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rules around local trains and bikes
Yes, stick to Regionale trains, remember to buy the bike ticket (3.5E I think) and generally keep your bikes in sight while on the train
0° rated bags
Depends on expectations on where to sleep. In July valleys are hot, 25C overnight easily. At around 1000m you are looking at 15C overnight, 5C around 1500~2000m sometimes less. I had a bivvy with a 10C rated bag last year, and a 10C thermal liner. Only needed both bag and liner, and still felt slightly cold, when we slept on Col de Turini at 1700m. A couple of nights at 500m I was too warm in the bag. Weather and exposure could affect the numbers above significantly. Above ~1000m you don't get mosquitoes at night, which is a bonus.
Doing it in 8 Days
I did it in 7.5 days both times, the latter being fitter and with better gear felt much easier and could have pushed harder. It's a long game of climb, descend, repeat. Take your time on the climbs and know what's ahead.
I would like to be up high for the sunsets a couple of times based on your photo's.
This was by far the highlight of last year trip. Knowing the route and being fitter allowed us to push close to the limit of what we had accepted as doable for the trip. So definitely study the route and learn how your body copes with it in the first 2-3 days, that will allow you to know how/when to push that limit and chase that sunset. Staying in refugio helps, as you can get there relatively late, without having to descend to a valley in the dark. Riding Via del Sale at dusk will be forever impressed in my memory
Is camping pretty straightforward with that kind of day structure? You'll end up down in a valley each night?
You can end in a valley each night if you want, I did that the first time. But I recommend staying in a refugio at least once/twice, same comment as above. There are campsite in/up the valleys, but you can also wildcamp, just be sensible about it.
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giofox
jameso
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.