euros for the body armour and full face helmet.  Anyway, it's something to be aware of, which I was, so no front flips this time... Just one mildly painful, and embarrassing post jump crash.

map of total route - 28.9 miles, 10,168ft vertical ascent

So what's it like?  I can say that by the mid point, I had taken my hands off the bars, and were shaking out the aches... And at times physically straightening my grip shaped claws.  It was pretty full on all the way down, because if you really let go at the wrong part, you would have a huge drop down to follow, and if you're like me, you would panic, grab the brakes, and loose it.  There are jumps on the first red section, but there are also tamed versions, or simple get out routes (or chicken runs, as were described to me by someone).  I took the tamed versions, but these still took a certain amount of faith, as you are effectively dropping down a hill, which is very different to jumping on the flat.

The second red is a longer section, and has a few boardwalks - not technical though.  There are a few big drops, but return switch backs to catch the momentum.  Half way down, the track changes to a looser grey slay material, which feels pretty fast (though is hard to stop on - I took a jump and slid to a stop nearly missing the boardwalk).  The very bottom opens out - but make sure you stick to the worn track, as drifting left puts you on the larger gravel as you approach the start of the Bubble, which is a nightmare to stop on.

In all, I took the bubble then chair up four times, which meant four downhill runs top to bottom - over 13 miles of downhill.  I was beginning to know what to expect on the corners, but as my confidence grew, I felt the effect of all that  downhill.  It was on the fourth run I lost it after a jump.  It wasn't a bad off, but I just wasn't concentrating on technique.  It was the first time I'd ridden downhill without the pain of riding UP the hill.  But I would say, it was equally tiring.

I took the 'red' route down the Chamonix Valley, crossing the railway at Argentiere, which took me up the side of the mountain.  This was actually incredibly tiring, as it kept climbing, and there were big sections I had to get off and push.  It definitely  was NOT a bike trail, but I was trying to do the right thing by the map, and follow the 'one way' signs.  My advice would be to follow the river down, and do the left hand side of the valley - it has to be better than the railway side.

So after around 30 miles (I started Strava when I got off the train in the morning), and 10,000 feet climbing, I arrived back at the bike hire shop.  I told 'the man' that the dropper wasn't working... He tested it, then agreed with me!!  So I was charged 50 Euros instead of 60 - which was a result, even if my knees did feel buggered.   Then it was into Chamonix village  for a pint of the finest local 'cidre' - which rather disappointed turned out to be Magners...

End of ride reward...

So what lessons would I take from my first 'downhill / uplift' mountain biking experience abroad ?  Firstly, take as much of your own gear as you can.  I took my padded 'under-shorts'.  That was a good start - but I should have brought the actual shorts as well.  And shoes were hugely important.  You realise how much trip the 5-10s give when you ride without them.  Walking shoes just don't stick to the pedals.  Gloves - I didn't have any gloves, and I could have done with them for sure.  Camelback - this would be a luxury / necessity.  I had to borrow a rucksack to take water  and food in, as well as puncture tools and a waterproof.  The rucksack was more of a snowboarding style, so my back was soaked with sweat pretty well immediately.  With regards to protection, I would say take knee pads if you can, or think about hiring the full kit.  It's a tough one, as you could go all the way, and this time I didn't need the padding - but that doesn't mean I won't next time.  The descents require more endurance, and you are more likely to make a mistake, so it may be worth it.  The hire helmet was OK, so no problems there.  I would take your own shades - I always wear sunglasses, as they stop dirt from hitting you in your eyes.  Goggles would steam up - but you wouldn't be out of place wearing them (50% of the folks on the mountain are in full downhill gear).  Socks - these depend on your shoes.  The longer the socks, the more protection, but in the end, it's the fit that matters.  Hydration goes alongside the Camelback, which would be recommended.  I got very hot on the downhill, and it was hot in the Bubble going up.  Having to wait to stop and take out your water didn't work.  You dehydrate, loose concentration... And wipe out.  The same goes for food - pack supplies... Or stop at the mountain cafe (there is one at the mid point, and one at the bottom).  Water is about 1 Euro 50 per bottle, but was essential.

map of downhill section - approx 3.3 miles from top to bottom

Finally, the bike.  I would definitely say if you can take your own bike, then it will work, as long as it is tough enough.  The Trek I was riding was certainly taking a hammering, and being a 27.5 wheel, was in theory, easier to sling round tighter corners than my 29er at home.  The travel was the same - in fact, I would imagine it is a similar spec to my 2016 Specialised Camber Comp 29er.  However, the pedals were thick and chunky, and having the 2 x 11 gears was a step backwards from my 1 x 10 setup.  The chain actually came off during my 'off', or rather it got stuck in the front de-railieur, and it rattled like hell as I hammered over rocks and drops.  I basically wasn't sold on the bike, and definitely disliked the dropper post - the return was sluggish, and as mentioned, would not stay up when required.  It made me realise how nice the super fast action of the Specialised dropper is, and how nice the 'gear style' lever is for the dropper itself.

The brakes were good, though I noticed they dimmed slightly as the riding progressed... And they started to squeal.  Still, they did the job.  Overall, I didn't feel the fit of the Trek was that good.  My legs ached like they hadn't before, and it wasn't as natural in feel.  Of course, I've adjusted my Camber to suit, moving spacers on the handlebars, and fine tuning where the brake levers sit.  How could a 10 minute setup in a bike home shop ever hope to come close to this.  And then you go out and ride the most challenging downhill ever... On a strange bike???  Something has to give.

If you are hiring a bike, you should be expecting to pay 60-65 Euros for 3-6hours.  The more expensive shop didn't offer the dropper post - which if working correctly is a must.  So maybe call up in advance - I tried 2 different shops, but I know there are others.  And checkout the Chamonix app, which has a few links and maps.  If you can afford it, then a guided ride would be the best, but this was beyond my price limit.

In all, a great days riding, and I'm glad I did it, even if it was on a strange bike, without any of the kit I was used to .  Some times you've just got to take the bull by the horns... Or rather the bike by the bars... And just ride!

Checkout this youtube video - it's not mine, but it shows the same downhill section I repeated