Into the mountains
Today is the day the adventure starts for real. The journey so far has been entertaining enough, and even though we had some disappointments; I am satisfied. Today’s stage will take us from Martigny over to the Aosta Valley in Italy, further into France again and then ending in Susa in Italy. This is a day that both Bror and I have high expectations for. The route is on varying road standards, and the biggest challenge will be to stick to the route and find the included «detours» – this can’t go wrong!
Dag 4: Mandag 4.9.
Martigny – Susa – 280 km
In some of the neighboring rooms there is already activity before six, we have a short stage with many meters of altitude ahead of us, but there is no need to stress. We have a leisurely and good breakfast before we prepare the bikes before departure. I lubricated the chain when we parked last night, and the oil level was checked after the bike was emptied of luggage. The Honda is ready for an exciting stage – its first in the Alps.
I have planned a gentle start to the day, and we set off in the direction of Vallettes. We can take the main road past Vallettes and have an easy journey. But this is more to our taste; we follow the signs in the direction of Bovenier/Les Valettes. After a few hundred meters there is a sign for Champex-Lac/Bémont and we turn sharply right. So far it has been relatively flat. Martigny is located at about. 470 meters altitude, and in Les Valettes we are at just over 600 meters. We will go up to 1580 meters and a total of 20 hairpin bends before we reache the highets point of the road and decend to Champex-Lac. Not dizzyingly high, but the road that takes us there is wonderfully winding and narrow. We ride in the forest, but at the small farms we get a glimpse of the valley below us, but mostly there are tree dominating the view. As we approach the top, the view opens up and we get an overview of some of the majestic peaks of the Alps.
We have a pleasant drive, and Champex-Lac comes as a surprise. The small lake is mirror-clear, like a jewel, and is clearly a popular getaway, with many hotels. A quick check online reveals that there are ample opportunities for both cycling and walking in the area. We settle for a quick stop before rolling down the slopes with the Great Saint Bernard Pass as the next challenge.
On the descent from Champex we have a beautiful view of Orsieres which turns out to be a very cozy and intimate small town. In the town we catch up with a silver-gray Mercedes convertible , a really nice veteran and there is something familiar about the plates. We will see it several times during our trip over to the Aosta Valley, and my suspicion is justified; it is Norwegian. That is a nice way to enjoy the Alps as well.
We pass the Mercedes on the climbs after Orsieres and we are on our way up to Colle del Gran San Bernard as they say here. The only challenge is to get off the main road before the unspeakably long and boring tunnel, at least if you have ended up in it by mistake. We follow the signs to Col, a modest sign next to the large signboard that shows the way into the tunnel.
This is the start of the climb up to Colle del Gran San Bernard. The road becomes narrower, but not particularly demanding. The view is fantastic, and I like the north side of the pass very much. Once at the top we ride between the houses that stand like a gate to the south. We are 2469 meters now. In front of us is Lac Du Grand Saint-Bernard. The border between Switzerland and Italy runs roughly in the middle of the lake and at the other end is Hotel Italia with a restaurant and behind it stands the statue of Saint Bernard. There is a bar and restaurant right down by the lake too, but nothing that tempts us right now.
We have a short stop before we enter Italy and as we begin the descent to the south and the view opens up down the valley, the road becomes both wider and smoother. We have a lovely ride until we rejoin the main road. The road is winding and the views are magnificent – life is wonderful. On the last leg before we enter the city of Aosta we pass the silver-grey Mercedes again and now our paths part. We follow the local road in the direction of Courmayeur. We notice that we are no longer on the tourist route. The local traffic is significantly busier than up in the mountains. Fortunately, the traffic slows down as we get further out of Aosta town. But the Italians are still frugal and avoid the motorway when possible, so you always have to allow a little extra time if you want to mingle with the local traffic up the valley.
We ride to Morgex where we turn onto the tourist route again. We are going up to Thuile the long way. In Morgex the climb starts. On the map it may look like a shortcut, thanks to the many bends thsi road 2.7 km longer than the main road that turns off a little further up the valley. What a fantastic road we are on. We climb quickly through the forest on a beautiful road with an incredible number of bends. We eventually reach the highest point, Colle san Carlo, which is 1970 meters high. We don’t leave the forest until we start the descent to Thuile. Now the view opens up towards the mountains to the west. After a few kilometers of nice riding, we are down on the main road and start the trip south to Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard. The valley widens and the ride up to the highest point of the pass is a nice change from the narrow and winding road from Morgex to Thuile. The pass is located in a valley, and we are «only» 2188 meters high, but we have nice riding on both the north and south sides.
On the way down we have taken a shortcut. The next highlight is the Col de l’Iseran. Instead of riding all the way down to the D902, we take a detour to the left 3 km after the first hairpin bend. It is a 180-degree turn, the junction comes as a surprise if I am prepared. I have to brake hard so I don’t pass it. Now all we have to do is follow the signs to Montvalezan and keep right on the D84 towards Val d’Isere. The D84 winds its way up the hillside and is so narrow in places that two cars have trouble meeting, but the agility of the motorcycles now comes into its right and after just over 9 km on the D84 we are on the D902 that will take us to the Col de l’Iseran and the highest and wildest pass of the day. But first we have to have lunch and find a cozy burger bar in Val d’Isere.
We are not alone on the road, I have rarely seen so many motorcyclists at speed. We are in motorcyclist paradise right now, so it is not so strange. Riding conditions can hardly get better than this. After eating we are on the road again and start the climb up to the Col de l’Iseran and its summit at 2770 meters.
There is limited space at the top of Col de l’Iseran, so we end up parking a bit outside in the pile of rocks on the opposite side of the well-known signboard that marks the summit. There is a happy mix here; motorcycles of all kinds from Ducati Panigales that could have come straight from Mugello to Harleys with trailers, and cyclists on racing bikes and electric bikes. There is also the occasional sports car – Europe’s highest paved pass is popular when the weather is like today. Just enjoy the day.
We have to plush on and start the ride down to Bonneval-sur-Arc and start the trip down the Maurienne valley and more or less follow the river Arc southward. We will go down to Lansevillard where we will go on a new climb up to Mont Cenis. At the top we are at 2085 meters altitude after a nice climb. The top of the pass itself is not much to brag about, but continue for a kilometer and the fantastic Lac du Mont Cenis will reveal itself before you.
A beautiful sight, and unlike the Col du l’Iseran we are now alone, and can enjoy the view undisturbed. The lake is dammed in the east and like many other places where dams have been built in the Alps there is a hotel complex at the bottom of the lake at the west end. The dam was built in 1968, and after the Frejus tunnel was built in 1980 the road over Mont Cenis became less important and is today little trafficked compared to many other mountain passes in the area. We make a quick stop at the east end of the lake before starting the ride down to Susa which is today’s destination.
We glide easily and smoothly through the turns on perfect asphalt and feel that we have more riding in our blood. We pass the border with Italy as we ride past a tunnel built to protect against avalanches. It has lost its mission now that the road is closed during the winter. The valley narrows, and we are down in the forest again. We decide on a little detour today too. But first we need a little refreshment and stop at the De Gustibus bar for a refreshment and the opportunity to sit in the shade. The heat is starting to be noticeable now.
It has been a long time since I rode here, and back then our little detour was not on the itinerary, but I knew the exit would come suddenly. It comes very suddenlyindeed, and we have tu turen sharp left in a right turn. The GPS has the route so when there are 250 meters left I make sure that we have no one close behind us. We’re not just talking about a clear exit to the left, no, in the middle of a confusing right turn we’re going to take a tight 180-degree turn. Right now, I really appreciate an easy-to-handle bike.
We’re going to Moncenisio, the place isn’t important, it’s the road that’s the goal. It starts with a narrow but nice road. So narrow that I would think twice to go here by car, but on a motorcycle it’s easy as pie. The road winds through the forest, but we’re still high above the valley floor, so sometimes, especially on the left turns, we get great views of the valley.
Then the road rises a little again and we come to Lago della Ferrera, an idyllic little lake right on the side of the road. We have a short break before we roll on.
On the other side of the water there is a parking and shortly after we arrive in a small village. There will be no stop here today, and we turn right just before we enter Moncenisio, and for a while we are unsure whether we are on track. The road quality suddenly dropped dramatically and here it is extra narrow. Two motorcycles can probably meet, but if we meet a car we have to get out of the way. The hairpins here are tighter than any of the ones we have ridden earlier today and there is no doubt that we are heading down. The first hairpins were just a small warning, now the hairpin bends are close ahead of us. We eventually come out of the forest and get a great view down the valley and ride over Cenischia, which is today a stream, but can be a foaming river.
At Novalesa we have done the descent and cruise into Susa and start the hunt for the hotel. We find it, just had to ride around it and take a slightly questionable parking spot. But upon check-in, we were immediately given access to the garage and after another lap around the block, the bikes are parked on parquet tiles. You read that right, our hotel is well-equipped for both bicycles and motorcycles. The garage has tiled floors, its own washing department – I don’t think the NC has been in such nice premises since it rolled out of the store in Nydal.
We have a stroll in the old town of Susa before we dine, and take an early evening. There were not so many kilometres today, but despite only 280 kilometres on the clock, it was an eventful day over some of the Alps’ steepest passes measured in both altitude and riding plreasure, and interspersed with some great detours. The trip via Moncenisio was a great end to today’s riding. A good night’s sleep awaits and we look forward for tomorrows adventure, which we consider to be the highlight of the trip; the trip over Colle delle Finestre and Colle dell’Assietta.
Our accommodation in Susa:
Hotel Napoleon, Via Mazzini, 44, 10059 Susa
E-mail: hotelnapoleon@hotelnapoleon.it. Tel.: +39 0122 622855
Read also:
Tour des Alpes 2023 – I, The Start
Tour des Alpes 2023 – III, On Italian and French Border Roads
Tour des Alpes 2023 – IV, French Alpine Passes and More
