Sam Dale - Megavalanche

Summertime in the big mountains: Load up the van, hit the highway, unload your bike, climb a mountain, hammer it back down, skid onto the patio bar, enjoy a cappuccino, camp out next to the river, get a good night's sleep under the stars, wake up, cook on the stove, throw the bike back in the van, drive to the bike park and do laps on laps. Hell, you could even rock up to the start line of the world's wildest races, the Megavalanche. That’s what Sam Dale did this July aboard his new Nomad. Sam Dale loaded up his trusty camper, crossed the English Channel and set out for the peaks of the Alps. He started with a visit to La Grave to sample the new Santa Cruz PayDirt funded trail, Les Valloins de la Meije trail. Starting at the top of the historic cable car and descending 5,000ft, it covers all manner of terrain - rocky moonscapes, rutted avalanche paths, romping singletrack and sinewy turns through pine forest nearer the bottom. As Sam says, it was a good way to get back in the groove of the fast, long and rugged trails typical of the French Alps. It was a perfect warm up for the Megavalanche race. The Megavalanche, possibly the wildest and rawest of mountain bike events. Again, starting at the top of Alp d’Huez - in the snow - and descending for 40 minutes at race pace across glacial rock slab, boulder fields, ski pistes, new school jump trails and well-worn paths. It puts any rider and their equipment to the test. Sam believes the best way to really take a big bite of the Alps is to do it while camping. This allows you to get closer to the spots, to breathe the air and get into the rhythm of the places you’re visiting. After watching this, you might agree. Sam’s approach on and off the bike is refreshingly down-to-earth and a template for anyone wanting to feel the energy of big mountains.