Bikepacking in Torino–Nice Rally route

The Torino–Nice route links the high dirt passes of the western Alps — many of them military roads graded into the mountains by the Italian army a century ago — into a single line that begins in Turin and ends, improbably, by descending to the Mediterranean at Nice. Around seven hundred kilometres and fifteen thousand metres of climbing, most of it on gravel.

It is self-supported and genuinely hard: you carry your kit, sleep where you can, and grind up long unpaved cols for the reward of an alpine descent on the far side. The particular pleasure of it is the arc of the thing — from industrial Piedmont, through the emptiest corners of the Maritime Alps, to swimming in the sea in your cycling shorts at the finish.

The high passes hold snow into early summer, so the window is roughly June to September. Note that the rally itself is a separate annual departure; the route is simply there to ride whenever you like.

Around seven hundred kilometres and a punishing fifteen thousand metres of climbing, most of it on gravel and century-old military roads graded into the western Alps.

Days follow a rhythm of long unpaved ascents to high dirt cols, then alpine descents down the far side; you carry your own kit and sleep where you can. The scenery shifts from industrial Piedmont through the empty Maritime Alps to, improbably, the Mediterranean at Nice.

It is genuinely hard, self-supported riding for fit, experienced cyclists, but the reward is unusually clean: a single line from the mountains to a swim in the sea.

Ride it between roughly June and September, once the high passes have shed their snow; earlier and you will hit blocked cols. A gravel bike or hardtail with low gearing suits the mixed surface.

This is a route, not an organised event — you can ride it independently any time, and the annual Torino–Nice Rally is a separate group departure with its own date. Plan resupply and overnight stops in advance, since services thin out badly in the Maritime Alps.

Carry bivvy or lightweight camping gear, and budget for weather days: an alpine storm can close a pass at short notice.