The trail
The Col-du-Savel trail is 14.5 kilometres long and covers a total of 1056 metres in altitude from the start at Cime de Rocaillon (1333 m) to the finish in L'Escarène (355 m). Along the way, there is a short ascent every now and then (77 metres in total). Overall a moderately difficult trail.
You can download the GPS data for Fabien Barel's Supertrail free of charge in gpx format at the end of this article.
A good enduro rider must be able to read the terrain. It is not enough to superficially search for the ideal line. You quickly learn what this means in detail on this eternally long, extremely varied super trail in the mountains of Blausasc.
The shuttle ride to the start already contains a few moments of excitement. The road is narrow and winds its way up lonely mountains in hairpin bends until it finally balances over a rocky ridge. And this is exactly where the trail starts. To the right and left of the road, the mountains stretch into the horizon. However, the trail does not head south towards Nice, but down the shady north side. You dive under a rusty barrier and initially follow the sandy path around the bend, which soon zigzags down a steep slope. We call this section a "foliage trail", but "surprise bag" would be much more appropriate. Because these hairpin bends circle around the feet of gigantic deciduous trees. When they shed their leaves in autumn, the trail remains under a layer of foliage all year round. As a biker, you never know what's underneath: sometimes just slippery sand, but sometimes also rolling rocks of different sizes. A good sense of touch and balance is required. After this tingling entrance, the trail curves around the mountain and then takes a southerly direction. It is now a simple sandy track again, much flatter and with a natural bump for playing and gaining momentum. Every now and then, however, the trail scrapes sharply along the precipice. All of a sudden, directly behind a right-hand bend. If you keep an eye not only on the trail, but also on the mountain flank as a whole, you will recognise in good time that there can't be much room for a trail on the steep slope. Everyone else should keep their speed moderate.
But the real fun begins at the Col du Savel. There, the path first rumbles up a short section over a few steps and cross-cutting roots, before finally tipping over into the black sandstone cliffs typical of this region. The grip couldn't be more perfect, but even here there are narrow passages lurking above a gorge that are perhaps better pushed. Behind this, the trail bends and bounces freely around chestnut trees. Jump rocks caked in the sand increase the fun factor, a few blind bends give you an adrenaline rush, and if you're unlucky, you might collide with a wild boar. They like to hang around here because of the chestnuts. At some point, the path leads over a mountain ridge, clearing the last of the trees: a clear view of the next few kilometres of descent! The path will also cut completely through the opposite mountain flank. Civilisation: not yet in sight. The scent of thyme mingles with the clouds of dust that now overtake you in rough hairpin bends. At an iron cross, the path splits into four trail options. Turn left here towards L'Escarène and continue on the La Croix de Berre trail, the most technical section of the descent: stumbling blocks, berms, narrow passages - it's almost shocking to suddenly find yourself on tarmac again. After a few hundred metres on the pass road, a gravel path branches off to the right with a five to ten-minute counter-climb. But after that, the rest of the trail descent through the pine forest is easy to surf along to L'Escarène.
Fabien Barel (38)
The two-time downhill world champion (2004 / 2005) was born in Nice and now rides for the Canyon Enduro Team.
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