Go forth and ride, then bring back pics

**beaterdit** · 07-18-2025, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by toast2266

Yeah, the kids were super psyched on that trail. It's pretty much the most epic location for a green flow trail I've come across. Didn't hurt that at the end of the ride, I left the kids with mom and got a 5,500' descent back to town. Re: flying bikes. I have no tricks other than to cram bikes into a bike bag and hope the airlines don't fold it in half. And thoroughly check the airline's rules for bikes. We flew westjet out of Canada, and they allow bike bags to weigh up to 100 lbs (!). That made things easier. Sent from my SM-S931U1 using Tapatalk

Damn that's awesome. I have a hard time keeping our bike bags under 50, especially mine. You buy a bag and think, sweet, I can put my helmet and other stuff here, inreality I'm packing a lot of components to make weight.

**hick** · 07-18-2025, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by beaterdit

Damn that's awesome. I have a hard time keeping our bike bags under 50, especially mine. You buy a bag and think, sweet, I can put my helmet and other stuff here, inreality I'm packing a lot of components to make weight.

We recently did an Aosta Valley trip and getting our bike bags under 70 was tough. 50 was downright impossible with my XL Sentinel. We paid out the nose coming back on Swiss Air, but I'd do it all over again. The alps for riding are so fucking epic. If I could post pics I'd post some stoke up, but I can't remember my password to sign in to tapatalk (palm to face), and the reset password doesn't work on the forums.

**Dantheman** · 07-19-2025, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by beaterdit

Damn that's awesome. I have a hard time keeping our bike bags under 50, especially mine. You buy a bag and think, sweet, I can put my helmet and other stuff here, inreality I'm packing a lot of components to make weight.

Just like ski bags. Packing for my BC trip two pairs of skis and the bag was 47 lbs.

**beaterdit** · 07-19-2025, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by hick

We recently did an Aosta Valley trip and getting our bike bags under 70 was tough. 50 was downright impossible with my XL Sentinel. We paid out the nose coming back on Swiss Air, but I'd do it all over again. The alps for riding are so fucking epic. If I could post pics I'd post some stoke up, but I can't remember my password to sign in to tapatalk (palm to face), and the reset password doesn't work on the forums.

I'm literally removing and packing my rear shock, derailleuer, and chain in my carryon. Customs does not like the coil shock either. But yes, worth it. Also yes, posting pics here is arduous to impossible for me. Took tapatalk off my phone at some point becasue it sucked and now can't get into it anymore. Last time I could I had to crop every single pic so it woldn't turn it sideways. Really sucks the stoke of the place.

Originally Posted by Dantheman

Just like ski bags. Packing for my BC trip two pairs of skis and the bag was 47 lbs.

Dude same, was expecting to get a lot more into it especially with just one set of skis. I feel like two would be a challenge.

**plugboots** · 07-19-2025, 02:59 PM

Great pics toast. Somehow my fireweed and narrow gravel shots don’t seem quite as cool anymore.

**hick** · 07-19-2025, 05:02 PM

^^ Hogwash! Finding the beauty in every ride (or day for that matter!), is what makes it great! Keep the gravel porn coming Plugboots!

**plugboots** · 07-19-2025, 06:20 PM

**toast2266** · 07-20-2025, 07:12 AM

Super cool one today. Caught a bus up to Col du Petit St. Bernard.

Climbing up from the pass. A fort and LA Rossier ski area up on the ridge. Heading up there.

The fort

Looking back. Col du Petit St Bernard down below in the background.

A couple miles of pleasant traverse.

And now the fun starts. About 1200' of brutal hike a bike to the top of the ridge.

At the top. Time for a sandwich.

Looking back at the start of the descent. Super cool terrain and was mostly rideable.

A little more hike a bike to get to the actual top of the descent.

Looking back at the trail. It comes through some pretty sporty terrain, but it was surprisingly rideable. And of course, another little hike a bike because why not.

Took a traverse option in the trees that looked like it linked over to a fun trail. Which it did, but not before one more tricky little hike a bike.

Le Miroir. I love French mountain villages with their little alley ways.

L'etape du Tour was today. For those mostly unfamiliar (like myself), it's an amateur event where they ride one of the stages of the tour de France, a few days before the actual race goes through. It just so happens that the stage they're doing it on this year is the one that goes past the apartment we're staying in. Something like 16,000 people do it. I watched a bit of it while eating gelato.

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