Torino - Nice Rally

I get the additional layer of backup, but remember you are riding 700km in Italy/France, not doing a month-long expedition into Tibet. Just saying, worst case you turn back down the hill and get back to the last house/village you rode by.

If you really want a map though, search for hiking maps of the most remote areas, have a look here: https://www.escursionista.it/categorie/cartografia/carta-escursionistica.html?mode=list#limit=25&mode=list&regioni_italia=7132

fair point :)

The TNR route as we knew it is over.... Bear in mind that the last 100-150km of the route has been affected by the Tende-Roya flood disaster. No idea what the effect is so far but from what I've heard the Col Tende road on the French side of the tunnel has disappeared, Tende itself is cut off from both sides and the road down the Roya valley is gone in places. Repairs will take a long time. The higher tracks will have been out of the flood zone but landslides happen and the ground could be unstable.

The route will need revision some point in the future and until then I'd have to say the current route is unsafe, not recommended.

..from what you're saying you're getting maps in case of blockages and diversions, they will be needed. Will post up anything I hear over the autumn-spring as people in the area ride sections.

TBH, seeing the flood/landslip damage on the TV and seeing how some roads on the way to work today are cracking due to slipping made me realise that I'd need to build some flexibility into the route both before and to reroute when I ride. Also I don't want to be someone else's problem by getting into trouble and not having any idea how to get out of it.

The damage looks pretty horrific - https://www.lastampa.it/cuneo/2020/10/04/news/al-tenda-e-un-disastro-crollata-la-strada-che-sale-al-tunnel-dalla-francia-1.39381504

Guess the Via De Sale likely to have been damaged as well.

Feel even more lucky to have done TNR last year.

Well, 7 pages of increasing excitement about doing this at some point just got blown to smithereens.

I am sure that you'll still be able to do a great ride along a lot of that route before long - there are so many good offroad paths crossing that bit of the country that there'll be alternatives if the existing route is too damaged to be passable. Plus it's a big mountain biking area with lots of related tourism which means bike routes won't be ignored.

Just seen that the Valle Argentina got hit pretty hard as well. I hired a mountain bike from these people on holiday last year https://www.instagram.com/p/CF4qHtIHrIQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link and feel really bad for them, last thing they need on top of covid.

There's another way to go if needed, the Col Tende is the only real way over the mountains in that area but the Mercantour to the west has loads of great riding. All the valley roads there look to have been hit, though not seen the Var mentioned in reports. The Var is stunning.
Changing the event route not a priority yet, was hoping to do a spring edition next year but no chance now. Will wait until we can get some ride reports and get out there next summer. All seems a bit irrelevant though after seeing the damage online, people lost lives and their homes.

Damn.. the old route section went through Molini. Most riders stayed up on the Via del Sale though and went past it. The pool in Molini is so good, it's a lovely place.

Gutting to see all the photos of the damage, really feeling for the locals, and lucky to have ridden the 2018 edition. The Via de Sale/Tende was a real highlight.

If the communities get back on their feet makes me think that it might be worth doing section with the damage on the road to hit the towns and supporting the businesses a bit.

Was waiting for @jameso to comment as its his party. It looks horrific and whilst the impact on the bike riding in the area is sad the impact on the local communities is terrible. Aside from those hurt, Imagine if you have loved ones, job, family the other side of the tunnel. They might as well be hundreds of miles away for the foreseeable. Given the pandemic and winter approaching its going to be a long time before the tunnel road is fixed let alone the road over the pass.

Hope that bastard fox in the forts that nicked my cheese, sausage etc is safe as well....little shit.

Yes, that would be my preference. Include the older Monesi section also, there's a hikers hostel and restaurant there that lost business due to the 2017 landslide there.

Do you know what the situation is with that landslide? We "rode" the 2016 route by there in 2017 and looked like almost nothing could be done to salvage what was left.

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No, they were repairing or more like stabilising sections in 2017-18 but I'm not sure where it's up to. Dilemma then was the need to re-route for rider safety / liability reasons while also knowing that passing trade was an income for a couple of businesses in the village and they didn't want to be abandoned or seen as cut off.
Same thing here now on a far bigger scale. Certainly a need to separate out what's good for the TNR as an event in the short term vs the far greater considerations for the affected area. The whole topic needs some time plus input from business owners in the affected areas, maybe we'll get that in spring or early summer if appropriate. Hoping to make contact with someone who can speak for the area as there's events like the HAT motorbike enduro and cycle sportives that will all have similar questions.

I guess as I'm not doing TNR itself just stealing the route it's a question of safety and whether the communities are ready for people or not. Nobody wants to make it worse. Maybe worth trawling social media for people who live there; for example ridehousemartin on IG was raising money in Molini so she could be a good start given she's also engaged in bike-related tourism

^ good to see that getting supported. Would be good if the TNR could direct support to something similar covering the general area. Very aware of how many older people live in the Roya, Vesubie and Tinee valleys.

I'd chip in for sure

:thumbs:

Yes, Molini's great, spent a week there last Easter. I would have detoured there on TNR if I had more time/was faster. Contributed to their fundraiser already, but I'd be up for supporting anywhere that's suffered on the TNR route.

I would guess by the time riding the TNR is feasible again (presumably Spring at earliest) things will have resolved themselves somewhat as to what people do/don't want in the way of tourism & which ways are passable. I'm sure there'll still be a good route through or around of some sort.
But I can imagine a lot of skiing related businesses might go under in meantime with the tunnel closed/covid, etc, so who knows what it will do to the area.

Anyone know if there's a left luggage office in Turin airport or somewhere I could leave a bike bag for 8-10 days?

Just for posterity - couple of hotels and a bike shop said they'd hold a bag for me for 10 days whilst I was riding the route

Quick update. The road repairs in the Roya valley are progressing well, updates available here
https://www.inforoutes06.fr/

Some sections are on a 1-way alternating system.

The re-route needed to navigate the Tende area damage isn't as dramatic as I thought it may need to be. The shorter way off the Tende down the switchbacks is out for now, sadly. The Via del Sale section is now the standard route rather than a longer option and other options before and after it will shorten the route if needed. It's worth it though, a real highlight of the route -

In the Roya valley the lower section of the old route to the Fort de la Forca is closed, revised route goes up an alternative road to reach the same gravel track for the last 9km or so to the Fort de la Forca. It's still a big climb with 1700m gain and the new road section looks more than ok -

New route collection due onto komoot soon, new route cards and DIY TNR patches available late June onwards.

Well done James!