338 km, 8500 m of elevation gain… The Mont Blanc Cyclo tour is a very difficult event in which David Polveroni participated. He tells us about an event that marks a cyclist’s life.

By David Polveroni – Photos: Manon Griboval / DR

“What am I doing here?” This feeling of being totally ineffective, because it’s only downhill, and every pedal stroke hurts my legs even though I’m barely pushing… Cars and trucks prevent the event from flowing smoothly. Here I am in the Aosta Valley, which today serves as an oven, like every town at the foot of the climbs… I no longer feel any pleasure and consider stopping. “Are you kidding me? What about all the participants behind? Do you think they’re on a leisurely ride? Besides, you’ve experienced much worse than riding under a scorching sun!” The little thought, because yes, you think a lot in 12 hours, that will mentally switch me back into a race against myself.

After a rather good night’s sleep, I’m quite unstressed at the start despite the announced difficulty. I join the Saisies resort to participate in a race format that I consider to be at the limits before moving on to truly ultra events. The Mont Blanc tour is a little over 330 km and 8000 m of elevation gain. Passing through France, Switzerland, Italy before returning to France. This year, the edition promises to be particularly hot. A short jersey, bib shorts, and socks will be enough to accompany me and deal with the altitude and temperature variations, alas never very cold. Minimalist at the start of the TDMB, it’s pretty cool.

The Mont Blanc tour is a little over 330 km and 8000 m of elevation gain. Passing through France, Switzerland, Italy before returning to France.

When I grab my bike, it’s 4:50 AM, my front wheel is flat. Luckily, it’s the first time this year I’ve brought an extra pair… I change the wheels and move on. Headlamp on, taillight flashing, I join the mass of nearly 700 announced cyclists. I can’t say if that number is accurate, and I don’t really care, I’m gradually entering my race.

Having experienced it in 2012, ten years earlier, I remember really suffering from loneliness on this course. Not that it bothers me, but it had been a clear disadvantage for race management and the efforts required. But it’s 2022 now, and I’m making my little strategy to achieve the set goal: to take less time than I did at 23. No specific preparation, a few small sequences, but a good crash on an electric mountain bike that still handicaps me a bit today. But we’re not here to complain; if I’m starting, it’s because I feel capable of finishing, even if the time objective, as futile as it may be, won’t be met.

The neutralized start, at night, in the descent of Les Saisies is very pleasant to watch. Because, in fact, you have to be very vigilant. I’m much more comfortable than 10 years ago; I manage to stay at the front of the peloton without any problem, whereas in the past I struggled to move up. We arrive on the first false flats leading us to Megève. I’m mentally ready to go as if the race would end after 50 km. Not this year, it’s rolling along. So I take care to eat. Mostly solid foods when the intensity is very low, bars of all kinds or biscuits, then increasingly less concentrated energy drinks. Generally, liquids pass better for me, give me more energy, even if the bottles accumulate and my stomach gets heavier.

First short, rather fast descent taking us to St Gervais les Bains, and second unexpected event of the day: losing my glasses while trying to put them on. Great… But my lucky star arrives within a minute. Bib number 77, William Lewis, graciously lends me his “night” pair with clear lenses. That will do just fine; wearing contact lenses, I can’t imagine doing 280 km and descents at nearly 100 km/h in the Forclaz, without glasses.

We then gently begin the climb to Chamonix, via Passy – Servoz – Les Houches. I follow the group, my legs feel pretty good, it’s turning. I try to base myself on Guillaume Bourgeois, who is a specialist in this kind of event. And for the rest of the management: by feel and from time to time a glance at the 10-second average power to correlate it all.

New “problem”: an urge to urinate. This never happens to me in a race. Usually, I can ride 7/8 hours without feeling the slightest urge, but here… I try to accommodate it on the bike, but I can’t, so I decide to stop for the first time. As I felt, the seconds are long and I’ll have to make up the minute of delay. Fortunately, the pace in front is quite relaxed… I return almost to the foot of the Col des Montets to the still compact group. We climb at a pace that I find quite easy. The peloton is still substantial. The pass is also easy, like this beginning of the course. Little slope and a relaxed pace: a small compact peloton here at 1461 m altitude.

I do the descent at the front, like all the descents, I have the impression that everyone wants to rest. For my part, I take the opportunity to have fun as long as my lucidity is still very present. We pass into Switzerland, and we tackle the Col de la Forclaz. It will allow for a first major selection. 2 km from the summit, an Italian, Carlo Fino, accelerates the pace. We are now only about ten (not enough time to count!) in the leading group. I honestly wonder about the point of accelerating here. The road is still long, why not just increase the tempo in the climbs? Especially since it stops completely in the descent and the short valley that follows… And I’m not talking about race management, because this rider will abandon later…

Descent of the Forclaz, at the front like the previous ones, a beautiful descent with straight lines at 90 km/h offering beautiful and wide panoramas of the Sion valley. No time to enjoy, here we are in Martigny. A few kilometers in the valley: a refreshment stop where we all stop. We’ll then judge the great usefulness of having accelerated just before! Another good bladder relief of nearly 500 g, thus increasing the power-to-weight ratio, essential in the mountains (joke^^half true!)

Champex, the climb I dread the most, quite steep, short compared to the big chunks awaiting us; it somewhat breaks the rhythm of the Mont Blanc Tour. Without the tempo accelerating, I’m quite surprised to see the group reduce to 6/7 units (from memory), proof that some start much too fast… I feel pretty good at the top of Champex. A winding but quite beautiful descent brings us back to the road of the first 2000 of the day, the Col du Grand Saint Bernard. A little less than 30 km of continuous climbing, we take turns 2 by 2, each in our turn. This road, or rather this highway, so dense is the traffic, becomes unbearable: yes, it’s not pleasant to be constantly overtaken and to breathe these exhaust fumes. And for me, this is THE black spot of this Mont Blanc tour, I’ll come back to it at the end.

This road, or rather this highway, so dense is the traffic, becomes unbearable.

A little over 140 km and almost 5 hours of cycling, and two riders accelerate the pace. I remember well the particularly steep end of the pass at altitude and I wonder: should I hang on at the risk of paying for it later, or go at my own pace? I choose the first option, until the tunnel, because the part before reaching the summit is rather rolling and I will lose less time.

Grand Saint Bernard Tunnel: those damned cars take the tunnel, a few continue on the steep slopes of the pass. This time, I don’t try. As usual, past 2000m, my performance decreases, combined with fatigue and the gradient: I lose ground quickly. But I don’t worry too much, although it unconsciously affects my pace. So I adopt a pace that suits me without drawing too much on my reserves. The Polveroni’zone. I don’t look at how many are ahead and I’m a bit in the dark about my position. Otherwise busy than counting, I prefer to look at the landscapes between two good breaths of missing oxygen, barely disturbed by the car exhausts parked in front of a temporary traffic light… The road is still long. I lose a little less than 3 minutes.

But I feel that no longer being at the front makes me switch to another mode. I struggle to make progress on the descent, I feel like I’m not moving forward. Plus, cars force me to almost stop sometimes and demand my vigilance. Nothing relaxing. A few short phases of pedaling hurt my legs… I’m gradually entering an oven and I feel my body somewhat drifting away from the race. “What am I doing here?” The question did cross my mind… The first kilometers of the Aosta Valley are complicated, horrible traffic, intersections with hesitation, the heat! A volunteer shouts “race leader 7 minutes ahead” showing me that I lost more time on the descent than on the climb. Then a sign indicating Piccolo San Bernardino 57 km. I force myself to stay in my bubble. I console myself with the wind that provides a little air…

Then my other little star intervenes. Carlo Fino, who was in the group ahead, crashed on the descent. He is very insistent on his turns, and encourages me to collaborate to get back to the front: I feel like I’m unlocking with him and getting back into the race that was starting to slip my mind. We ride cleanly until the entrance of Morgex. But Carlo has to stop to get food because he has nothing left. I continue very slowly. 1 km, 2…3…4…5, and I don’t see anyone coming back. I give up and resume my pace. There are only 3 of them left in front.

The Petit Saint Bernard is quite rolling. But long. The downside, which adds to the traffic and the heat, is the wind. It starts to seriously complicate my progress, as expected. On this climb, after analysis, I’m on par with the 2 in front, and catch Sieben at the beginning of the descent. He had blown up the group in the Grand Saint Bernard. I struggle at the summit to get my refreshment: I neglect it, a mistake that will cost me later.

8h28, 243 km, I start to calculate a bit to occupy my mind. About 1h10 for the Cormet, 1h for Les Saisies. That leaves 1h to do the 2 descents. The objective would therefore be achieved despite a really bad feeling, on the verge of abandoning in Aosta, then a return to form in the valley before the Petit Saint Bernard. At that moment, I have no doubt about my ability to climb the next two passes.

Sieben looks cooked. But not that much, or no more, no less than me, in fact. We approach the first ramps of the Cormet de Roseland. A climb I know well, nearly 20 km of ascent, never steep percentages, the small chainring remains king on this climb. An oven. I console myself knowing that the second part is a little more wooded and that the altitude will lower the temperature. I no longer have much notion of time or what time it is. In any case, the sun is beating down. We splash ourselves with water, we exchange a few words. With the sympathy of the Belgian, a recent 6th in the Marmotte whom I know well, in truth we all know each other in cyclosportives :), we decide to combine our efforts and finish together. We decide… The constant effort, management mode, we pass Les Chapieux, on our right Mont Blanc still observes us and almost encourages us. The tempo remains bearable, we make it so in any case. On the other hand, the wind is still present. Well, cycling is sometimes like sailing, we don’t think about it, we lower our heads and the last descent of the day looms.

While the climbs may, on paper, be the major difficulty of the event, and they are, the descents also play a role. Because if you have to climb 8000 m of elevation, you also have to descend them.

While the climbs may, on paper, be the major difficulty of the event, and they are, the descents also play a role. Because if you have to climb 8000 m of elevation, you also have to descend them. With the hours in the saddle already endured, fatigue is inevitably present. And vigilance decreases. If you’re no longer aware of it, it can quickly turn into a drama. Things haven’t changed in 10 years, and they’ve even intensified. We could do a giant slalom with them; I let some people have fun. And I realize that I’m starting to get tired and my reflexes are not as good, so I increase my caution and put a little sugar back into the system and maximize this last phase of muscle rest. These reflexes are still well tested on the final with gravel on long sections… We don’t enter Beaufort; just before, we turn right to climb Les Saisies via Hauteluce. An irregular ascent of 15.5 km for 860 m of elevation gain, steep percentages at the beginning, then weaker ones, a short descent, then a steep climb in Hauteluce, before rejoining the main road to Les Saisies for its last 7 kilometers.

We still talk, French, English. I’ve been riding much more than Sieben since the beginning, but deep down, I don’t really care about finishing 3rd or 4th, even if we arrive together. This event is truly a personal challenge above all. And what I didn’t see coming happened, 4 km from the summit, as Sieben takes a turn at the front, my body gives out, no more strength. Absolutely nothing left. I try to hang on for a few meters, impossible. With a few words and a wave of my hand, I tell him to go, I’m empty.

4 km from the summit, as Sieben takes a turn at the front, my body gives out, no more strength.

And then 3 interminable kilometers. I no longer think of anything, I apply myself as best I can to turn my legs at a beginner’s power. 2 km, the headwind, feels even stronger. I recall this passage in 2015 at my near victory on the Time where I easily spun the 53. I wonder if I will reach Les Saisies despite starting to see the resort. Still this wind, which seems to me of a much greater power than mine, a power that does not make me exceed 10 km/h. We are in 6%. It’s long, it’s very long. Cars overtake me, I hear some kids shouting with their windows down “go!” which, alas, don’t make me go any faster but push me on these last letters.

A little over 11h40 after starting, headlamp on my helmet, this feeling of pride in completing this loop around the symbolic Mont Blanc with an elevation gain approaching the altitude of Everest. It’s the first time since I started cycling that I’ve had to lie on the ground to regain my senses and my blood sugar. Too good.

If I can compare it to the Tour des Stations, which I did last year, I suffered more quickly in Switzerland. First, the start is even earlier, then the succession of short climbs is more difficult to manage. Even today, I would be lost in all those climbs, whereas the TMB is clearer. Nevertheless, both events are worth doing! The only negative point of this event, as I mentioned, remains the traffic, due to the July 14th weekend… But this event is above all a personal challenge, a challenge that anyone could set for themselves, a unique challenge to go around Mont Blanc since you can’t climb it by bike yet!

Strava link to the event: HERE

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