The Trans-Savoie is one of the most technically demanding enduro mountain bike races in the world. And with competitors racking up over 300km of singletrack across six days of racing, it’s also one of the most physically demanding events too. The course itself involves both pedal assisted and gondola-assisted climbing to enjoy over 25,000 metres of vertical descending – how insane is that!
VAL D’ISERE – TIGNES – ST FOY – SEEZ – LES ARCS – PEISEY-VALLANDRY – MONTCHAVIN/LES COCHES – LA PLAGNE – CHAMPAGNY – BOZEL – COURCHEVEL – MERIBEL – VILLARLURIN – ARECHES/BEAUFORT – LES CONTAMINES – MT BLANC
Recognise any of those names? They’re some of the destinations that the Trans Savoie will string together as part of the route for the 2016 event. As Trans-Savoie puts it on their website, the event is more of a High Alpine Expedition than anything else.
“The TRANS-SAVOIE is a 6-day point-to-point Enduro. The winner is the rider with the least cumulative total time over all the timed stages of the race. Ridden or uplifted sections between timed stages (Liasons) are not timed and your order of start/finish each day will not influence your final position. All timed stages are predominantly long, downhill single-track sections of technical trail. Liason Stages are a mixture of cruising singletrack and fireroad, mechanical uplifts (ski-lifts), some climbing – with very minimal off bike hiking/pushing.”
“The total distance covered on-bike is around 300Km, over 6-days. The approximate total descent is 25,000m, and Total Ascent is also therefore round 25,000m – but only 6,000m of this is self-propelled – the remainder using a combination of local transport options including ski-lifts, funicular (mountain) railway, cog railway and minibus. The event’s format is therefore heavily biased towards long downhill technical singletrack sections. All riders will ride the course unprepared and unseen, and specific the skill of riding-on-sight – close to the limit but ever at or beyond it, is essential to a successful completion of the event.”
Sound cool? Then strap yourself in for this epic opening video that’ll show you what the Trans-Savoie is all about!
