Chamonix is a town that lives in the shadow of a mountain, and not just any mountain. Mont Blanc rises to just over 4,800 metres directly above it, the highest peak in the Alps, and the great ice-streaked walls and needle-like granite spires of the Aiguilles stand around the valley like a stage set. When the clouds lift in the morning, the effect is so dramatic that the whole street seems to stop and look up.
The town's history is the history of mountaineering. In 1786, two local men, Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard, made the first ascent of Mont Blanc, and in doing so launched alpinism as a sport. The first Winter Olympics were held here in 1924, and the cable car to the Aiguille du Midi, which rises to close to 3,850 metres, remains one of the great mountain rides in the world. Across the valley, the Mer de Glace, France's longest glacier, is retreating year by year, a reminder of how quickly the landscape is changing.
For a rider, Chamonix is a fine rest stop and a bustling one. It is a proper town, with fuel, restaurants, bike shops, and plenty of cafes, and in summer the streets are busy with climbers, walkers, paragliders, and families. Traffic through the valley can be heavy, and parking is a puzzle, so aim to arrive early. The road up the valley from Les Houches is wide and fast, though lorries heading to the Mont Blanc tunnel slow everything on the approach. Beyond the town, the road continues over the Col des Montets toward Switzerland, and each direction rewards patience.
Food is one of the pleasures. Savoyard cooking is rich and warming: tartiflette, with potatoes, reblochon cheese, and bacon, fondue, raclette, and crozets, small buckwheat pasta, are all on the menus. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, and the temperature at 1,000 metres can fall quickly after sunset. Les Houches, a smaller village to the south-west, is quieter and has its own services. Take a moment, if the sky is clear, to look at the summit above you, and think about the first people who stood on it.