Riding in Europe
A preliminary to the route des grandes alps tour.

The refuge Miage sits at 1560  in a high valley under the towering massif of Dome de Miage

For the locals who know it is a short walk of 1 hour to experience the sun set on the massif with a glass of beer or fine wine before retiring inside for dinning. The specialty of the house is a fondue with the local mushrooms, and so this was the choice for us.

Two beers before dinner sitting outside after the 1 hour walk from the valley floor (on track or 4 wheel road)

The refuge is on the route of the tour du Mt Blanc - just a few walkers there this night - one from Sydney who heard us talking  (he had completed the tour in 10 days with his father of 83yrs) and had walked from Chamonix to get away from the crowds of this mountain metropolis.

So fine dining of fondue followed by a offering of the house - a glass of locally produced
genepi (I'm glad there was no naked light around otherwise there might have been a problem). It made for interesting walk down in the dark - was it the road wobbling or just my head.

Génépi can be made at home through the simple addition of prepared herbs to vodka or grain alcohol. Each Alpine mountaineer or refuge has their own recipe for génépi, but a generic recipe for a liter would require forty flowers and forty grams of sugar to be added to 40% alcohol by volume.

But the riding. 
Those white wall tyre's give it the impression of an old classic, but we all know that it is a modern carbon speed machine and that the guy riding it is an old classic !! Beau Rapley

With all the pieces of the bike finally here (one bag with skewer and peddles and clothes took their own time) it was time to test the legs.

From Saint Gervais to St Nicolas and then around past the Bettex Telepherique, down a narrow and rough cracked old tar road to the find a connection to Megeve A quick 8kms on good road to visit and then home.  A local rider went past with some enthusiasm but the legs were there to give chase and stay with him.  He dived off on a side road soon and was gone.

Narrow country roads - steep at times but surrounded by peaks reaching to the sky on a cloudless day.  What more to ask.

Perhaps the chance to catch up with some others tomorrow although I did get a txt from Dallas saying it was hotter than he expected, and that was before him and Barry went for a ride.

The Mtn behind the bike is just the biggest in Europe Mt Blanc.
the second photo is at Miage and the third outside the house.