Day 2: From Col di San Veran to Sampeyre

The knobby tires of our bikes grind the fine gravel of the wide path up towards Refuge de la Blanche, and the only other noise is the loud freewheels of some bikes when the pedals are not being pushed.

The only nuisance are the buses that drive hikers further into the valley so that the path to the refuge is not too far for them (see photo).

Today everything is planned a bit more moderate, which suits everyone. We bypass the king of the region, the 3800m high Monte Viso, and the highest pass of the tour awaits us, taking us to 2850m and then descending over 2200m HD into the valley in a somewhat tricky descent.

We soon reach the Refuge lac de la Blanche, which is nicely situated by the lake of the same name (presumably in winter the white mountains are meant ... currently they are all green below and rocky above) at 2500m, where a colorful mix of outdoor tourists gather: from heavily packed hikers and cyclists with huge backpacks to the soon arriving day tourists. Many decorative olive-colored tents are also scattered around ... Probably a youth camp?

In winter, this seems to be a good ski touring area, as the whole area apparently does better in winter. We wonder what you can do in Saint Vélan for a week in summer.

After the break, we start pushing the bike again towards the summit, and the altitude becomes noticeable and it gets windier until it whistles properly at the col.

Therefore, we get ready just before that (knee pads and long shirt) for the descent, as according to the co-guide "it goes down quite a hole". So, everyone gets ready except for Joseph, who looks amused at the scene. He simply rides uphill and demanding downhill in a sports shirt and shorts, with completely worn-out Nobby Nic tires. But with around 100 bike days per year, that's how it is...

Downhill it is very varied and I can keep up with the guide. Steep ledges and slopes, as well as channels and many hairpin bends, require concentration. There was also a place where we had to walk for a longer time. In total, you bike 1000m HD from the col down to the valley floor.

After a longer lunch at a completely dilapidated former military building (there are plenty of old dilapidated military facilities here), we ride steep grassy slopes, and suddenly our guide gets a long barbed wire stuck in the rear wheel, which is removed without causing any damage. More barbed wire is discovered during the involuntary break...

Below the nice reservoir Lago di Castello, we then celebrate wildly with loud music, but the advantage is that there are no neighbors who can complain.

In the valley floor, the trail was flatter but always spiced up with short steep "uphill and downhill" sections that appeared unexpectedly but always offered very nice views of the lake or the valley. Towards the end, the trail turned into a kind of grass racetrack, where you could lean your bike slightly in the curves with a lot of grip.

So we arrived in Sampeyre and checked into a large hotel, which apparently is 80% occupied by older retirees. Wide corridors from which the rooms branch off ... illuminated signs ... ravioli with small stones, so that the local dentist also benefits from it ...