Bikepacking the Torino Nice rally
Crossing the Alps by bike
The Torino-Nice Rally is one of the original European bikepacking events with a mass start taking place on the first Friday of September each year. However, it is intended that the route can be tackled at any time with a comprehensive website guide and gpx files providing a variety of different options and ways to tackle this 700km route which crosses back and forth along the French / Italian border on a network of mountain Cols and old military dirt roads.
Having enviously looked at photos and watched videos of riders tackling the route over the years, I knew it was a ride that was on my bucket list and so after an untimely early scratch from this years TransContinetal Race I found myself with both the time and energy to pack up my bike and head off for a week in the mountains… it was time to ride Torino – Nice.
As there was no official group start in 2024 and I was on a tight time schedule I decided to start my ride directly from Turin Airport after an early morning flight from London and intersect the route around 10miles north of Turin city centre. Italy was experiencing a late summer heat wave with temperatures well above 30 degrees centigrade and so the mornings ride was hot work. Thankfully Italy has a nice network of water taps in most towns and villages so it was simple enough to keep topped up and hydrated. After a Pizza for lunch it was time to tackle the first major challenge of the route the Colle del Colombardo. Although not the highest or the longest climb on the route I would suggest it is certainly one of the more difficult climbs and is a rude awakening especially on a loaded bike. The wall like lower slopes are paved, however I found myself pinned in first gear grovelling up the road as my legs accustomed themselves to pedalling uphill. As the gradient lowered the surface deteriorated to a rough rocky dirt track making for slow going and much sweating. Don’t underestimate the Colle Del Colombardo, its tough and slow going, but the good news is that most climbs feel easier from here on in. The views at the top were just reward for the effort of the climb and the descent just kept on going and going, smiles all round! Dinner was, you’ve guessed it, another Pizza and I then made my way onto the lower slopes of the Colle Delle Finestre to find a camp spot for the night on the side of the pass overlooking the town of Susa.
I awoke at dawn on day 2 with the Colle Delle Finestre looming overhead. At 2178m high and almost 19km in length it sounds like a rough start to the day, however being an old military road the gradient was consistent and I soon settled into a nice rhythm as I climbed through the wooded lower slopes. The day was heating up as I rode the final 8km of gravel to the summit, but starting early made the experience much more pleasant after the sweltering temperatures of the previous afternoon. Next up was the Strada dell’ Assietta, another old military dirt road along a rolling ridgeline all above 2000meters. I was familiar with this road after it was a parcour section in the 2015 Transcontinental race albeit in the opposite direction, where upon meeting meeting Mike Hall, the then race director, on the descent off the ridgeline having been uncomfortably rattled about on my road bike I’d suggested that this might be a bit too much for a road race. He laughed at my discomfort and suggested something along the lines of ‘toughen up!’, so there would certainly be no complaining 9 years later on a fully loaded gravel bike!
The Torino – Nice route is on the whole fantastic, but if I’m to be slightly critical it’s the amount of motorbike tourers buzzing by on certain sections. The Strada Dell Assiette seemed to be a haven for these heavily laden lumbering beasts that threw up great clouds of dust and at times squeezed me into the rougher rocks at the edge of the track. It’s a minor complaint, and probably no different to a hiker complaining about a mtb rattling down some pristine Alpine singletrack, however, the combination of altitude induced heavy breathing and constant dust clouds meant I was pleased to reach pavement again at the Ski resort of Sestrier. As I descended back down to 600m elevation the heat of the valley hit and so after a road climb over the border to France I took refuge in the traditional French haven for bikepackers… McDonlads. Calories, aircon, charging and use of a toilet, what more could a smelly dirtbag want to refuel and cool down?
One of the quirks of the Torino-Nice rally is that you can choose which route you want to take from a number of options. The original route offered a number of ‘Rough Stuff’ sectors which often involve a good amount of hikeabike to reach some more remote alpine valleys. As the route has evolved there is now a choice of some ‘easier’ alternates and as I approached the end of day 2 the first of these choices was presented; the Col Du Peas involving a steep hike with a singletrack descent or on the road over the Col d’Izoard a Tour De France classic. Now by this time in the day I have to admit I was feeling it. A day of altitude and 30degree temperatures had me feeling drained as I left Besancon and I had already settled on taking the road option. However, as the turn to the Col Du Peas approached I had a change of heart and took the harder option. I was rewarded with a ride across an incredible plateau before the not so enjoyable hike a bike. Darkness closed in as I reached the base of the final steep path to the summit and so I decided to find a flat(ish) patch of ground, pitch my tent and tackle the final push in the morning.
The morning chill of a 2000m campsite was soon replaced with a sweating grovel as I pushed my over laden bike up a steep, loose hiking path. Taking almost an hour to cover just over a mile was a tough start to the 3rdday on the trail, but the singletrack descent in the golden morning light made the extra effort well worth it. A quick raid on a local boulangerie had me fuelled up for the high point of the route, the Col D’Agnel, quickly followed by a long road descent back into Italy and the next climb of the Colle Di Sampeyre.
At the top of the Sampeyre there are more route options and I had planned to ride the Strada Dei Cannoni, another dirt road, however I found that the route was undergoing repairs and was closed off. There was an official road descent option, but I just checked the map and saw a nice direct route down to the valley below. In hindsight there is probably a reason that the Torino Nice organisers don’t purposely send riders down this long lost road through a deep gorge, however that reason doesn’t really become apparently until the descent is almost over. The constant covering of gravel and stones which had fallen from the valley sides should probably have alerted me to the dangers ahead and by the time I found the massive rock slide that had wiped the road away I had descended a good 1000m of elevation. I was faced with the option of retracing my steps, or the considerably more sketchy option of unloading my bike and shuttling it and luggage across the scattered rocks. I chose the latter and it made for an adrenaline filled half an hour!
My sketchy shortcut had however bought me some time and so I was able to push on a little further than I’d planned up the hike a bike to Refugio Gardetta and the famous Little Peru section of the route. I pushed my bike up the hiking trail to the summit under moon lit skies and descended onto the plateau around 10pm. Deciding against staying in the Refugio I pitched my tent at the side of the track in anticipation of the stunning views I could feel around me in the darkness.
First light did not disappoint and I was able to begin day 4 with Little Peru all to myself. It’s a breath taking corner of the Alps and by this point the route had continued to surpass my expectations. I thought I knew the Alps from various trips on the road and mtb over the years, but Torino-Nice really showed it at its very best. By mid morning I was back down in the valley, refuelled and with some clean kit after finding a trough of water in a village to do my laundry. The temperatures in the Valley were high, but in the mountains above me I could see the clouds building ominously.
My luck with the weather finally ran out on the climb of the Col Du Tende and the afternoon was spend dodging rain showers as I climbed the col and then rode along the Via Del Sale, another high altitude military road. This section offers one of the more remote parts of the Torino – Nice route, but I was well stocked up with food and water and prepared for another night camping up high. I pitched by tent in a small clearing on a forested ridge and settled in for the night. I had thought that the storms of the day had passed by, but during the night a series of hard electric storms passed over head and had me questioning my choice of camp spot. No harm was done however in the morning I realised that I had left the zip of my frame bag open overnight. In case you are wondering Tailfin frame bags are waterproof as long as the zip is shut… if its left open they are also excellent at collecting water, I found my passport and money floating in my bag.
After the long descent down from the ridgeline I stopped in the village of Sant Dalmas De Tende to buy a coffee and some breakfast, thankfully the woman running the café had some paper towel on had to help me dry out my soggy euro notes.
My plan now was to almost complete the route and camp on the Col Du Braus before a short ride downhill into Nice to following morning. However despite the sun blazing down in the valley I soon found my way back up into the storms as I took on the long climb to the Fort De La Forca. By the time I reached the summit a few hours later I was in full waterproof jacket, shorts and gloves… not what I’d expected as I drew towards the Mediterranean.
A short descent to the summit of the Col Du Turini froze me to the core so I took shelter in a café along with a mass of fellow bedraggled cycle tourers and motorcyclists. A few coffees later and the weather had set in for the rest of the day. I didn’t fancy another night in a soaking tent and so made the most of the direct route option offered by the Torino Nice organisers straight to Nice avoiding the Col Du Braus. The rain was still pouring but I soon lost altitude and felt the warms of the coastal air and a couple of hours later found myself cycling along the Prominade des Anglais in Nice. I must admit that I wasn’t expecting to finish Torino nice in full waterproofs, but that didn’t fail to dampen my spirits on what was a fantastic 5 days riding.
I’d thoroughly recommend riding the Torino-Nice, whether as part of the group start, or just solo and making use of the excellent information available on the website. It’s got a bit of everything, you can make what you want out of it and more importantly I felt it highlighted the Alps in the best possible way, I have a feeling I’ll be back again…