The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Val d'Aosta 2017

June 1st to June 12th

Ride Director: Tom Leever
Ride Co-Director: Julie Leever
Report by: Rick Madden

“Sweatworthy”…Deborah Chamitoff

“Exceeded expectations; the Leevers at their best!”…Choo Low

“THAT’S a fricking bike ride!”…Drex Maggio

The reviews are in! Once again the Leevers have wowed 20 BAC enthusiasts with a ride that combined sensational scenery, challenging terrain, Italian charm and the unmistakable efficiency that has become, dare I say, commonly associated the dynamic duo from Hendersonville, NC.

Our tour kicked off in the quaint village of Courmayeur, below the magnificent Mt. Blanc. Living on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada range, I’ve become accustomed to mountain views. However, the Alps are in a league of their own with craggy, sheer snowcapped peaks in every direction. Bella!

Make no mistake, the rides in Val d’Aosta aren’t for any chicken-legged flatlander! The typical day started with a climb up from our hotel to a point high above chosen by our directeur sportif, Tom. Topping out at over 7,100’, Little St Bernard Pass was a significant accomplishment early in the tour. Within a few days, many in the group were riding beyond Tom’s designated turn-around to crest the Great St. Bernard pass at 8,100’ on the Swiss border. Impressionante!

Most days presented significant 4-5,000’ climbs should you decide to complete the whole route. Because many of the routes were out and back riders could limit their daily climbing. That said, the real beauty of Val d’Aosta was climbing out of the valleys up into the thin alpine air. You’d be cheating yourself if you didn’t come prepared for many consecutive hard riding days. Treno duro!

Both Tom and Julie agreed, our most beautiful day was the ride from Aosta to St. Vincent when we tackled the Saint-Barthelemy pass. At first glance the route didn’t offer the commanding views above tree line that other rides boasted, but instead wound up through three wooded valleys. Quiet and peaceful, no more than a handful of cars passed for many miles. Mozzafiato!

Of course, no Leever tour would be complete without Julie checking each and every restaurant thoroughly before enthusiastically presenting her favorites to us. From simple pizzas to delicious four course meals, each dinner was an experience in local cuisine. Julie also seemed to be a connoisseur of Italian gelato and was happy to pass on the location of her favorites. Delizioso!

Our happy but tired group left after ten fun filled days of riding. One of our poetic riders (there were many!) wrapped up the Val d’Aosta Tour with this rhyme…

We cycled Val D’Aosta on some challenging loops,

We saw mountain peaks on long uphill routes,

Our leaders were the best, we can attest,

As they brought together a wonderful group!

David Kemp