Joris, can you introduce yourself?
I'm Joris Lesueur, 50 years old, married with a daughter and a son. I live near Dijon, in the Côte-d'Or region, and I've been cycling assiduously for 28 years, while seeking to climb as often as possible! Creator and host of alpes4ever.com, a specialist in Alpine passes, I've put my content and encyclopedic knowledge of the route at the service of routesdesgrandesalpes.com
Why a touring crossing of the Alps?
On the occasion of my 50th birthday, with the help of Lionel Terrail and Jean-Loup Tétard, partners and founders of Grandes Itinérances SAS, I decided to give myself a great gift: the mythical Route des Grandes Alpes® crossing.
After 28 years of climbing up and down most of the Alpine passes, it was an opportunity to combine all these wonderful climbs into a single trip. It was also a challenge: to test both the man and the cyclist, with the accumulation of a daily effort over nearly 700 km / 15,000 m of D+, spread over 8 days.
Which route did you choose?
From Thonon-les-Bains to Menton, from Saturday, July 30 to Saturday, August 6, 2022, in 8 stages:
- Thonon-les-Bains > La Clusaz: 89.5 km / D+ 1,983 m
- La Clusaz > Bourg-Saint-Maurice: 96.5 km / D+ 2,547 m
- Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Aussois: 100.7 km / D+ 2,502 m
- Aussois > Le Monêtier-les-Bains: 86.3 km / D+ 2078 m
- Le Monêtier-les-Bains > Jausiers: 94.5 km / D+ 1467 m
- Jausiers > Beuil: 92.9 km / D+ 2004 m
- Beuil > Roquebillière: 67.5 km / D+ 1323 m
- Roquebillière > Menton: 71.8 km / D+ 1396 m
TOTAL: 700 km / D+ 15,300 m
What is your trifecta of passes and why?
Col de la Cayolle: I'd already climbed it in 2010 and had fond memories of it... again I wasn't disappointed! The most beautiful pass of the traverse. A very long 30 km from Barcelonnette, this "2000" climbs very well indeed, and there's never a dull moment, as the scenery changes frequently, all in an environment that has remained extraordinarily natural! And this incredible passage to the Pont de la Cascade, accompanied by the whistling of marmots, happy inhabitants of this magnificent place...
Col du Galibier: my 4th passage! A must, because you also have to climb the Col du Télégraphe as an appetizer. Also located in a natural environment, it imposes by its very mineral aspect and its surrounding peaks, such as the sharp Rochers de la Grande Paré, the royal face of the Grand Galibier and the majestic Meije, on the descent to the Col du Lautaret.
Col de la Couillole: unheard of for me. The ascent from Beuil was a mere formality, but I was hugely impressed by the descent: an incredible road that plunges vertiginously towards St-Sauveur-sur-Tinée! The scenery, typical of the Alpes Maritimes, with its red rocks, is sublime. I admire the work of the men who built this route nearly 60 years ago! I also took the opportunity to make a short detour to the incredible village of Roubion, clinging to the mountainside.
How did you organize your trip?
I chose to travel with the specialist travel agency Vélorizons. Taking care of accommodation, catering and luggage transport certainly provided me with ideal comfort in managing my beautiful days of exertion! Thanks to this formula, I was able to devote myself fully to the bike, the climbs and the magnificent Alpine scenery!
It was also an opportunity to ride partly with a group and meet other cyclists, passionate about Alpine passes.
But before that, I trained quite seriously with 4500 km / 45,000 D+, to be "sharpened" and above all to be able to take the load of the efforts to be chained over 8 days in a row, which was completely unheard of for me. I had in mind that I wouldn't have any rest days and that I should try not to have any days without... but that didn't stop me from having one in the end!
What's your best and worst memory?
The best part: the start... that feeling of setting off into the unknown, wondering if I'll make it, feeling my heart beating a little fast... then quietly turning my legs in the Col de Jambaz, seeing the first Alpine peaks, feeling very happy again to see "my" Alps again, the prospect of crossing some beautiful passes and then the resolution to enjoy this wonderful adventure to the full!
The worst part: the heatwave! I had no luck during this week, marked by one of the hottest episodes of this summer 2022. The heat was intense all week. By 11 a.m., the temperature had already reached 30 degrees! I climbed several passes in a kind of oven, often without any shade. Just think, it was nearly 35 degrees at the Cols de l'Iseran and Galibier, at an altitude of almost 2700 m! I even had to abandon the ascent of the Col de Vars where, after 3 km of climbing, the thermometer on my counter read 40 degrees!
Ane anecdote?
Blueberry tarts! A friend had advised me not to miss the blueberry tart I could enjoy at Col de la Colombière... and indeed it was good! Then, the next day, I repeated the experience with a beautiful view of Lac de Roselend... Then, as the stages went by, it became a gimmick, a blueberry tart to reward the efforts of a happy cyclist! And the best? The one on the Col du Lautaret, served on a slate with whipped cream and the name of the pass written in icing sugar! On stage 6, I couldn't have my favorite dessert in Valberg (a waffle instead). Well, being on vacation in Nice, following the end of my trip, I went back there a few days later, out for a walk to unearth one. The story had come full circle!
