Tour du Mont Blanc Enduro Bikepacking Trip #TMB

Tour du Mont Blanc Enduro Bikepacking Trip #TMB, an spectacular track that goes around Mont Blanc (4810m).
We biked around the tallest peaks in Europe that rises between green valleys and white glaciers.
We sow marmots all over we looked, big bearded vulture and ibexs.
We biked around 200km (80% rideable and 20% pushbike) in 3 countries and climbed over 8500m elevation in 5 days, 20% paved, 30% forest road and 50% singletrack !!!
If this not determined you to go on an adventure like this, then maybe the video and pics below will: D.
This is the intro that we had in mind from the start, and what we found there did not let us down :D. It was a trip to remember that just opened our appetite more for this kind of enduro bikepacking trips :D.

As we said, we biked little over 200km, between 32km and 57km per day and with elevations between 1400m and 2100m per day. We started in Courmayeur and did the trip clockwise as we advice you to do.

Trip Journal:

First day we passed thru Col de la Seigne and we slept in Les Chappieux near an abandoned house, after 37km with 1800m elevation and an awesome singletrack on descent. First day track here!

Seccond day we passed near peak Tete Sud des Fours thru Col de la Croix du Bonhomme, it was the highest altitude reached in this trip, 2537m. If the first day descent was flowy and very fun, this one was the most technical and challenging one. We could not do it all on our bikes. We biked around 32km with 1400m elevation and finish the day near Le Champel a little higher on the track. We slept in an abandoned treehouse. Seccond day track here!

Third day we passed thru Chamonix where we washed our bikes and bought some tubes. After, we passed thru Col de Balme and into Switzerland. We took a different descent here than the #TMB route, more technical and with lots of switchbacks, it was nice. We biked around 53km with 2050m elevation and stopped in Trient. Third day track here!

Fourth day we passed thru Col de Forclaz and Champex Lac. We slept in an abandoned animal stable near La Fouly, after 43km with 1700m elevation. The singletracks this day ware nice, flowy but with rocky parts. Four day tarck here!

Fifth day we reached again 2500m elevation in Grand Col Ferret and we passed back into Italy. Beautiful view here over Aosta valley and probably the nicest descent in the hole track, technical at start with beautiful alpine landscapes and then with lots of flow and fun. This day we biked 43km with 1800m elevation. Last day track here!

The hole track as we had it at the start of the route you will find in here, #TMB FULL TRACK, but we slightly modified it along the way.

Statistics:

200km (20% paved road, 30% forest road, 50% singletrack)
80% rideable and 20% pushbike
8500m gained elevation and descent
2537 highest point 900m lowest point
100% trailfun

Costs (starting Romania):

900 EUR total expenses of the trip for 3 persons;
580 EUR for gas and road taxes from Bucharest to Courmayeur and back (4000km)
50 EUR for camping and car parking
270 EUR for food, beer and other small stuff 😀

Equipment and stuff:

1 enduro/trail bike – recommended 150m travel for more trail fun 😀
1 backpack evoc fr trail 20L
1 mattress foreclaz 550 gr
1 sleeping bag milet baikal 750 gr
1 bivouac bag 110 gr
1 knife
1 multi tool cranckrbrothers 19
1 gas cylinder and burner
1 fork and spoon
1 knee protectors
1 gloves
2 spare tube
1 sun cream!
1 first aid kit!

Electronics:

2 powerbanks in total 15000mah
1 headlight
2 GoPro cameras session 4
1 garmin fenix 3
1 phone with good camera (lg g6) and viewranger app having track uploaded
1 mp3 player

Clothes:

1 pair of bike shorts
2 fast dry short sleeve T-shirts
2 fast dry long sleeve T-shirts one wool for sleep
1 wind stopper
1 rain jacket
1 light feather worm jacket
1 pair of long trousers for sleep
2 neck tubes (Buff)
3 pairs of socks and underwear

Food from day to day:

sandwiches
4 energy gels for entire trip
chocolate and energy bars
1L of water in 2 bottles
coffee and tea for mornings and evenings 😀

*Not all fitted in the backpack so I had a bike bag on my top tube and the mattress was tied up beneath it.

Good to know:

Try to do this track off season, around the end of September. In season is very crowded by hikers and you may as well get a ticket for riding the hiking trails… do it in September and watch for good weather!
Wild camping is not generally encouraged, but is tolerated so be discreet.
Do not worry about food and water. There are many rivers along the way where you can refill your water tanks so don’t carry more then 1L of water. Regarding food, there are many locations (towns and villages) where you can buy food so carry food to last you the hole day and next morning.
We recommend to do the trip clockwise. It seems more fun and flowy but you can do it the other way around to :D.
Check your break pads before you leave. Long descents and heavy bikes will eat them alive 😀