The Greater Tour du Mont-Blanc

235 km long / 11'250 m vertical

Towering high above all of its neighbors, Mont-Blanc rises at 4’809 m above sea level. The top of Europe marks the border between France and Italy, and is visible from far away from many different angles in Switzerland. Our « greater » circumambulation starts from our home in the Val de Bagnes, and covers the three countries around the massif. A real bike adventure through Alpine culture, amazing landscapes and local cuisines.

The first ascent of Mont-Blanc, by Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard, in 1786 under the initiative of Horace Benedict de Saussure, marked the start of alpinism. The Mont-Blanc doesn’t need to be introduced today, so big is its fame. Hordes of mountaineers come from every corner of the world with the hope to climb it (or at least give it a try…) as well as the numerous and beautiful summits that form the Mont-Blanc Massif, dominating the valleys of Chamonix in France or Courmayeur in Italy. Besides climbers, it attracts thousands of trekkers every summer, who hike around the whole mountain range, following what’s nowadays know as the TMB, the Tour du Mont-Blanc, one of the most famous treks in the world. Every August the three bordering countries of France, Italy and Switzerland welcome the celebrated UTMB, the Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc, when runners from all around the world come to compete and run the 170 km long race, climbing a total of over 10’000 meters.
With so many hikers trampling these trails, one can easily imagine how good and nice they can feel under the rubber of a mountain-bike tires… Indeed the TMB has become a favorite among bikers. Cycling through these Alpine valleys around one of the most famous ranges in the world is an absolute must ! Our extended version takes you a few steps further, following lesser known trails and including inside the loop the Combins Massif, our home mountains !

From the Val de Bagnes, home of the best Raclette cheese and Swiss dried meat, we will cross the Alps into Italy, enjoying fun rides on beautiful trails that will lead you into the Aosta Valley region, home of polenta, pastas, cold meats and Italian wines. A rarely trodden trail will bring you to an unreal pass that is hard to believe it’s crossable. Don’t worry, if you don’t feel like doing it the tough way, we’ve got plenty of alternate and more classic ways to bring you around those mountains ! You will now enjoy the Italian side of the Mont-Blanc, with stunning views and wow trails, before jumping over into France, with another very enjoyable flow trail that will be concluded with the local speciality, la Tartiflette (look it up on the internet, it’s mouth watering…). Interesting too is how the landscapes change as you advance in the tour. Another lake, another remote pass and we’ll end up the third day down a flow bike park before the comfort of a well deserved hotel and dinner. On this day, with a clear sky, the view on the Mont-Blanc is out of this world !
It is now time to cross a pass that is the entrance to the world famous Valley of Chamonix, and to celebrate this, why not a run on a bike-park ! We are now at the very feet of Mont-Blanc, and at the end of the Chamonix Valley is another pass, and it’s back to Switzerland ! To get back home to Verbier, there are many different possibilities to choose from depending on your level, and we’ll leave that for later. Time to celebrate, the loop is buckled up !

The Tour

Day 0

Arrive in Val de Bagnes

Today you arrive in our biking mountain paradise ! Depending on your trip schedule, we pick you up and bring you in the Val de Bagnes, where your e-bikes are ready for you. Dinner and briefing with your Swiss Cycling Guide at your hotel or in one of the many restaurants.

Day 1

Ride around Verbier

This first day is dedicated to some fun practice runs. Wether on the bike-park or on a number of Alpine trails (a good way to test your technical ability), the day will be an exhilarating one. Enjoy a nice lunch in front of the mountain panorama, either at a restaurant, or a picnic in one our favorite spots in the nature.

Day 2

Verbier - Etroubles

After one (minimum) or two days (you choose) of fun riding practice around our home in Verbier, we start the trip cycling up the valley along a turquoise lake and over a pass leading into Italy. This stage includes going around the Grand-Combin, which is the highest mountain in our area at 4'314 m. Beautiful singles await you on the Italian side, as well as a nice ride along a mountain water channel, so typical of Alpine culture. We end up in a typical village and after a good lunch, the rest of the afternoon is free to relax and enjoy the place.

Day 3

Etroubles - Courmayeur

Courmayeur is to the Italian side of Mont-Blanc what Chamonix is to the northern French side. A world famous skiing, climbing, trekking and now, biking resort, thriving with restaurants, shops and bars. But to get there, it's first pedaling up the valley, slowly climbing above the tree-line, the across Alpine pastures to a final push-carry-climb section across scree and rocks to the pass. This section is not long, and we'll do it two-by-two, carrying one bike at the time, then picking up the next bike. This is the toughest portion of the adventure, but oh so rewarding. On the other side, Mont-Blanc appears in all it splendor and a long ride down the trail brings you to a mountain refuge, ideal for a mid-day break with a outstanding panorama in front of you.
We are now mainly following the trekking trail around Mont-Blanc, so let us be careful and courteous, hikers always have priority ! We follow a beautiful more or less level track until we reach another "rifugio" and we'll decide whether to continue down a rather demanding and hurting rocky trail that requires good technique, or to backtrack a bit and take a smooth and easy way down the valley into town.

Day 4

Courmayeur - Les Contamines

Riding parallel to the Mont-Blanc range, we now reach the Col de la Seigne which, at 2516 m, borders France. It is now a very enjoyable ride down the single trail into a grassy pasture valley. Welcome to the Haute-Tarentaise, in this landmark of the Alpine pastoral life. Time to refuel with a tartiflette or even more local a croziflette ! Depending on how full you are now, you may want to switch your e-engine to Turbo mode to climb the 400 meters on the paved road (one of the very rare sections on this tour) to the next flat pass and beautiful view on the Lac de Roselend. Time now to leave the road behind and hit the dirt again. It is now a 700 m climb up zig-zags and across pastures to reach the third pass of the day, the trail is much less used than the TMB and the views are beautiful. Another pass and it's boom ! The Mont-Blanc is again right in your face, this time showing off its western side. With the lowering sun, this is an exceptional view, as exceptional as the ride down into Les Contamines, now following a flow downhill of the local bike-park.

Day 5

Contamines - Le Châble

Down the valley, with sections on the paved road, then it's a long 600 m haul up to the Col de Vozat. Look up for views of Mont-Blanc and other peaks, it's stunning ! Another bike-park takes us down into the Valley of Chamonix. Skirting the feet of the most prestigious summits, we cross the capital of mountaineering then head for the end of the valley, in time for a well deserved lunch in a local village. It takes now another solid near 800 m climb, followed by traverses, to reach the border and find ourselves in Switzerland again ! A long descent on a smooth trail intersecting the road takes us to Martigny where we may want to take the train back to Le Châble. But for those who want more, we have some more fun in store...
Back in Le Châble/Verbier, it is now time to celebrate and cheer up, you've made it !

Day 6

Departure

Time to depart. We'll transfer you to the station or airport according the the pre-arrangements. Or you may want to stay longer and enjoy this heaven in the mountains !