Tour du Mont Blanc

Road cycling an iconic route on the heart of the Alps

Photos/drone by: Luca Guidori

Text by: Sami

For some reason, it has taken time to understand what I just did. It's not a race or fkt, is not something I guess important for people but this time I felt like it was important for me and it was basically something against myself and if I was capable of doing it, or I was able to do it at all. After something like 6 years without a road bike, i was back on the tarmac.

This year I felt that every single plan has fallen in pieces. Every single thing that I wanted to do has not gone as I wanted to do it, At the start of this year I wanted to do that gravel tour du Mont Blanc FKT but after a long time I spoke with a good friend and mentor and said: “what do you wanna do a fkt if racing is not what you are willing for, this is kind a racing against yourself which is even harder”. If I really didn't want to race, why would it race against myself and my own timing?

What he told me has repeatedly stayed in my head on Friday for a long time. I set myself out at 4 AM in the morning with a goal, finishing the Tour du Mont Blanc Road in 18 hours (moving time), but in reality, I want to finish it on the 17, why, I asked myself, was I trying to prove something to myself or to others? I had no idea.

I was nervous, I didn’t sleep much but at 4 AM for the first time, I felt ready to go. I felt fresh and I felt I could do it so I started really good pacing myself high, quite high. I will say now but at the time I was thinking I could keep that pace for all climbs. Adrien a photographer from Chamonix came for the first part until sunrise to snap some photos, at a point just before Champex Lac he says, is a long way remember to keep your cadence (in French) and that made me think, am I going too fast? But I feel great, I can keep this! I was way ahead of sketchule, I think by the time I hit the 4th summit I was 1 hour with around 17minutes also of stopping ahead of what I planned, I couldn’t believe and I kept calculating everything, me? Faster than I planned? Thats not possible.

Col des Montets

Col de la Forclaz

Champex Lac

Grand Saint Bernard

I had Luca and Captain the dog following me along all the way, I did it supported because of many reasons, first that was not summer anymore, and layers where needed, second, because why not? Luca offered to me and having that love and support along the way was very heartwarming after such a shitty year. 

After a long way through head wind in Aosta valley that took me into a mentally hard patch followed by a long climb up to Petit Saint Bernard. Funny fact in winter we ski tour the same road, the descend was so tough, as the road was really in a bad state and the cold in the morning , especially on Gran Saint Bernard pass going down, made all my neck and muscles be compressed and so tight going down was more painful than going up. 

We got to the part I was scared of, or not scared but the pass that always gets me in the worst moment and this time that I had never done it from the other side I thought would be something to look forward to, but as I hit that roundabout and first exit to the right, switched my gear into the smallest and started to climb up I remember that it was going to be such a long way, and it was. Cormet de Roselend, you’re as beautiful as you’re brutal, I wrote on my instagram, and was in big letters in my head. I took so much longer than expected here, which made me even question myself a lot. I mean which athlete doesn’t question themselves when things don’t go as planned? We all struggle on these long days at some point, and this was my moment. 

I turned off the Hammerhead screen, stopped looking at the note plans I had for the timings and went one pedal at the time, I think it was about the same time I hit my first ever 6000m on one go, that I remember at least. Reached that top with the desire of getting it done, I made it there, I can make it to the end, right at that point I had the flash of “oh no I’m going to go up the same way that I’ve been going training the past months, is gonna be so mentally brutal” and told that to Luca, he said don’t think about it, but of course easier said than done.

Petit Saint Bernard

Cormet de Roselend

Col des Saisies

Megeve

Voudagne

Fast forward made it just after sunset to the top of the last big col, Les Saisies, that’s where I changed clothes into some long sleeves merino base layer, long jersey and all the rest I was already wearing, the clothes made it also heavier and hard to keep just one steady temperature along all the way. If I kept my heat better I will perform better I was thinking, I don’t mean sweating I mean just not getting to the point of proper cold. On that side and the fact that I added more drinkable carbs that normal into the bottles after not being able to eat much on the last patch I made It home at 1am pushing the last bit from the top of Voudagne (end of chamonix valley) to home, as much as I could to complete this on less than 18 hours. 

A day to remember. At the end I was stoked because I finally finish something I started, I did it, I plan it, and complete it, it felt great, the after is harder than a hangover, but thats another story!

I can’t thank enough all my sponsors to support me even on tough times, to my BF and doggy to have follow me along all the way, to Adrien for those moments at the start and that chat at the end and to all those who had cheer me up on the other side of the phone and followed me along my journey.

Some stats:

Tour du Mont Blanc Road 

322.6km

7.949m

17.34h

Thanks for reading :)