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Tour du Mont Blanc: Les Contamines to Chamonix
Mountain Biking Trail
Hard
16.72 mi
3,105 ft
The shortest leg of the Tour du Mont Blanc along green forest trails.
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 this segment of the tour in Les Contamines. Continue on the main road down the valley to La Villette. From here, you'll start the one big climb for the day.
The trail goes right into dense pine forest. Continue up to the lift station at Gare du Col de Voza.
The descent follows the access roads for the ski resort down to Les Chavants. From here, you'll take a short road section to Les Houches, where you'll cross the major highway and start the final stretch to Chamonix along the hiking trail through the valley.
Sources:
Written by Will Gill
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 this segment of the tour in Les Contamines. Continue on the main road down the valley to La Villette. From here, you'll start the one big climb for the day.
The trail goes right into dense pine forest. Continue up to the lift station at Gare du Col de Voza.
The descent follows the access roads for the ski resort down to Les Chavants. From here, you'll take a short road section to Les Houches, where you'll cross the major highway and start the final stretch to Chamonix along the hiking trail through the valley.
Sources:
Written by Will Gill
Created By
Strava Routes
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descente du village - bifurcation du moulin | 1.04 mi | -305 ft | -5.6% |
| Chemin de Chevreuils | 0.45 mi | 502 ft | 21.0% |
| Champel to col Voza climb | 3.45 mi | 1,391 ft | 7.6% |
| Chemin De L'Ormey Climb | 1.04 mi | 551 ft | 10.0% |
| Col de Voza | 0.75 mi | 771 ft | 19.4% |
| Montée du Crozat (Barrière - Rails) | 0.86 mi | 791 ft | 17.4% |
| Bovresse down | 0.18 mi | -148 ft | -14.9% |
| Prarion to Bellevue | 0.48 mi | -52 ft | -2.0% |
| Bellevue Climb | 0.42 mi | 43 ft | 1.2% |
| Route de la Gare | 0.19 mi | -92 ft | -7.6% |
| Arve - Houches - Cham | 3.12 mi | 197 ft | 0.9% |
| Les Hooches to Marmottes | 1.65 mi | 220 ft | 0.3% |
| Chemin de l'Arve Coupeau - Gaillands | 2.64 mi | 151 ft | 0.8% |
| Climb out of Les Houches | 0.27 mi | 75 ft | 4.8% |
| Lumpy TT | 0.55 mi | 72 ft | 0.4% |
| Vers le mont à escalader | 0.75 mi | 56 ft | 1.1% |
| sprint | 0.52 mi | 59 ft | 1.7% |
| Col des Pecles | 0.37 mi | 82 ft | 4.1% |
| Route des Pecles | 0.71 mi | 82 ft | 1.5% |
| Col des Pècles | 0.33 mi | 85 ft | 4.7% |