Image : @bernd.edgar.wichmann, 4th TNR

The RIDE

The Torino-Nice Rally is a bikepacking, touring or randonneur event - a ride that's a bit of most things except technically difficult in the mountain biking sense. It's not a race, just a challenge to finish and a question of what to ride and where to focus your efforts.

​The route includes around 300 miles / 485km of tarmac going up to a high point of 2750m and taking in two Grand Tour cols, also 150 miles / 240km of rocky gravel-based military stradas along the border often at an altitude of 2000m or more. The scenery of the Queyras and Mercantour national parks and the Ligurian, Cottian and Maritime Alps will reward those prepared to ride long days and sleep out, seeing the sun rise and set each day. 

Images : @username___ben, 1st TNR

Decision time.

Location: Col de Tende / Colle di Tenda, France-Italy border
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Here, you can take one of two options: descend the countless dirt switchbacks off the Col de Tende into France, or turn east and keep your height riding out onto the longer and more remote Via del Sale section - a historic trade route and military road through some of the most stunning scenery of the whole route, past an alpine hut that will be open with food if your timing is good. The shorter route down the Tende may make up lost time, avoid bad weather, catch up those in front or just keep your options open.
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Other route options are included in the cues and GPS files to allow short cuts or added miles depending on how your pace works out. This gives added flexibility to the ride and means riders of different pace may overlap on the route more often than if it were a one-track route.

THE TERRAIN

The mix of terrain on the route is what makes this ride a little different. It's not a traditional ​road ride yet it has too many miles of beautiful roads to count as a mountain bike ride. It's a terrain mix that suits a light mountain bike, an all-terrain tourer or a fat-tyred randonneur.
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In places the stradas are rocky, stony or loose. Easy terrain for a mountain bike but possibly near the limit of what the currently popular 'gravel' bike might cope with well - although that really depends on the actual bike or the rider's attitude. That's part of the fun and the challenge. The route options can vary the off-road miles anyway. 
Gaining spectacular high altitude tracks and cols means it's also a hilly route with repeated long ascents and the descents to match. And touring with an adventurous spirit will find you on rough off-road sections at times, even see you carrying your bike to link two paths, whatever bike you set out on. This route is no different. Just fit some fat, fast tyres and enjoy a ride that's about the journey rather than the genre. 

The Cause

The Torino-Nice Rally is run in support of Smart Shelter Foundation. Nepal has a special place in my heart and it's where I met the founder of SSF in 2008. SSF do unique and vital work building and developing resistant building methods for areas with high earthquake risk and it's an honour now that the TNR, it's riders and our key sponsor Komoot are able to raise funds for their work. TNR patches are available in return for a direct donation to SSF - more info here.  

image gallery

Taken during route exploration in early July 2015 and the 1st and 2nd rally events.
​Photos - Ben Mills, Cyril Polito, Andy Purkis and James Olsen. Instagram #torinonicerally ​