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Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  #1  
Old 11 Mar 2008
Matt Cartney's Avatar
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Scenic route to chamonix.
I'm meeting some mates in Chamonix for some snowboarding at the start of April and a have a few days of grace on the way down.

I was thinking of going over to Poland and heading South from there but am no longer sure I have the time, would rather give Poland more than a couple of days of hard riding.

So: where would you go? As you can tell I'm quite open to going a little bit out of my way on the trip South. I like nice scenic routes away from cities. I particularly like mountain pass style roads but think most of these will still be closed at the start of April. Would welcome any suggestions.

Matt
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Old 11 Mar 2008
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Matt - looks like Chamonix is going to be the first mountain area you get to! Everywhere I was going to suggest would actually take you way too far south, the Greece/Macedonia/Albania area is fantastic, roads would be open and would be right up your street, but its hardly on the way!

You could try going through the Pfalz and Frakenjura in Germany, dropping into the Czech then heading back west through Austria and Switzerland. Some of the higher passes will be closed but there will always be a route through. Might mean a lot of tunnels though!
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Old 11 Mar 2008
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And the starting point is in Scotland? I would normally assume so, it's just that Poland is so far off track that I'm unsure.
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Old 11 Mar 2008
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hey there matt
Come across to Calais, ride down to the furthest point south east where you can cross into Germany (Mulhouse / Basel). Due East.Head across to Constance, beautiful lake. From there you will be able to get into the alps and ride all the way to Argentière coming into Chamonix from Argentière side. I'd get a massive map of the Alps so that you can get you're bearings. I haven't done this trip yet, but It was the first I wanted to do. Have a good'en.
ta-all-the-way
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Old 11 Mar 2008
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Come into Chamonix from Martigny over the Col de la Forclaz. Even after decades of alpine travel it's still a route I love doing. No knowing whether it'll be open when you go but it is today. Have a look at "www.AlpineRoads.com - The Best Biking Roads In The Alps" for a bikers view of the various routes
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Old 11 Mar 2008
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Matt,

If you get through Switzerland, to get info about the passes if they are closed or not, check the Swiss Touring Club website, it is pretty useful:

http://www.tcs.ch/main/fr/home/verke...e_tunnels.html
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Old 11 Mar 2008
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and yes, you can also check the passes in the french Alps here:

http://www.infotrafic.com/route.php?region=FRANC&link=cols.php?ALPN
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