The previous week’s guests Jane and Robin had driven to the Alps from the UK, so we were able to time our run to Geneva airport to perfection in order to meet our largest group of the Alpine season – and definitely the most complicated group we have had so far from a planning perspective – a group of 6 New Zealanders, led by Fraser who lives in the UK.
What started off as a smaller get-together evolved into a much bigger reunion, with members of the party flying into Geneva from all over the planet!
- Fraser – lives and works in the UK, but originates from NZ, and he rides a very nice Lapierre Spicy upgraded to an all-mountain spec, with Fox 36s – he always has the most co-ordinated outfits whilst on the trails – which I can relate to!
- Cam – Fraser’s brother, and possibly the biggest bike addict I’ve ever met; describes his collection of bikes as “more than 20, but less than 30...not entirely sure” – he had selected a very nice electric blue Santa Cruz Nomad for the week – flew in direct from NZ.
- Dave – first proper riding for some time after a nasty operation to repair broken bits in his arm – quite a place to test it out! Had the choice of this holiday, or travelling to Brazil to set a new World Record speed and/or distance for kitesurfing – another fan of the Nomad – heflew in from the USA (but comes from NZ) after a business conference
- Matthew – known by all as “Moose” – hails from NZ, but lives in Australia – where he flew from. Was riding an Orange (Patriot I think?) with burly gear and a single chainring. Great mechanic, very adept at repairs, as the week would later prove! Flew in from Oz
- Steve – looks innocent enough, but his calm demeanour hides a real trail ripper! Very, very laid back – rides an immaculate mark 2 Specialized Enduro....or he started off riding it anyway...flew in from NZ
- Tony – from NZ known amongst the group as being monstrously fit. Mentioned he had “done a triathlon” recently – turned out it was an Ironman! Works as a policeman, but you’d never guess! The group decided to hobble him by lending him one of Cam’s bikes – a crazy Santa Cruz Bullitt (7” of travel, Marzocchi 66 forks, one chainring and weighed about 37lbs). Still fastest uphill!
In addition to these guys, an intrepid lone traveller, Mark from the UK, was due to meet us in Chamonix having driven down during the day. Mark was much more of a regular trail rider – he was proudly breaking in his newly built S-Works Enduro – learning a new bike in unfamiliar territory is always tricky, so he was often found fettling his steed – changing shock pressures, swapping tyres, fitting new pedals...but tweaking your parts is always good fun! Oh, that sounds wrong....
So, after some very long flights (30 hours anyone?) our cast were assembled in Geneva airport....but unfortunately Martin was stuck in traffic outside the car park, and despite leaving in time to be super-early, ended up calling the guys from the van to explain that he was only a few hundred yards away....but had not moved for nearly an hour! The guys, sensibly, used the time to do some bike building....and to get a few beers in!
You’d never have guessed that some of these guys had flown direct from the opposite side of the globe – they were full of energy and chatted animatedly all the way back to Chamonix....but Martin feared that the jetlag would catch up with them eventually, so we planned a slightly later start for the following morning. Unbelievably the guys were bright eyed and bushy tailed – and up really early! To compensate for the late start we caught the train up the valley rather than riding – which as it proved was probably no bad idea, as these guys definitely preferred descending...and the (albeit gradual) 15km valley climb we normally do probably wouldn’t have been very popular!
The Border Patrol descent was completed in record time, and the guys absolutely monstered their way down one of The Alps gnarliest natural trails! Mark was riding pretty rapidly, but the Kiwis seemed to be unnaturally fast for some reason....
As we sat waiting for the train back to Vallorcine from Switzerland the truth began to emerge....nearly all of these guys had raced downhill nationally in New Zealand at one time or another, hence their being “pretty handy” on the steep and techy stuff! So it was decided, rather than simply head back on the usual trails to Chamonix we’d stick in both the optional second descent (The Root of All Evil) – and also we’d have a run down the DH track at Vallorcine itself. We don’t often do the Vallorcine trail – it’s very steep, unforgiving and pretty intimidating. “Team NZ” (as we came to think of them) absolutely flew down it, and whooped and hollered to themselves all the way down! As we came round a corner about halfway down Martin and Mark found the Kiwis grouped around a brand new jump, which hadn’t been there the week before....this was no small pile of dirt hammered into a lump, this was a huge wooden structure which the trailbuilders had clearly just added. The 10 foot long ramp had a straight run in from the previous switchback, and was probably about six or seven feet high – and below it the ground fell away creating a gap jump of about 15 – 20 feet (depending on where you landed!) to a landing ramp further down the trail. It’s the sort of thing that a lot of people stop and look at, possibly stand on top of and then run away down the trail after deciding that it’s “just a bit too much”! Well, not for Steve, Fraser and Cam – all of whom took one look at it and just launched straight off it – see the video which is coming soon!
After dropping back to the gondola station at Vallorcine we went back up and over the top into the Chamonix valley – and took on the “Root of All Evil”. It’s a very tricky trail – lots of rocks, crazily steep and tight switchbacks....and of course, huge masses of roots. It’s a trail we only ride with the more technical riders – and Martin hung back to take some photos and video. As he watched from a distance as the group descended towards the treeline Steve crashed quite heavily in a switchback (will also be on the video!). It turned out that the damping cartridge on his Fox 36 had literally exploded – and as he braked hard for a tight rocky corner the forks blew straight through their travel and pitched him into the scenery...suffice to say he took it easy for the rest of the descent! Mark also had a couple of close-quarters interactions with the undergrowth on the way down – falling victim to the rootiest part of the trail.
The guys were wanting to get another descent in (they had only racked up about 3500m of vertical descending so far!), so Team NZ pushed on to Argentiere, whilst Mark, Steve and Martin took things a little more gently, planning to meet them back in town. Unfortunately the guys missed the last cable car of the day, so we headed back down the valley using part of the Valley Ride route instead.
You’d think that the end of the ride would mean that the day’s excitement was done with – but there was more to come! Steve headed down to the bike shop to get his forks looked at, whilst the rest of us made ourselves comfortable in the Micro Brewery de Chamonix (MBC) and began a rigorous intake of hops-based recovery drinks. Suddenly, it got dark outside. Had we drunk so much beer that we’d lost track of time? No, it was only about 6.30pm....but the sky had gone black! Huge gusts of wind started to shoot up the road, causing us to go and move the bikes, in case they blew away. Signs, rubbish, chairs and pot plants started flying past the window and up the street. And then the rain came. I’ve honestly never seen anything quite like it....it was raining totally perpendicularly to the floor! This was more than a shower – it was a mini-hurricane. The road outside became a raging torrent and people began to run in from the street totally soaked to the skin. The visibility was terrible – but we could see the rain lashing the low roofs of the buildings across the road, and we watched as the rain hit one side and sprayed 20 feet in the air with the strength of the wind, creating a huge vortex of spray like something you’d expect to see following a powerboat!
After it died down a soggy Steve appeared and announced that he had bought a new set of Marzocchi 55 forks to keep his bike alive, as there was a week’s wait on Fox parts. His bike would be in the shop for the day tomorrow, so he’d have to hire a bike for the following day in the bike parks of Les Gets and Morzine.
Steve’s second bike of the week was a very tasty Foes – but it certainly didn’t get returned in very clean condition; from the moment we parked in (a very busy) Les Gets it started pouring with rain. The reason it was so busy was that the French National Championships were taking place during the course of the week – today was the youth XC racing, and there were lycra-clad teen race whippets everywhere! We all hung around in the dry safety of the trailer for as long as possible, and it eventually relented....but the trails were pretty sticky! As we returned to the van at lunchtime fun had been had by all...but unbelievably Dave announced that his forks (also Fox 36s) had blown up in the same way as Steve’s! He spent the rest of the day seeking a resolution – and ended up buying a set of 55’s too....but had his fitted there and then.
It beggared belief, but by the end of the day a third set of 36’s, this time on Moose’s bike, had also expired! What are the internals of these things made out of, eggshells? Or could it be that these guys rode very hard indeed...?! We got back to Chamonix and picked up Steve’s newly forked Enduro whilst Moose set about rebuilding his 36s – and he worked long into the night to get them working again, discovering that a small nut had come undone on the damping cartridge...
Because of bad weather forecasts for Les Gets, we swapped the day off to Tuesday, and planned to ride the Passeportes Du Soleil route on the changeover day of Wednesday – the guys were all desperate to do it, but you can’t take it on in bad weather – it’s too unpredictable, and we’ve got trapped halfway around it in the past due to lift closures in poor weather!
The day was relatively incident-free (and hot and sunny!), and we flew around the Passeportes route, the guys particularly loving the descent we use to go back into Morzine, which uses some great hidden singletrack rather than the slightly dull normal Passeportes route.....there was a lot of yelling, whooping and shoulder barging as we headed down the last few kilometres! However, as we got back to the van it was apparent Moose’s forks had died again!
The end of the ride saw us driving down to Alpe D’Huez – and we spent the next day (Thursday) riding at Les Deux Alpes bike park, where the guys had a fantastic time – partly (they told us) because of the bad weather which returned for the day! The top of the park was shrouded in cloud, and there was heavy rain in the morning, leaving the trails very greasy and muddy. Moose’s forks needed another rebuild - and this time we really stripped them (and Steve’s set) down carefully in the shade of the STS mobile workshop trailer, and analysed both forks to get him moving again later in the morning.
Meanwhile the rest of the group were playing in the mud, sliding around at crazy speeds- Moose was back up and running within a couple of hours, and soon found the rest of the crew for some slimy tail-happy trail surfing!
It was at the end of the day that the real excitement began....first off, the new forks on Steve’s bike died after only the second day of use! More worryingly, Cam couldn’t find his trail pack...no problem usually, despite containing his cash and cards. However, unfortunately, it also contained his passport – and we worked out that he had left it by the side of the road that morning. We scoured the banks and hedgerows – and Martin even drove slowly up and down the road to Alpe D’Huez in case someone had picked it up and discarded it elsewhere....but to no avail.
The following morning dawned, and the guys decided to take on the Megavalanche. Whilst Cam went to the Police Station to report his bag missing, and Steve went off in search of another hire bike (his third bike of the week!) the rest of the group warmed up for the Mega by doing a few runs of some other trails – and we met, post coffee, at the lift station. Steve this time had hired a Lapierre Froggy – which he loved! Mark didn’t fancy the Mega itself, so he and Martin rode a selection of trails and the bottom half of the Mega route into the valley below. Team NZ absolutely flew down the Mega – and we eventually all bumped into each other at the foot of the mountain, ready to catch the bike bus (which has an enormous trailer that carries about 40 bikes) back to the amusingly named Oz – where some of us ate a late lunch, whilst others headed back to the hotel via some other trails.
Cam’s bag still hadn’t been handed in, so the following morning (before leaving for the airport!) Martin and Cam went back to the Police station, as they had not issued him with a proper Police report the day before. Internet research had suggested that he could only get temporary documents to travel with a full report – the issue would have been less complex if he had only been travelling the EU, but his journey home would fly him from Geneva to Heathrow to Singapore and on to Auckland – and this intercontinental travel looked impossible, so he left his bike unpacked to allow him to stay in Geneva and use it for transport whilst he waited for travel documents from the NZ embassy. With his flight changed to a later day, Cam was all set to stay put in Switzerland until he was allowed out of the country!
There was still a slim possibility of travel, so whilst the other guys checked in for their various flights, Cam and Martin headed to off to Immigration, Swiss Air and various random offices around the airport t try to get a resolution...and the immigration guy suggested that travel might still be possible – but it would be impossible to say for certain until he tried to pass through security – which he couldn’t do without a flight...so we hurriedly rebooked him onto his original flight, and Cam managed to pack up his still dirty bike in literally 5 minutes! By the time this was all done there was a little over 10 minutes left before his flight closed – so Martin hurried to security with him, and grabbed the nearest security guard and explained the situation. In a display of fantastic service Cam was ushered out of line and across to Geneva’s First Class entrance – and put straight at the head of the queue....we could see the Police report get shown to the security desk....and through he went, waving cheerily!
The big question remained however, what would happen at Heathrow and Singapore over the next 30 hours of his journey? The answer? Cam made it all the way back across to the other side of the planet with no passport! Amazing! However, the story didn’t quite end there....on arriving in New Zealand he was apparently made to wash his bike properly (they are very strict about cleanliness of incoming bikes) and instructed clean his riding kit at the airport before being granted entrance to the country!
A few days later, and Cam’s bag was handed in to the Police, minus the cash and cards – but with his passport intact. Moose and Dave had stayed a few extra nights in Chamonix, and Moose was due to fly out the following Saturday after a week-long climbing course...so Martin collected the bag from Alpe D’Huez and met up with him at Geneva airport a week later in order to pass on the bag and passport – and eventually Cam and passport were reunited....
This was definitely the most eventful week we’ve ever had – and we’re really glad that everyone got to ride some of the best trails in the world and have such a great time in the midst of a few uncontrollable setbacks!! We said it at the time, and will say it again now – it’s just amazing that the guys all travelled so far to ride with one another on the far side of the world, and we really admire the bond of friendship that drove them all together here for an unforgettable week in The Alps.
