When I was a kid I used to go for a bike ride with my dad on fire roads up the mountains, sometimes to go at a refuge, or most likely for the will of discovering new places and just having some breaths of nice and fresh mountain air. We used to say we go for some mountain-biking. Nowadays we call this “Enduro” biking, but that’s about the same old thing. Since when I got into this “new” discipline, I heard from a lot of riders talking about this Invergneux pass, and everyone seemed so stoked about it, literally saying that was THE one track you must ride in Aosta Valley. So finally some weeks ago I decided to go up there and try it with my mate Zac. We decided to start just after lunch. Go to the Invergneux pass means that you have to cross 2 different valleys. Starting from Lillaz, you reach the Urtier Valley where you e meet a couple of donkeys, some chickens and a lot of cows. You then have to reach the pass, pushing the bike, and figuring out what you are leaving behind you, the sight can now spread in every direction, the only minus being the powerlines that cross the valley. The climb continues, over the last rocky slope, culminating at 2906 meters. On top, a couple of pictures are a must, a little grappa drink gives you a bit of heat and you are ready to head down the Grauson Valley. The first part is just epic, you wish it would never end, surrounded by wonderful meadows, in which you feel so small trying to conquer them on your little bicycles, and so you keep on riding down, the valley get wider and wider, until it becomes narrow again toward the end of it. If I think now of all the sweat to go up the pass, and what I enjoyied on the ride down, i feel a big smile coming upon my face, thinking, yes, all those rumors about Invergneux pass were right! We are almost down and the light is fading away, it’s getting late, we reach back to the village of Gimillan that it is almost 8 pm; the only bar in the village is already closed, that could sound strange, but up here the tourists shall already go to bed at that time!
More here: VDAmonamour.
via aostavalleyfreeride.com
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