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Done it twice, both times in July, loved the stable (albeit hot) weather and it was never too busy once you are up high, except maybe at weekends.
Nice is horrible and a completely anticlimatic end to such ride. Last year we rode to Ventimiglia instead, not particularly noteworthy, but easy enough train connection back to Turin. This also helped us keeping our luggage/bike boxes in Turin without sorting them for an A-B type of ride.
DO NOT crop the route, the best bits come later and the route is really nice up until you descend to the coast. A last stop in Sainte-Agnès is nice to gather your thoughts before the busy coastal roads.
The second time around I was able to add some bits to the OG route, both incredible, so here they are as a raccomendation:
Variation via mt Jafferau: We descended from Assietta back towards the Val di Susa, then climbed to the top of Jafferau from Salbertrand. 5h long climb, all rideable, with a possible detour halfway to check an old fort. 1km long tunnel dug in the rock with some water in it, will need lights. The descent from the top of the mountain to Bardonecchia is sketchy and technical, essentially coming down a black run ski slope. There is probably a less dangerous way, but might involve some backtracking. I manged on a drop bar Surly on 45mm tyres, but needed some stops to let brakes cool down. https://www.strava.com/activities/9469786424
Variation at the end of Via del Sale to La Brigue: Instead of descending to La Brigue, we added the ridgeline by Mt Saccarello, quite technical single track, but insane views. Some descents on it were a bit loose and required short hike a bike down, but otherwise all rideable. The ridge then rejoins the TNR #1 route at Colle del Garezzo with another long stretch of offroad before descending to La Brigue. This section has all been shortened in the more recent route. https://www.strava.com/activities/9495703557
See my Strava for other days/pictures
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Sublime. We'll do the whole thing. Sandwiches look immense too.
Think i'm pretty sold on getting the train back to Turin via Ventimiglia, i'm guessing most rules around local trains and bikes are still valid. Did you stay much longer in Turin when you got back? @giofox @ad441
Will be camping most nights I reckon. my partner and I in an Alpkit Tarpstar with some decent 0° rated bags should be plenty by the sounds of it? Did the Wolf's Lair in Abruzzo last year and got around just fine. I'd like to go even lighter for this but not sure there's any extra weight left to cut. I'm a one pair of bibs kind of tourer.
Doing it in 8 Days is still about 7 hours (moving time) of cycling each day by the looks of it? I would like to be up high for the sunsets a couple of times based on your photo's.
Is camping pretty straightforward with that kind of day structure? You'll end up down in a valley each night? suppose that means some longer days to get over another col or some shorter so you don't end up super high too late. Need to study the route of course now we're getting more committed.
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The ridge then rejoins the TNR #1 route at Colle del Garezzo with another long stretch of offroad before descending to La Brigue. This section has all been shortened in the more recent route.
FWIW There's been more landslides on the way down past Colle Garezzo, passable from what I've heard recently but I'm not sure how safe it all is or when repairs are happening.
Looking to have a go at the route this year. Is everyone else quite strict on only doing this as the official event or has it progressed to a canonised route by now and doing it whenever is totally fine?
Going to be on off road drop bar bikes. Will look to sort out some 650b's based on the advice in this thread.
Alternatively: Turin looks and sounds like a cool place to spend some downtime after the ride. Is there potential for a 500km ish loop, so doing the first 250km of the route and then turning back through the mountains in almost reverse? or is that going to be rubbish, missing the best bits, etc...