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Tour du Mont Blanc: Chamonix to Champex

Mountain Biking Trail

Moderate
28.34 mi
7,657 ft
An easy tour through Chamonix valley, followed by two hard and long climbs to Lax des Champex.

The Tour du Mont Blanc, also known as the TMB, is one of the most popular long-distance hikes in the world. The route circles the entire Mont Blanc Massif, which rises to a height of 4,808 meters above sea level—the highest point in Western Europe and the European Union. The hiking route covers "a distance of roughly 170 kilometres (110 mi) with 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of ascent/descent and passes through parts of Switzerland, Italy and France,” according to Wikipedia.

While the TMB doesn’t climb to the summit of Mont Blanc, the route climbs up and over numerous high alpine passes, providing stunning views in all directions! Thanks to a well-developed system of huts, along with towns and hotels along the route, there are numerous options for staying overnight and resupplying as you journey around the loop.

Unlike the hiking version of the TMB, the mountain biking version of this route isn’t nearly as well defined. Instead, riders can choose from numerous route variants. For this variant we tried to optimise for maximum time in the saddle, and minimum time carrying your bike. This means the tour has several longer segments of paved road, particularly on the climbs.

Start in Chamonix, and head northeast through the valley past Agentiere and on to Le Tour. Here you'll start the first long climb to the first pass at Col de Balme. This is also the border to Switzerland—make sure you have your passport!

The first big descent is a very rocky singletrack. There are some tight hairpin turns and exposed sections. Watch out for a couple of steep steps.

At the bottom you'll have a short flat ride through the valley, passing to the east of the small village of Peuty. From there you'll start the next shorter climb to Col de la Forclaz. Stop here for a snack and a drink before continuing the descent on the road to Les Rappes. There's a few sections of offroad singletrack on the way down, or you can stick to the road if you're feeling tired.

From the bottom you'll start your last long climb to Champex. This one is about 1000m of vertical, all on the road. It's a rather long, unforgiving climb, especially on a mountain bike—but the view of the lake at the top is worth it!

Sources:
Written by Will Gill
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
pont du Golf>entrée Argentière2.87 mi489 ft3.2%
Short, nasty, guttery climb0.13 mi89 ft12.1%
Pont de le Corua to Chemin Plan d'Esau0.77 mi240 ft5.9%
Riverside1.58 mi230 ft2.8%
Last bit of the river trail1.47 mi217 ft2.8%
Sprint from school to railway bridge0.28 mi66 ft4.3%
Bifurcation Col des Montets/Le Tour --> Montroc0.68 mi200 ft4.7%
End of the valley 1.26 mi528 ft7.9%
Bridge to Le Tour1.41 mi597 ft8.0%
Le plus dur reste à faire 0.79 mi305 ft7.3%
Montroc (SNCF) - Le Tour (Bridge)0.62 mi282 ft8.5%
Everesting Lap0.79 mi374 ft8.9%
Dernier Sprint LE TOUR0.32 mi184 ft10.8%
Charamillion climb1.43 mi1,198 ft15.8%
Charamillon Climb from Car Park 1.33 mi1,194 ft17.0%
Le Tour to Col de Balme3.97 mi2,300 ft10.9%
Le Tour to intersection between Autannes and Col De Balme3.70 mi2,290 ft11.7%
Charamillon Proper - After Ticket Office...1.27 mi1,122 ft16.7%
Ancienne Voie C Ommunale N°7 D'Argentière Au Col De La Balme Climb3.28 mi1,440 ft8.3%
Col des Posettes - Col de Balme1.55 mi656 ft8.0%
Le Tour to PEUTY Full.2.91 mi-2,740 ft-17.8%
Col de Balme to Trient rock garden2.43 mi-2,503 ft-19.5%
Peuty Päng2.61 mi-2,602 ft-18.9%
Col de Balme - descent final2.05 mi-2,139 ft-19.7%
SPRINT FINAL FORCLAZ0.14 mi49 ft6.7%
DH Forclaz-Gitieux : Attention aux randonneurs !2.93 mi-2,507 ft-16.2%
COL DE CHAMPEX #10 Balise 10.6 à 6.3km au sommet2.57 mi1,227 ft9.0%
Champex 1st part5.22 mi2,362 ft8.6%
Champex d'en haut climb_5.88 mi2,635 ft8.4%
cyclo champex4.71 mi2,116 ft8.5%
Champex Apres Pee Stop5.51 mi2,464 ft8.5%
Champex depuis café Jegou sport 5.60 mi2,513 ft8.5%
Le Borgeaud Climb0.62 mi285 ft8.6%
Valettes - Champex ...Steep section..3.55 mi1,690 ft9.0%
Bémont 17 Climb0.34 mi325 ft17.8%
Plan De L'Au 1 Climb1.41 mi774 ft10.3%
COL DE CHAMPEX #10 Balise 6.3 à 2.5km du sommet2.27 mi1,033 ft8.6%
Route Du Lac 73 Climb1.92 mi636 ft6.3%
Kudos Cycling - Turn and Burn1.51 mi531 ft6.7%
COL DE CHAMPEX #10 Balise 2.5km à Totem d'arrivée1.49 mi505 ft6.4%
Rte du lac30.94 mi305 ft6.1%