We were now heading towards the peak of OUILLON at 2,431 metres and took a chair- lift to cross the last impassable section of the way. A stunning panoramic view over the mountains was waiting for us at the top. A sharp ridge drew a pattern of light and shadow into the landscape. The way was clear to us, we had to ride along this ridge, our curiosity to explore drew us like a magnet towards it. There was only us and a few flocks of sheep on the mountain. Our trip to the summit ended in a highly technical, challenging downhill single trail, part of the MTB marathon track ‘Transmaurienne’. This three-day marathon goes around the Sybelles mountain range and is considered to be a very challenging race both physically and technically. Our downhill run was accompanied by an approaching thunderstorm but we did not want to miss any shots of the landscape so we kept on, despite the fear of getting wet before reaching the bottom. We encountered a herd of cows that were being led to their stables down in the valley, blocking the mountain road to TOUSSUIRE. We fought our way through the congestion of cows and cowpats and started chatting to the farmers who – as expected – questioned us about the Argon FR with GATES Carbondrive. They told us that the milk for the famous cheese ‘Beaufort’ is produced here. Suddenly we felt like cheese fondue and hurried into the village. This was well timed because it started to rain just as we were locking up our bikes and going into the restaurant. While we enjoyed the fondue we’d been craving the heavens opened. We doubted that we would be able to continue our tour the next day. But the morning brought us sun as we had hoped and we had to tackle a real steep uphill passage. The film crew was now reliant on a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. Georges and tour guide David went ahead. The goal was a mountain lake at 2,430 metres at Col Nord of Grand Lac which was still covered in snow. The ascent was not only steep but also rutted because of the thunderstorm the night before. Rain and water from the melted snow were carving the paths apart. Soon the 4-wheel-drive vehicle could not go any further and the film crew had to join us on the bikes again. The GATES Carbondrive showed once more its appropriateness for long and difficult ascents, particularly with irregular frequencies of pedalling and varying pedalling pressure. The smooth transformation of force had a pleasant effect on the tense muscles. You could not feel a loss of force. Quite the contrary: The transformation of force corresponded to the building up of strength in the legs and felt like an additional muscle. When we reached the top, Christian, the rider who had followed us on foot unpacked his mountain picnic. Some pastries and a Savoyanic white wine – nicely chilled, of course. The view over Lac Majeur and Lac Blanc and the Saint Sorlin glacier with its peak L’ETENDARD (3,464 metres) was crystal clear, despite the wine. After crossing some snow fields we went back down to the bottom. This time we took some wider hiking tracks. The Argon FR with a 150mm suspension fork and a matching All Mount geometry lay perfectly on the track and in the blink of an eye we had beaten the altitude of almost 1000 metres back to our starting point. My thanks for this unforgettable trip go to David MORELON, the tour guide, to Christian DIDIER, the driver of the 4-wheel-drive and to Isabaelle ARBUZ, the manager of the tourist office in the region of Les Sybelles. With the Argon FR GATES Carbondrive I have found the perfect bike for my mountain tours...and I still have the dream of going around Mount Blanc. Let’s see if we can go up there together in 2011.“ Yours, Georges GATES Carbon Drive TEST TOUR LES SYBELLES