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.