TNR 3 (Komoot)

This route includes the high point of the ride, the 2744m Col Agnel / Colle dell'Agnello which also marks the France-Italy border, and the stunning and "memorable" Strada Cannoni along the Varaita-Maria ridge. A section of the Cannoni descent features the biggest gravel (aka rocks) on the route, it’s a challenge on any bike but it’s been done on 35mm tyres in the past (it’s not recommended...). Don’t get caught without spare inner tubes - it's rocky and not typical gravel bike terrain at all. The roughest few km of the descent takes you onto a relaxing, almost flat valley road - a welcome breather in between the big mountains. The ride along the Val Varaita is particularly nice if you go all the way to the Gardetta hike-a-bike (4.1) turn-off.

There is also the linked SCR.2 file within the collection. SCR.2 bypasses the rough section of the Cannoni. There is also the fully safe, very pretty (unrouted/off-route) SP335 road descent off the Col Sampeyre if needed – both re-join this main route file (3) within 10km of its end.

TNR 2 alt 2 (Komoot)

A classic road climb over the Col d'Izoard takes you to the Fort Queyras / Chateau Ville Vieille area. The Izoard is a truly beautiful climb and one that doesn’t feel as hard as its height and fame may suggest - it's a different matter on a hot day though.

Look out for the memorial to Louison Bobet and Fausto Coppi within the incredible scenery of the Casse Deserte at the top.

TNR 2 alt 1 (Komoot description)

The original 'Fred Wright tribute' route over the Col des Peas that we explored during the route recce in 2015. We didn’t do any more than look at the map and see a path marked on it, linking the valleys. We found a beautiful, quiet road up an open valley that leads to a small village with food and lodging possibilities, then there’s a push and a carry up to the Col des Peas. It’s followed by a descent that starts as singletrack before becoming a stone and gravel track to Chateau Ville Vieille with a wonderful view of Fort Queyras.

Every good ride includes some hike-a-bike and the less easy the route, the quieter and more remote it is. It isn’t an easy section but on the true scale of hike-a-bike it’s nothing major. Don’t try it in road cleats though, or with a 50lb bike that you can’t carry. If you’ve packed light and are wearing MTB shoes you have no excuses really. After all, “What would Fred do?”

TNR part 1 (Komoot description)

The route out of Turin to get onto the original first climb, the Colle del Colombardo, is direct and fast to give us more time to take on the climb. With a little re-mapping you will find quieter cycle lane routes a little to the north of the river Stura di Lanzo.

The Colombardo climb has a reputation, though it’s arguably not as bad as they say. It’s the equivalent of those first few bars of a great metal track that grab you by the scruff of the neck and then that’s it, you’re head down and rocking all the way to the end. Real Rally riders tackle the Colombardo and drink a cold, well-earned beer afterwards while basking in the knowledge when on that day, they were heroes and heroines...

After the Colombardo it's onto the famed Colle del Finestre, a long but exceptionally picturesque climb that leads onto the Strada dell'Assietta. After descending from the Assietta there's a brief climb up to Montgenevre through a unique tunnel before arriving at Briancon's fortified old town. After a few km of climbing the early stages of the Izoard climb out of Briancon it's time to decide on which section to take next - the wild Col de Peas 'rough stuff' route or the classic Col d'Izoard?

Forcella Lavardet gravel

Forcella Lavardet is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.547m (5,075ft) above the sea level, located in the province of Belluno, in the Italian region of Veneto. The climb features 14 sharp hairpin turns that seem to lie on one another, gradually climbing up to the top of the pass. 

The road to the summit is mostly unpaved, with some paved sections at the northern part. It’s called Strada Provinciale 465 della Forcella Lavardet e di Valle San Canciano 465 (SP465) and runs north-south from Campolongo, a small village, towards the paved Strada Statale 465 Road. It’s an old military road.

The road is closed to vehicles after some streams and detachments (since October 1993), but it is passable by bike or walking. The flood of October 1993 made the road, which had already been in precarious conditions for some time, definitively impassable. It features some very narrow parts and scary wooden bridges. Some years ago, the road was impassable after heavy rains, but now there’s a new wooden bridge to cross the river Frison, a section which was impossible to cross during several months every year.

It was nicknamed ‘the most absurd state road in Italy’. Tucked away in the Seppada zone within the Carnic Alps, the road is famous because its group of 14 steep, picturesque and spectacular hairpin bends, between San Pietro and the peak. Remember the road features a high risk of landslides. The road is pretty steep, hitting a 13% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting at Campolongo, the ascent is 10.4km (6.46 miles) long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 599 meters. The average gradient is 5.75%. The road is pretty narrow, so it is advice to drive slow in the bends, as you will not see oncoming traffic.

dangerousroads.org