Genova to London - Route advice? - Anyone done it?

At the end of July (21st) i'll be leaving the Cinque Terre and riding back to London with a friend...

I'm sure we'll be fine - but i'm just wondering if anyone else has done it?

Is it convenient to cut through Paris? (we have beds available there) or is a waste of time and too risky to be worth it... We also have a place to crash if needed in Geneva - i'm sure that's less daunting than Paris...

can we go through the mont blanc tunnel somehow??

this is how the route looks currently.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Viale+Italia&daddr=46.206923,6.153717+to:A5+to:A202%2FVauxhall+Bridge+Rd&hl=en&geocode=FRz1oAIdOumVAA%3B%3BFYSs2wIdcNxOAA%3BFUqrEQMdBP79_w&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=11&via=1,2&dirflg=w&sll=46.151773,6.505966&sspn=0.646438,0.810928&ie=UTF8&ll=45.843151,6.967049&spn=20.803181,25.949707&t=p&z=6

I dunno about the Italy-France crossing but your route out of Geneva (to Les Rousses) is a good one, although it's been at least 15 years since I did that. Les Rousses had a lovely youth hostel then.
On the bit directly east of Paris there's loads of hemp fields which are good novelty value.

Awesome. thanks... So far so good. Having done some epic "roughing it" in on a cycle trip in France a few years back - i think we're going to find out way off tracks and into woods for our kip- maybe campsites if they appear at the right time.

One thing causing me worry is the MontBlanc tunnel- can i cycle through it? is there a route or bus service for cyclists?..

Google kicked a story at me about Pierlucio Tinazzi who died on his BMW in the fire - sounded like a real hero - he was going back and forth finding survivors- he and his bike eventually perished in the heat. An incredible man. I'll be sure to salute his remembrance plaque as i cycle past....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierlucio_Tinazzi

Now.. can we get through???

You can get through the tunnel, but not by bike. From the CTC website:

**Mont Blanc Tunnel **(recently reopened (March 2002) to cars only – lorries still banned) Local bus Chamonix - Courmayeur - Aoste will take cyclists and bikes through the tunnel (bikes travel for half adult fare).
Bus runs between Chamonix railway station and Aoste twice a day (except Sundays and fete days).
Further details from tourist offices. Otherwise, perhaps an obliging motorist will transport you and bicycle through.

I reckon you could get through if you could sustain the 50 km/h minimum speed limit for the distance.

http://www.tunnelmb.net/v3.0/gb/reglegb.asp

it might be nicer going from aosta up to etroubles and over the grand st. bernard pass and down into martigny. i'm planning a very similar route at the moment, and was thinking that would be good. i've driven over that way before, not sure how it would be on a bike, but pretty good i'm guessing. anyone gone that way before?

How about finding a pass much further south that, perhaps into France at Barcelonette? You would cross Liguria east to west, and over into Haute Provence. Passes will be much lower, and the country of Haute Provence/Alpes is a lot more forgiving than going into Switzerland or into France to Grenoble. Then make your way over to Valence before heading north, all the way up the Rhone valley.

I have driven not cycled a few of these passes mentioned above, but found a couple routes south of the Alps a lot less stressful as a driver... no tunnels, no high and barren passes to contend with. Seems a lot less busy than the routes through Aosta/Mont Blanc/Grand St Bernard, too.

Thanks all...

Will google map said names, and see what we reckon... As we're starting at the hilly end we're not much up for a big hill to kick things off- going the other way though; by the end a of a weeks cycling i know a mountain pass ain't so hard - Having cycled to Santander...

Richard; thanks for your research... & thywillbedone.... who'd have thought a tunnel has it's own website...

Skully - i'm looking at that route now. I gguess sometimes going round a mountain could be faster than up and over.

cheers all.

Route coming together nicely.

Now - Saddles...

Didn't want to start a new thread for this...

As i said above, i rode to Spain before - i did it on a specialized mountain bike seat. like that:

After day three my butt didn't thank me, until i strapped a pair of padded shorts to the seat... then it was better.

What seat do you recommend for long distance? I could get a brooks - but don't they need time to wear in?

thoughts?

currently seemingly talking to myself here - but i had to share this...

I'm just looking at picturess - ideas for packing as light as possible -

I came across this:

here:

http://www.fullyloadedtouring.com/

Good luck due can't recommend saddle personally as I have not had too many problems with any of mine. There are a few threads so it's worth a search.

that pic doesn't seem to load anymore...

try this: - it's pretty funny - and fixed gear i imagine.

http://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/image/59771333

Quick Question...

My friend going with doesn't have a triple - I have a 26 granny ring on my touring bike... he doesn't..

Is he going to die going up the alps? his chainset doesn't take a small ring... but I'm worried he'll need one.

If you're camping and carrying the additional kit that doing so entails, then he'll need a triple.

buy a cheap mtb crank and a friction shifter. Sorted.

Passed on, thanks.

you guys gone up the alps?

Apparently the road we take is a slight incline, but goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on (and ariston)

Which road? I've ridden extensively in the Alps but only toured there a few times. It's noticeable how harder the climbs are when you're carrying an additional 10-15 kgs of luggage. After the first time you get remarkably adept at carrying as little as possible.

this climb...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Viale+Italia&daddr=45.207199,8.237+to:Rue+du+31+Décembre+to:A5+to:A202%2FVauxhall+Bridge+Rd&hl=en&geocode=FRz1oAIdOumVAA%3B%3BFSgKwQIdcPVdAA%3BFYSs2wIdcNxOAA%3BFUqrEQMdBP79_w&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=9&via=1,2,3&dirflg=w&sll=45.143305,8.063965&sspn=2.477719,1.977539&ie=UTF8&ll=45.783806,7.366333&spn=1.262235,1.660309&t=p&z=10

The A5 / E25 leading up to Mont blanc tunnel from the Italian side.