Riding le Tour du Mont Blanc: Prepartions

The Tour du Mont Blanc has long been on my list of walking routes to do, but when a chance came around to do it, I had just short of a week to complete it.
So instead of walking the 105 miles I decided on using the mountain bike.

Using the huts meant the packs could be kept relatively light, everything I needed fit into my Osprey Escapist 25, including 2 litres of water.

Alongside the usual riding tools, spares and backcountry gear was a set of riding clothes and clothes for the huts. All weighing in at under 11kgs, including a DSLR camera.

The plan is to drive through the night. Between two of us the driving could be shared, making Chamonix for Monday morning.
A short ride is planned for Monday, taking the cable car at Le Tour and descending down to Trient where we have booked a hotel.
The only other hotel is booked in Courmayeur for Wednesday night, where we are sampling some of the famous Italian hospitality. This means we will be phoning the huts ahead for bed places, depending on the distance we travel.
If all goes to plan, we should be in Chamonix on Friday, leaving us a short ride back to Le Tour Saturday morning.

West Highlands (Part 2)

I headed up to Glencoe once again but this time with a few friends.
There was less snow on the tops from my last visit a month ago, but one thing hadn`t changed.... the weather.
Glorious clear skies greeted us as well as some of the locals, as we parked the van in the ski centre car park.

Our packs contained everything for two days worth of riding, including sleeping bags and cooking equipment for an overnight bothy stop. We tried to keep things as light as possible to maximise the riding fun, but we still managed to squeeze a few little treats in there to help pass the night.

To warm us up and get ourselves and bikes used to the extra load, we set off along the West Highland Way. Views don`t get much better with Stob Dearg overlooking the Kingshouse hotel as we headed down the Glen.

The West Highland way does not head down Glencoe, but cuts over the Devils Staircase down into Kinlochleven. This trail is steep and requires pushing/carrying all the way from the A82 to the summit cairn.

All our hard work was worth it just for the views alone, but to a bikers eye the trail laid out in front is the dominant feature.
There are steep technical sections from the top, dropping height fast before another short climb gains more height. This is mostly rideable and soon has you descending again.
Flowy patches are interrupted by the odd steep, rocky technical patch and in no time at all spits you out on the forest road.
The road drops quickly down into Kinlochleven, where we filled up in the Ice Factor cafe, watching the ice climbers on the indoor ice wall.

Once fuelled up we headed away from civilisation, peeling off the West Highland Way and climbing on the steep tracks up to Mamore Lodge.
After a relentless climb of 450m, we stopped at the view point over looking Loch Leven and the Pap of Glencoe.

From the view point there are a number of trails leading back down to Kinlochleven. These are fast becoming very popular with mountain bikers and the now annual Dudes of Hazzard Enduro uses these trails to separate the men from the boys.
Feeling pretty fresh, we decided on tackling the Grey Mares Trail. We dumped our sleeping bags and cooking equipment behind a rock, dropped our saddles and opened up the deer gate.
It turned out to be extremely challenging all the way down and seemed to get steeper and steeper the more we dropped. Loose rocks at the top, lead to rock slabs further on down the trail.
You are soon back in Kinlochleven with the prospect of the 450m climb to do again.
Half way up we began questioning the reasoning for loosing our height, with Simon and Stuart pointing the blame on me. Looking back it was certainly worth the challenge.
Back at our gear cache we loaded back up and headed towards Luibelt along the shores of the Loch Elides.

With heads down we soon powered our way along, untill our overnight accommodation came into view.
All that stood in our way was the Abhainn Rath, but with the recent dry weather, it looked possible to cross without getting wet feet, well almost....

Once in the bothy, we found a bed spot on the floor for the night and after a quick brew headed out in search for wood. Or as we say in Yorkshire, "Thas off art chumping".
We managed to find some dry dead wood, even in the sparse location and once lit back in Meannanachs fire place, settled
down for the night.
The treats we carried were worth the weight, as we passed around the port and cheese sharing stories with the other occupants.

The next morning again the sun shone down and filled us with optimism for the ride ahead.
Our packs were feeling that little bit lighter missing the food and drink, so we set off with spirits high.
There was alot of pushing as the path picked its way over peat bog and after a fair few miles started to take its toll on morale. Once at Loch Trieg we hit a landrover track where we tried to catch up on time.

The track was brief as we turned south down Gleann Iolairean, where once again we pushed over bog this time climbing towards Blackwater Reservoir.
Heads began to hang trudging up the so called path and not many words were spoken between us.
Once crossing the bealach a rideable trail did appear, which offered interest in keeping momentum over the rocky sections.
We lunched at the bothy on Loch Charain where we filled up on water and snacks.
The trail over to the Blackwater Reservoir was more of the same, mainly rideable but with the odd patch to catch you out.

After toiling through the peat bogs, time was getting late so we weighed up our options. It was either carry on as planned, getting back to the van late, cut over the dam and retrace our tracks over the Devils Staircase or ride the Ciaran path back into Kinlochleven and try and hitch a ride to where we parked.

With tired bodies and the promise of three pints waiting for us at the Clachaig Inn, we opted for the Ciaran path.
The path did not disappoint as it dropped 7km with only the odd uphill to spoil the flow.
It is however very steep and rocky in places but more forgiving than the Grey Mares trail we rode the previous day. As we were all tired we rode what we could and regrouped for safety every 500 metres or so.


Once back down in Kinlochleven, we phoned the local taxi and volunteered Stuart for van collection, as he was the cleanest.
Bikes were soon packed in the van and in no time at all, we were showered with tent pitched on the Red Squirrel campsite.
Three pints were indeed waiting for us in the Clachaig Inn, bought for us by Simon and Adrea who shared our cheese and port in the bothy. All that was left to do was soak up the Gaelic craic and sample some of the local whiskeys.

West Highlands (part 1)

Glencoe has long been famous for its mountaineering heritage. And it`s easy to see why, as the peaks loam up on either side on the drive through.

The sun surprisingly greeted me on a fine Easter weekend.
As I set off from the campsite down the Oban cycle track from Ballachulish there wasn't a cloud in sight. The morning sun glistened over the sea loch as seals bobbed up and down, keeping me company along the 16km of tarmac. The mountains around me had an alpine feel to them as the snow capped peaks were illuminated by the morning sun.

Once at the caravan park at Achadh nan Darach, I headed east into Apping forest and up Glen Duror.
The forest roads gain height quickly as they rise steeply from sea level to over 300 metres.
Fallen down trees blocked the trail at the highest point and with the prospect of a long diversion I opted to enter the thick pines. Carving a route while dragging a bike through thick vegetarian was not the highlight of the day, but it did add a bit of adventure to what had been a steady morning.

After 7km of forest road climbing, a gem of a trail appeared on my left.
With no sign post it could have been easy to miss as the forest road descended steeply back down. I checked the map hoping it was the trail I wanted to take me back to Ballachuish.
Thankfully it was, so I headed into the trees.
It wasn't long before the track exited the forest, dipping in and out of a few burns along the way.

The climb up to the summit cairn was technical with some flowy sections inbetween, making the riding interesting in lots of ways.
After crossing the burns coming from the slopes of Sgorr Dhearg the track started to drop steadily down Gleann an Fhiodh and back to Ballachulish, where I retraced my tyre tracks back to camp.

The following day I headed to the woodland on the shoulder of the Pap of Glencoe.
In the woods are a number of walking trails, which were littered with features for mountain bikers.
Both of the signposted walks were only about 4km in length but provided plenty of gradient with drops, roots and rocks.
Eyes must be peeled as I found plenty of hidden trails heading into the dark pines and judging by the tyre tracks, I wasn`t the only one using these for mountain biking pleasure.

As these are popular with walkers and disabled users, visiting during peak times isn`t recommended. At 5pm I had the woods to myself.

With such good weather and some amazing riding, I am looking forward to another trip to the area at the end of May.
A group of friends and myself have a two day, overnight route planned. Starting from the Devils Staircase and taking in some iconic technical trails.

Schwalbe Dirty Dan Tyre Review

Its winter time, the hard tail is out and some new mud tyre`s put on.
Been a big fan of Schwalbe Nobby Nics I decided on some Dirty Dans. The Nobby Nics perform great in a lot of conditions, including mud, but with my local trails beginning to get a bit sticky and riding a lot more, I went for a change.

Riding mainly XC and using a lot of roads to link up the trails, I went for the 2.0" width to reduce drag and also to cut through the mud for more grip. They also come in 2.35", which did seem a little too wide for general XC use.

On first impressions the blocks look well spaced apart to allow mud to be cleared from the tread and fairly deep to cut through the gloop. They did take some fitting to run tubeless on my mavic 721 rims, but once on they haven't been a problem.

With the soft compound I was expecting them to drag a little on tarmac, but on the first ride I was pleasantly surprised with the speed of them.
On wet rocks and roots the lugs grip really well, but the tyres excel in the stuff they have been designed for, the mud.
I felt the difference more on the climbs. On the short, steep, ascents of my local trails they perform really well, offering me grip where other tyres haven't before. Allowing me to even get out of the saddle, instead of anchoring my bum on the seat for traction.
With the spacing of the blocks there is no problems with mud clogging up the tyre, they appear to be cleared as soon as the tyre leaves the ground, giving a mud free tyre to dig into the mud again.
I just wish I`d have changed to a winter tyre sooner.

Twitter: @AndyCole_AMR

Peak District 2 day mtb route

Knowing I would have little time to get out on my bike over the Christmas holidays, I planned a two day route close to home the weekend before the break. With just a 40 minute drive from Leeds to Langsett, the Peak district is pretty much on the doorstep.
After ringing a few Hostels and bunkhouses we finally found one that was open and had space for the four of us.

With the descents we had to complete on route we kept our packs as light as possible. Along side our usual riding gear was a spare set of clothes, a sleeping bag and two days worth of snacks.
The van was parked up in the lay-by near Langsett and we headed into the woods towards Mickleden Edge. Climbing from the reservoir is steep to begin with, but the gradient does subside as you gain height. The wind was blowing down the valley, right in our faces making riding difficult at times. Without this hindrance the climb is rideable to the summit cairn marking Cut Gate.
Once at the top the big cairn offered us some protection from the strengthening wind, where we snacked and prepped for the descent.
Rucksacks tightened and saddles dropped we headed for the descent into Derwent Valley.
From the summit cairn it drops on rock slabs, leading to a grassy, boggy patch before a piece of singletrack contours above Bull Clough.
The easy riding was short lived, as the drop down to Howden Reservoir is steep. Big rock steps drop down to the slippery stones. There is an easy alternative by taking the left hand trail at the sign post.

Once at the bottom of the valley, we chose the west side of the reservoir as our trail taking us up and over to Hope Cross was about half way down and with the café closed for the Christmas break there was no chance of a quick brew.

After the confides of the tarmac reservoir road, the climb back out of the valley was a bit of a shock. Dropping down towards the A57, we chose to go straight on where the bridleways cross. The drop down, is rocky, but with the natural berms in the trail, has a feeling of a trail centre descent.
Crossing the road we pushed up towards Hope Cross, the climb is steep and rocky which did mean so was our descent the following day. So our eyes were peeled for our return line. It was clear why this short descent was known as the beast, with rocks as big as small cars I was glad I had decided on bringing the full suspension.

The sun was dropping down behind Mam Tor and illuminated our trail ahead, leading us down to our final stop at Edale. The trail drops down steadily, with one short climb interrupting the flow.
Once hitting the road, we headed into the village to find our bunkhouse for the night.
When we were showered and our sleeping bags were on our beds we headed to the pub for some well deserved food and beers.

Next morning the bunkhouse was filled with the distictive smell of frying bacon. The other occupants of the bunkhouse had come prepared and in cars. With our limited space, muesli and porridge were all we could manage.
After our inferior breakfast we got out our bikes which were stored with the farmers tractor and headed back the way we came. The weather held up all weekend and with the wind now behind us we expected to make good progress. The descents this way round were even better than the previous day. The beast dropping down from Hope Cross is very technical, but rewarding when rode without dabbing. But the highlight of the ride has to be the descent back down to the reservoirs in the Derwent valley. This is long and fast with a few rocks thrown in to keep your concentration up.


The steep long climb back upto Cut Gate was made easier with yesterdays wind now offering us a little push. At the top it was a short blast back down to the van, that ended way too quickly for all of us.
Once the muddy gear was off and the bikes packed in the van, we could reflect on what had turned out to be a great ride to end the year.


 *excuse the pictures, they were taken from my camera phone.