Before the start β A plan
3:30 a.m.: the alarm goes off. Time to dig into our delicious overnight oats and do our final checks before hopping on our bikes. In an hour and a half, we'll roll out on an adventure that promises to be every bit as epic as Mont Blanc itself, which we'll have the joy of circumnavigating through Switzerland, France and Italy.
On the menu: 8 mountain passes, 330 km and 8,300 metres of climbing. This year's edition brings together around 600 riders, with only 22 women racing solo. Including us, actually! Audrey and Katia.
We've been preparing for months, fully embracing the challenge of structured training: "Have you seen that rice porridge recipe you can pack in cello wrap?", "We're agreedβwe're not starting if the weather's awful, right?", "This is going to be incredible!", "Those time cut-offs are going to be intense." We swing between excitement and apprehension; that sweet mix that tells you an adventure worth remembering is about to begin.
So, with the desire to push ourselves together on something serious, without taking ourselves too seriously, we find ourselves standing on a damp road in Les Saisies at 5:00 a.m.
Les Saisies β Champex β kilometre 120 β The plan is holding!
A few butterflies in our stomachs, one big hug and smiles as wide as our excitement: we're off! The neutralised start throws us straight into the atmosphere of what's ahead. A few flashes of lightning in the distance promise to catch up with us later in the day, while hundreds of headlights and reflective vests form a glowing snake winding its way down the first valley, still fast asleep.
We look up at the magnificent Mont Blanc, then glance down at our bike computers: already 77 km! Josh is waiting for us at Col des Montets with bottles full of electrolytes and drink mix. "You're a little behind schedule, but you're well within your plan for the rest."
Because riding around Mont Blanc also comes with an incredible support crew following us in the Musette-branded Duster. Coolers packed with enough homemade food to feed the whole peloton, emergency playlists ready to go, and plenty of motivational mantras.
Refuelled and fired up, we head towards Col de la Forclaz, then Champex-Lac!
On the climb to Champex, we settle into our own rhythm. There are still plenty of kilometres ahead, and an old knee injury starts making itself known again. We adapt, resist the temptation to chase other riders, and take the opportunity to put the world to rights. Because that's cycling for us. Letting yourself be carried away by the rhythm of movement while giving your thoughts the freedom to wander wherever they please.
Halfway up the climb, surprise visitors: AnaΓ«lle and Ben! They ride with us until the next feed station. At the top, Josh and Igor have prepared a deluxe feed stop.
"So... sandwiches, pickle juice, Kinder Bueno? Come on, let's get the camping chairs out." (We later found out that Coach, aka Igor, had kindly asked Josh not to bring the chairs out, lol.) For a moment, we completely forget this isn't just an aperitif with friends and remember that we should probably get moving again. Let's go!
Champex β PrΓ©-Saint-Didier β km 213 β A turning point
After an amazing descent into OrsiΓ¨res, things get tougher on the climb to the Great St Bernard Pass. We even end up putting our earbuds in just to make the endless traffic jams more bearable. Audrey's spirits dip a little: the knee isn't getting any better, and tunnels definitely aren't her thing! Meanwhile, the weather keeps getting worse, and we eventually reach the summit in the middle of a proper hailstorm. Katia captures the moment on videoβa clip that would make us laugh a lot afterwards. Eva surprises us by waiting along the route, but unfortunately we can't stop.
"The hail definitely wasn't part of the plan, but you've got to keep moving, girls. It's going to rain here until 6 p.m.," Coach tells us. A sheltered break saves us from the early stages of hypothermia (thanks, Raynaud's lol), and our amazing support crew wisely advises us to descend the pass in 6Β°C temperatures. After a comforting cup of broth, we layer up with all the clothes we'd packed. At one point, we wondered whether Audrey had secretly brought skis and poles, she was dressed more like a skier in January than a cyclist in July. After a good laugh, we point our bikes towards the Aosta Valley in Italy, descending through pouring rain with just enough water on the road to make aquaplaning feel like a real possibility.
At the bottom of the long descent, warm, humid air greets us. Time to peel off every extra layer. We know that around thirty kilometres of valley roads, complete with a lovely headwind, lie ahead before reaching the village of PrΓ©-Saint-Didier. One look at our faces says it allβwe're not exactly thrilled about those kilometres. Truth is, what we really love is climbing! We can't wait to start the ascent of the Little St Bernard Pass. Back in the saddle, it's time to take turns on the front! We still don't know whether the storm is following us, so we keep pressing on. As the afternoon wears on, eating becomes harder and harder. Hello nausea, hello bloating, lol!!
We finally arrive at the feed station prepared by our two coach-chefs for the day. On the menu: pasta with Maggi seasoning and Coke! Time to eat, soak up encouragement from our loved ones and shed a few emotional tears before getting back on the bikes to tackle the legendary Little St Bernard Pass. We feel re-energised! Time to laugh again and put the world to rights, once more.
PrΓ© Saint-Didier β Bourg Saint-Maurice: A Plan Starts to Wobble
Things get harder from the middle of the climb. The pain in my knee keeps building, tangled up with a nasty ache in my groin. And to top it off, my Garmin glitches out! This gentle but never-ending climb carries us closer to the summit β and closer to a truth we're not ready to admit yet: finishing on time, finishing at all, is going to be a real fight.
We'd made a pact to share everything β every twinge of pain, every flash of wonder at the world around us, the complaints and the leaps of joy alike. The plan was simple: stay together, whatever it takes.
The final kilometer of that incredible pass hit hard, in both emotion and pain. It felt like we were the only two people in the world, a first hint of a gorgeous sunset spreading above us. But our best team was there waiting, ready to walk us to the top β big smiles, music blasting. It was an arrival we'll never forget, burned into our hearts forever. Even now, thinking back on it, my eyes well up.
Bourg Saint-Maurice β Bourg Saint-Maurice: Change of Plans!
Our support crew held off until the very last moment to tell us what they'd clearly known for a while: we were out of time. Lol. They just wanted us to soak up one last, beautiful descent first. So that's exactly what we did.
Rolling into Bourg-Saint-Maurice, we asked the staff anyway, just to be sure: DNF.
And that's the quiet story of a plan β one that holds together, then starts to slip, wavers, and eventually gets rewritten hour by hour. It wasn't the plan we'd originally dreamed up. But when crossing the finish line stops mattering, that's exactly when you know the adventure worked. We didn't climb all 8,300 meters of elevation gain β and we couldn't be prouder, or happier.
It's also the story of an adventure that started with two of us, then became three, then dropped back to two (next time, you're with us, MΓ©lo), then grew to four (the dream team behind the Maggi mac and cheese β thank you), and beyond that, to everyone cheering us on from afar. Because when an adventure is shared, it becomes a team adventure!
β Audrey & Katia
Photography: Josh Kempinaire
Crew: Josh, Igor
