Hi all,
Have any of you done the route described on THIS LINK From Dol du Granon to Briancon?

I am planning a bike ride for a stag do, and wondered how long the route would be, and if it would be generally suitable for people who can ride bikes, but don’t tend to as a rule.

Cheers in advance,
Orm

Yes.

We did it as a shuttle run from Briancon.

No great technical difficulties, but the consequences of a mistake on some sections will involve a serious tumble down the hillside. The final descent into Briancon is steep with loads of hairpins to negotiate – all possible with a bit of luck or skill.

It took our mixed group of competent bikers a couple of hours or so.
Not sure I’d take a complete beginner on that route, but if you can ride the Red routes at a Trail centre you’ll be fine.

I’ll dig out a couple of pictures if I can find them.
Hth
Marko

thanks Marko. Just the ticket!

I’ve done it a couple of times. It’s a lovely route, bit techy and steep in places, but as said above, nothing you wouldn’t find at a trail centre. Some of the surface is quite loose and off camber, so don’t grab your brakes!

Couple of hours is about right, and it’s a nice steady down the whole way.

Enjoy!

Yes, i did it with one of the Pete’s in that link- he was the brother in law of a good friend and wrote the article that was in issue 36 of stw. Pete died a few years ago but they were just about the best weeks of riding I’ve done.

The route itself isn’t the most technical, a few corners might trouble you on the first descent. Some exposure but no more than the rest of the riding in the area. The short climb will probably feel tough on tired legs but you get a great view at the top. The second descent is harder than the first, one corner in particular (pictured in that article) used to be hard but was a little washed out when i was last there (2008 i think).

It all depends on your group and how competent they are. It’s big mountain riding far removed from the safety of trail centres so you have to look after yourself. On that route one of my riding pals dropped his front wheel,[*] smashed up his face and broke his wrist. Despite being only 10 minutes from the top it took an hour to get him back to the car and down to the hospital.

Cheers all. Useful info. Bit scary about the hospital trip.
Can’t wait to go. Unfortunately have to though; it’s not til september.