Nightmares of Tree Roots

I had heard stories of the tree roots here in Europe, but nothing prepares you for the reality of it.

I’m in Morzine for the Passportes du Soleil, an 80km mountain biking event held annually where you catch a dozen or more chair lifts up the mountains, and then ride crazy trails back down.  The driver of the transfer bus from Geneva to Morzine was a Brit and he calls Morzine little Britain.  Even though Morzine is in France the village looks Swiss and on Saturday was full of men with tats sinking beers in the sun listening to thrashy music: welcome to downhill mountain biking.

For the Passportes the lifts open at 7:30 and I am at the lift at 7:30 ready to go having registered at 7:00.  The first lift, Super Morzine, is a cable car and I am giggling stupidly at the thought of getting lifted up the mountain – it is surreal.  Off the 1st lift, ride about 50m and hop on the 2nd, an open chairlift.  Get off at the top and the view is incredible.  Let’s start riding. 

It’s a bit up and down along a ridge to a road that crosses a Col.  A group of riders hanging around the Col – ask them which way – they point down. Look down, gulp, can’t hesitate with everyone watching me, heart in mouth I plunge (yes, plunge) off the road onto the single track and hang on for dear life.

I had been struck dumb with a bad case of the flu less than a week earlier, hadn’t ridden a mtb for a few weeks and here I was on stuff way way steeper than I normally ride.

Eventually the slope eases and we are on a wide single track that is alternatively rocky and muddy.  There’s no fluidity – just stiffness and jerkiness.  Ride out onto a gravel road and whiz down to the next chairlift.

There are two going up, which one do I take.  Although I had looked at the picture a number of times I am somewhat disorientated and needed to keep asking for directions.  Onto the chairlift and up we go.  Once off the chairlift head along a ridge again before dropping down the side of a hill. Lots of sections are way steep, with tight tight corners – don’t even think about overrunning them because it’s a long way down.  Finally the track starts contouring but there is often a sting along the way in the form of a steep dip or a rocky section.

Onto the next chair lift, no lines yet, this is good.  Then down a really steep wide track, really rocky and bouncy:  Constantly on the brakes.  It goes on forever (well almost forever) and then dive onto a single track – follow it all the way to Chatel and morning tea.

I can’t describe all the descents because I just can’t remember them all as they blend into each other.  But they were all steep and really bouncy.  Half way through the day my forearms are aching, as are my hands and wrists.  And my legs start to feel it from being in a crouched position for so long.

At times it seems like we are riding on the moon.  The lifts haven taken us up so high and the ground so bare.  The cable car from Champery in Switzerland rises 1000m, from 1050 to 2000m.

The ride down from Point Mossettes is on a gravel road but is incredibly steep.  Then eventually onto single track to cross a Col.  Had to walk some of the section through a boulder field: there are a few people around now and once one person is off pretty much everyone behind needs to stop.  But once over the Col we are back on some faster single track with a few sudden sharp corners full of loose dinner plate rocks –just for fun.

By the time I get off the cable car at Avoriaz I am feeling very worked.  Every part of my body is a bit sore.  It has been beautiful and sunny all day – which means very hot and so I am feeling a little sun struck at this point. I ride past the point where I dropped into the first descent several hours ago and I am feeling a bit jaded.  There has been little smooth riding and to top it off, it feels like my brakes are starting to go.  Luckily this descent takes us to Morzine so I can ride to the bike hire shop and get them to have a look at it.  But before then, I must ride down through the forest.  Forests, as you know, have lots of trees in them.  And the trees here love to expose their roots to unsuspecting riders.

I feel at times as though I am being tormented.  I struggle with the combination of tree roots and thick slimy mud with even the flat sections being diabolical at times.  I come into another downhill root section and there is a sharp turn, across the roots.  With too much speed on I decide to bail, and manage to unclip and leap off my bike and wrap my arms around a pine tree as my bike continues on and sails through the air.  Very spectacular! Sheepishly I slide down the tree and wander down the hill to retrieve my bike.  Of course, I was not alone for this performance.

I am not half way through the tree roots.  The mud eases up on the next section but the track is still steep.  Think steep stairs – created by the tree roots – but the stairs don’t all run in the same direction. With the larger roots creating drop offs midway through the obstacle.  Finally I am free of the roots but it is still a draining bumpy descent to Morzine with my brake levers at times hitting the grips: that doesn’t fill me with confidence.

Ride straight into the shop and mumble something about brake pads.  A few young heads nod wisely.  My rotors are mightily discoloured.  How often do you burn the rotors?  The pads are near new.  Apparently with fluid brakes, the fluid can heat up so much that the brakes lose power.  I’ve never had that happen round Knapsack.

My short break, with a bit of food and water, has renewed me.  Head to the other side of Morzine to hop on the Pleny lift for the ride into Les Gets.  Then back up the lift out of Les Gets for my final descent into Morzine.  Having left at 7:30 I return at 4:30.  So, 9 hours for 80km: including all the food and entertainment breaks and the occasional fiddling with the Contour camera.  The winners in the Northface 100km run up in the Bluies do it quicker than 9hrs I think.

Anyway, I am happy to have done it.  The riding itself is often not that special, but the scenery is incredible with views at times of Mt Blanc and a long time spent riding opposite the Dents du Midi.