They-they crossed the Alps and they-they tell...
Do you want to introduce yourself?
Simon, I'm 32 years old, I practice quite a lot of sports and especially road biking since 3 years.
What motivated you to embark on a touring bike trip in the Alps?
I ride a road bike to discover new roads, new regions. I rode the Alps for the first time in 2022, and loved it. I also like to challenge myself and travel by bike. So doing Route des Grandes Alpes® was the next logical step for me.
What route did you take and why?
From Thonon to Nice, the classic route, in 6 days. My primary motivation? The passage over the mythical passes at over 2000m.
How did you get organized?
Objective: travel light as possible. I had planned stages between 100 and 130 km per day, with between 2500 and 3400m of D+.
For accommodation, Airbnb and hotels (not bad for recovery and avoiding carrying bivouac/camping gear).
For food, a bakery/supérette break at lunchtime and in the evening pleasure meal with burger/pizza (+ beer for reward and because it's the vacations).
For panniers:
- 1 saddlebag with evening outfit + 2nd bike outfit + rain gear.
- 1 frame bag for repair equipment, electronics and hygiene.
- 1 small hanger bag for a little food (bars, sweets).
For transport, I first travelled to Thonon by train + a 90km prologue by bike. For the return trip, I took a TGV. I had a transport bag delivered to my place of arrival.
Your best memory? Worst?
The best memory: arriving at the Col du Galibier. The summit part of the pass opened right in front of me (after a short wait at the tunnel). Unbelievable luck! The last part of the climb, despite the high percentages, was nothing but fun with the passages between the walls of snow!
The worst : the climb to Les Gets, lots of traffic even for late June. Not really a bad memory, but rather a slightly stressful moment.
Your trifecta of passes?
It's hard to do a trifecta, as I enjoyed myself on almost every pass.
1 Col du Galibier, for the mythical aspect, the snow still very present and the satisfaction of such a climb with the bike loaded (my most testing stage with the Telegraphe, Galibier, Izoard sequence).
2 Cormet de Roselend, wild, magnificent. A climb with very little traffic from the Col du Méraillet and the lake. A grandiose setting!!!
3 Col de la Bonette, difficult but magnificent scenery that evolves throughout the climb to finish in a lunar setting! Special mention also for the col de l'Iseran, magnificent route from Val d'Isère and still plenty of snow as you approach the pass (the pass opened the day before I went! )
Ane anecdote to share?
At the start of my last stage, I had on the program in particular the col de Turini, which I was dreading a little after a good week of cycling in my legs... In the end, I met 2 really nice guys at the foot of the pass who were also traveling on Route des Grandes Alpes®. We spent the whole climb chatting about our respective journeys. The climb went by very quickly! (Even if I did let go of their pace a little at the end). Then it was a magnificent descent to Sospel.