With a Tour du Mont-Blanc completed in 12 hours and 27 minutes, alternating racing and mountain biking, Yannick Lutz has just added a new record to his collection.
Another major feat for Yannick Lutz. Last Monday, September 16, darkness was already descending when this cycling enthusiast finally took off his pedals on the square in front of Chamonix church, the starting point of his journey 12 hours and 27 minutes earlier. Mission accomplished: the record for the Tour du Mont-Blanc on two wheels is beaten by almost an hour and a half.
During his gargantuan effort, Yannick turned clockwise: Chamonix, Col des Montets, Trient, Col de la Forclaz, Bovine, Lac de Champex, Issert, La Fouly, Col Ferret, Courmayeur, Col de la Seigne, Ville des Glaciers, Col de la Croix du Bonhomme and Col du Bonhomme, Les Contamines, Bionassay and Col de Voza, Les Houches… and back!
“I’d done a reconnaissance two-three weeks earlier, even though I knew most of the route inside out” he explains. I say “almost”, because between the Ville des Glaciers and the Col du Bonhomme, I took the wrong path and lost at least 45 minutes… “In fact, Yannick Lutz is looking forward to doing it again next year: “I think there’s a way of closing the deal in less than ten hours, he underlines with ambition.
Logically, going fast meant taking the shortest possible route. But also choosing the right weather window. And to avoid wasting time on this itinerary mixing asphalt, paths and trails, it was necessary to plan bike changes, switching from road bikes to mountain bikes, something that no one, it seems, had yet attempted.
“It was all about going fast on the climbs, and not taking excessive risks” His colleague Pierre-Arnaud Le Magnan, creator of the Chiru Bikes brand, provided assistance. As soon as he reached the top of La Forclaz, Yannick jumped on his mountain bike. ” The Sonic is a classic, lightweight cross-country model with fast tires and an average travel of 100 mm: a good compromise, since the main aim was to go fast on climbs, and not take excessive risks. A full-speed descent would have saved us a minute here or there, but not much more. “explains Le Magnan.
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