Passportes du soleil advice needed

I’ve signed up for this years event, and wondering how severe the uphill sections are?
Will I need a granny ring or will I be ok running a single 34 or 36 tooth ring?

Thanks in advance.

Please yourself mate – it’s 50 miles with only 0.5 miles uphill!!
15 ski lifts for the uphills – balls of steel for the downhills!!
Pack spare brake pads, big tyres and downhill tubes…

What he says!

And don’t forget to drink plenty.

0.5 miles uphill!!

There’s a bit over 1000m of vertical climb in the day, or perhaps 10k of uphills if you think 1 in 10 counts as a hill.

Factor in a heavy bike, a full-face helmet and some body armour and all of a sudden it’s not quite as easy as it seems. A granny ring is a welcome addition, I’d suggest.

There is quite a lot of pedalling and some parts where a granny ring is useful, I certainly use mine – but I’m not a particularly fit or strong rider. None of the uphill sections are particularly steep or technical (ie it’s all on double track/fireroad), from memory the longest stretch is on a tarmaced road prior to descent into Morzine.

@shogger – if type think you need balls of steel for the downhill bits of the PPdS you must be afraid of a kerb drop !

I was fine on a borrowed DH bike, no wee ring, I’m reasonably fit though.

Very long day, I was wasted at the end, I’d rate good suspension more highly than a granny gear.

from memory the longest stretch is on a tarmaced road prior to descent into Morzine.

Before the descent into Champery as I recall – and if may have been hardcore not tarmac (perhaps).

Edit: and there will be someone on a rigid 29er who overtakes you at some point – but they could probably overtake you if they were on a unicycle.

There were a few uphill bursts, but the only “sustained” one was the mountain road up to lake Montriond (I think that’s what it was called), maybe half a mile?
I don’t think you NEED a granny ring – but I won’t be taking mine off, and I’ll probably use it once or twice.
I’ve got a reverb fitted this time around – I’m expecting to get quite a lot of use out of it 🙂

I’m doing the passportes this year, first time, with a couple of mates …. the reports on here give a really mixed message ….. I’m not a downhiller by any stretch of the imagination but I’m looking forward to at least something a bit more scary than lets say … the black at Whites level ……. otherwise we might as well have stayed in UK and saved a bloody fortune!!

tell me its a bit more interesting than fire roads and kerb drops 🙁

Yes, it is more interesting. It is a long ride, so it has everything. Depends what bits you remember! Much of it is not massively technical, but it is a lot of riding. There are a few utterly glorius bits.

More about the experience, and it is great fun to be hurtling around the alps with thousands of other bikers.

Kev

@sleigh as @big_scot says the event is more about a grand day out in the Alps, it’s not the MegaAvalanche. My favourite downhill parts are the rooty descent into Morzine and Champery technical option. I assume you are going for at least a few days riding so you can hit the harder trails before/after.

tell me its a bit more interesting than fire roads and kerb drops

Erm….

Its bloody great fun! Before we went, I had it described to me thus:

“imagine hiring two pneumatic jackhammers, putting one in each hand on full power, getting on the cat and mouse ride at Blackpool, then staying on there all day?”

Pretty accurate. You’ll be goosed by the end of it. Your brakes and your brain will be fried. But you’ll have a dirty big grin on your face

Have fun! 😀

The thing that will surprise you is the length of the decents. Sure you can find techy ones here, or steep ones here – but not ones that take as long.

Some are so long you have to get off and have a rest 🙂

OK .. thanks all and binners, thanks for that vid … appetite is suitably re-wetted .. sorry OP, didn’t mean to go off at a tangent.

My first time too ….. think I’ll keep the granny ring on!

have a great time .. can’t wait!