The Champsaurin Trail Race - 37km and 2200m of ascent
Have a look at the
map of the route.
The route starts at a civilised time of 8:30 from the village of Pont du Fosse.
From Pont du Fosse, you launch straight in with a challenging climb of around 1200m up to the Mourre du Piurc 2200m. This is very steep on zig zag paths towards the end taking you up to the dramatic ridge of the Petite Autane and the summit of the Mourre du Piurc before an exposed descent towards le Cuchon. The ridge section is quite 'airy', rocky and technical but spectacular! At the top your faithful supporters will be waiting to cheer you on after having taken the chair lift up!
There is the 1st chronometer and a refreshment stop at the Cuchon.
After this summit you have a descent with a reasonably steep start, bringing you out onto open mountainside with great views across to your next objective, The Piolit 2460m.
The route takes you around the bowl of the valley to the Rouanette car park at 1621m where there will be your second chronometer and another welcome refreshment stop.
Your objective is le Piolit 2460m with around 840m of ascent to get there. The Piolit is 'Ice Axe' in French and it is a good name for this steep ridge of a mountain!
Half way up the climb you will pass through La Plaine with another refreshment stop.
The valley you are running up is open and mountainous with steep cliffs and mountainsides on all sides and only accessible on foot. The last section is a ridge which is spectacular and the higher you get up, the closer you get to the reward of a spectacular view across to the Lac du Serre Poncon, the largest dammed lake in Europe.
At Le Piolit is the final chronometer before you start your last descent to the village of Ancelle.
Now with some of the best views in the Alps to keep you motivated and a spectacular ridge to fix your concentration, you can start your final descent.
It is a beautiful descent through woods and across open mountainside, taking you over the col de Moissiere and down to the village of Ancelle. Your last refreshment stop is half way down at 32km and 2070m of altitude at the Italian bridge.
At Ancelle you can finally relax and meet up with your supporters for a good lunch before deciding how best to recover for the afternoon!
