"Does this not make you want to ride your bike ?"
Thunderstorms. Mountain thunderstorms. We awoke on Friday morning to rain, constant rain and clouds. Like being back in the UK, except the UK had beautiful sunshine. Came to France for the sun, but was met with rain. Classic. It was beautiful though, low hanging clouds being wisped through the valley by the gentle breeze. We had to postpone the photoshoot. No big deal, only by a few hours.
It got to 1pm, our second proposed leave time, and it was still hammering it down. Another hour. 2pm and we finally got out the door. You may be thinking, "I ride in the rain all the time, it's no big deal. Skin is waterproof.", and you'd be fair in saying that. But the thing about photoshoots is there is usually a lot of standing around, riding the same corner over again. Waiting around for the photographer to get the shot they want of the bike leaning against a wall.
Or so we thought. I'd planned a circular route for the day. The elevation profile was perfect. Straight up, straight down. Up the Col du Joux Verte, down the Route de Avoriaz. Climbing through the clouds, and well, descending into sunshine (see latest reel on our Instagram for the views we were met with).
Of course, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Les Gets was on the same weekend we were there. Les Gets was around 15 minutes from Morzine, so the town was packed with mountain bikers. Morzine and Les Gets is a mountain biker's haven, one of those places you go to test yourself on the trails. We overtook a handful on the road. Smoked them, obviously…
Forge. Performance endurance. It's made for the mountains. Forge feels at home in the Alps. Our friend Joe at Buzz Performance is based in Morzine, alongside a charming cafe and gym set up. He has a whole fleet of Forge's ready through Alps Bike Hire for you to take out.
The route I'd planned was steadily uphill in most places, testing in others. Nothing Jake and Iona couldn't handle on the Forge, both experienced riders and racers. Tree lined roads, presumably creating nice shade on a super hot day, we wouldn't know, it was raining. Turning right onto Route du Lac you see the road immediately start to climb steadily.
The visual signature of the Forge is the subtle upward-sloping top tube. It gives the bike a taller front end and, in turn, a more open hip angle, allowing the rider to sit in a more natural, less aggressive position.
The thinking behind this came from the 2000+ professional bike fits Pearson carried out over the years in the original shop. One thing that consistently came through was that everyday riders, whether they’re commuting or taking on the Alps, generally preferred a little more height at the front of the bike. So that’s what we built into the Forge. A taller front end naturally shortens the effective reach, taking some of the stretch out of the riding position. Your back is a little straighter, your hips more open, and there’s less weight and pressure through your hands, neck and shoulders. It’s a small change in geometry, but one that can make a big difference over several hours in the saddle. So the climbs of the day were going to feel easier and comfier for our two riders. Especially since the Forge weighs 7.62kg in the Ultegra spec. It’s built from T800 carbon, chosen because it’s lightweight and gives the bike the stiffness needed for efficient power transfer whilst retaining enough compliance to take the edge off rougher road surfaces, which we didn’t face in Morzine but know for a fact that the UK could learn a thing or two from the Alpine roads.
We reached the peak of Avoriaz through the clouds to see the sun again at 1800m. At 5:30pm, we returned to the chalet, having completed the 26km route, which ended up being 39km after re-doing a climb twice for the content, in 2h 1m. Bringing the sun down with us to 1000m above sea level in Morzine. Nate was "head of driving Gina around" on photoshoots, a job he came to resent, but as we descended Avoriaz, watching the already large mountain ahead grow larger, Nate said, "does this not make you want to ride your bike?", and ride his bike he did. As soon as the van was parked back at the chalet, Nate and Jake went back up Avoriaz, climbing from dead nothing, since our chalet was about an eighth of the way up the climb.
Cause that's the thing about Forge. It just makes you want to keep going.
