Expedition brigadières - Beaufortain
The idea
Surrounded by an incredible playground in Annecy, we reflect on the legendary mountain passes that surround us. We dream, we envision, but we're always held back by the distance to reach our goal or the athletic ability we underestimate.
Without further ado, I set out to draw with Openrunner. Sometimes wacky and very challenging, but I finally found THE route that met all our expectations. The idea was to leave Annecy over two days to reach all the much-scrutinized passes... there will be kilometers, so panniers are essential!
I know that the Brigadiers are strong and keen to take on these challenges (we saw that in Girona), but I'm looking to see which Brigadière is ready to push herself to cover all these kilometers without returning to the Casa in the evening.
Finally, to my surprise, we are a great team of seven Brigadières, well equipped with panniers to set off independently to the Cormet de Roseland. 200km and 4500m+ of altitude await us.
Day before departure
After cutting the trail, we load it all onto the Wahoo, fill the panniers, equip ourselves with badass Brigadier outfits, and load up the supplies.The slight stress and excitement of setting off on this new adventure begins. None of the women on the team have ever ridden bikepacking before. The experience without male assistants is also a first, as is the short two-day trip.
Departure - Day 1
Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Brûmes Coffee Shop (yes, we're getting back into good habits after the lockdown is lifted). Time for a coffee and a chat about who has the lightest bags. Of course, some have two bags for comfort, while others have just one for 300% optimization.
9 a.m. - We take off. 103 km and 2,450 m+ of ascent are planned for this first day.
The journey begins amidst the euphoria and familiarity of its first few kilometers along Lake Annecy. There's already traffic, and the cows (real ones) are hurrying to cross in front of us to slow our frantic pace.
So we head to Faverges to begin our first pass of the trip: the Col de Tamié. Accessible from Annecy, this pass isn't a new discovery. It's rolling and easy to start with, perfect for warming up and making you forget about your panniers. 
Arriving at the summit of Tamié, we descend back to Albertville. We stop for water.
We continue towards Beaufort where a lunch stop is essential. This allows us to break up the journey and recharge our batteries. We've now covered more than half of the route for this first day, but the biggest climb awaits us. In Beaufort, we arrive at the main square where a magnificent London bus is located. They serve balanced meals and, above all, homemade ice cream :) We sit down to enjoy our dishes and treat ourselves to ice cream at the end of the meal!
It's time to head out again. Still feeling the euphoria and enthusiasm that's been building since the beginning of this trip, we immediately begin the climb, heading for the Col du Pré (12km at an average gradient of 8%). This pass was a first for everyone, so we had no reference points on it. The start is pretty smooth.Only once Arêches is behind us does the hostilities begin. There's 8 km of climbing left in the sun at an average gradient of 10%. It's a real oven, the tarmac is giving off heat fumes, the GPS is showing 40°C... We're holding on, we're drinking plenty of water!
Luckily, when you reach the top, there's a cow fountain! You almost dive your head in.
A short break at the summit, then we descend back down to the Roselend dam. It's a feast for the eyes; the bends are regular and offer incredible views with every pedal stroke. We arrive at the dam, and here too, we don't know where to look; it's so impressive.
At the dam, the pass is called Col de la Merallet. We're usually so focused on the summit of Cormet that we don't pay much attention to this pass. From there, there are only 6 km left before reaching the coveted summit. With the heatwave we had on the Col du Pré, some are wondering if they're still fit enough to finish these last few kilometers. But we motivate ourselves, we want to stay together, and we stay together to move forward. So the whole group heads towards the finish.
Some arrive early, which gives them time to take turns taking photos in front of THE sign confirming that we've done it. There's so much to look at that we don't see the time go by, the last ones are already there. We then take THE group photo of the trip that truly illustrates this adventure: smiles, friendship, and surpassing oneself.
Since our hotel is on the shores of Lake Roselend, we retrace our steps. This allows us to admire this stunning landscape from both directions. The hotel is simply stunning. 
The team greets us with a smile and is impressed by the journey we've just made. Some opt for a beer straight away, while others opt for a shower. A superb meal awaits us: Croziflette. A meal fit for a champion! We're definitely regaining our strength with this homemade recipe. The sun is setting over the lake, the lights are amazing. A good meal, in an incredible setting, with friends... what could be better?
A quick stretching session and a bedtime... only one of our patrollers is feeling the effects of the afternoon heatwave and doesn't feel well at all... woman on the ground... let's hope the night is a relief.
Day 2
The team wakes up cheerful and excited about the program that awaits us today. We repack our bags before heading down for breakfast at 8 a.m. A generous buffet awaits us: sweet, savory, homemade cake… we're served like queens. All this is enlivened by a parade of grazing cows, quietly wriggling their bottoms to reach a higher meadow. We're fully immersed in the alpine atmosphere!
Our brigadier who was sick the day before is still no better... she decides to stop there. Her boyfriend will come pick her up in Beaufort.
Departure 9 a.m.
She's coming down with us to at least enjoy this beautiful descent to Beaufort. The challenge: slaloming through the cow dung we saw during breakfast. They've done the entire climb from Beaufort. The slalom is a great game and agility exercise with the panniers. Driving experience underway!
At the crossroads of Beaufort and the road to Hauteluce, our sick patrol officer leaves us...a little pang in the heart to see a patrol officer stop on such a good path. 
We continue our journey by climbing towards Hauteluce, a super-quick village, very cute. We stop there to fill our water bottles and head back to Les Saisies. It goes by so quickly, this climb being smooth and pleasant. We finally arrive at the resort of Les Saisies.A beautiful and lively resort in the middle of June! We waste no time and continue our journey across the plateau to Planey before descending back to Flumet. Our goal is to arrive at the Aravis by 1:30 p.m. Reserved time at the restaurant. 
We cross Flumet, quickly arriving at La Giettaz since there are only 4km between the two, which are rolling, even flat. The 10km of the Col des Aravis quickly reduces to 6-7km to begin switchbacks in half shade and half sun. We know that once we reach the tunnel, there will only be one kilometer left. Yes, the Col des Aravis is a regular on brigade outings. It's so good!
We arrive at the restaurant at 1 p.m., change tables three times because it's sunny, then gray, windy, and finally a violent downpour... welcome to the mountains!
Luckily we were moved inside!
We take advantage of all the dishes on offer, which is the advantage of doing mountain passes.
We have our eyes glued to the curtain of rain falling outside... we check all the weather apps possible... None of them are really accurate and none of them say the same thing... so we assume that we're bound to get caught in a good downpour once we leave!
We wait a little under cover, so that the rain calms down a little, so we take our time for a little dessert! Then around 3 p.m. we finally get motivated, we go straight back to Annecy, and if it rains, well, too bad...
Great descent to La Clusaz and then Thones. We're pushing hard on the pedals on this descent!
At Alex, we turn off at Bluffy and arrive at the top of this last little pass, always difficult at the end of the outing, we realize that the sun is still above us, and that we haven't caught a drop! We made it through.
We hurry to the small port where we take the opportunity to swim in the lake. Swimsuit? Sports bra + cycling shorts = great combo! 
We're taking the opportunity to take the last group photos of a great weekend between girls, enjoying and pushing ourselves together! Discoveries and new experiences bring us closer and create bonds! We won't forget this weekend!
It's time to go home, this time we didn't get rained on but a huge black cloud is coming over the old town! Top time, even if we're soaked from our swim in the lake, we won't be soaked by the rain! We quickly go home and are already thinking about the next independent trip with our friends!
Juliette:
What motivated you to go bikepacking with your friends?
Flore and the group of girls motivated me
What did you find the hardest?
The hardest part is the number of hours spent on the bike haha #assache
What did you like best?
I loved everything, but especially the feeling of accomplishment after the first day and the time at the restaurant to celebrate together!
Would you be willing to start again? Where?
Definitely up for doing it again! Anywhere with the same team :)
Manon :
What motivated you to go bikepacking with your friends?
I've always wanted to try this experience and for a first, living it with girls over two days was exceptional!
What did you find the hardest?
Col des Prés, after the chocolate ice cream, at 2:30 p.m. in 30 degrees ahaha!
What did you like best?
Take your time. Take the time to discover the landscapes and enjoy the present moment.
Would you be willing to start again? Where?
Absolutely! Why not explore our beautiful regions of France or other European countries? To be determined by the seasons...
Charline :What motivated you to go bikepacking with your friends?
Spend 2 days riding only bikes with girls who ride, and get to know you all better. 😉
What did you find the hardest?
The hardest part, the difficulties of the first day in the afternoon, easier in the morning for me but that's what the course wanted.
What did you like best?
I liked almost everything, I had a great time and I'm very happy to have dared to do it with such a short distance!Would you be willing to start again? Where?
And of course ready to start again, maybe a little further to change region!
