Aloïs, from Valais to Nice in 5 days

They-they crossed the Alps and they-they tell...

Aloïs, can you introduce yourself?

My name is Aloïs Carretero, 48 at the time of my Alpine crossing... I live in Savièse, Valais, Switzerland, with Cindy my wife and our two daughters. I moved to the Valais in 2001 for professional reasons and started cycling as soon as I arrived. Previously, I'd lived in the canton of Vaud and hadn't cycled at all!
At first, I took up mountain biking, and when I met my wife and her father, a fervent road cyclist (approx. 10,000 km per year), I got into it too. It has to be said that my in-laws ride road bikes a lot and since then I've also been riding very often.

For me, this sport is a moment of freedom, adventure and discovery, a moment just for me. Every year I embark on a new journey.

What motivated you to embark on a cycling trip through the Alps?

My goal before I turned 50 was to cross the Alps, but from home, not from Thonon.
So I set off from my home in Savièse in the direction of the Grand-Saint-Bernard after Martigny. My challenge was to cover the Haute Route des Alpes in 5 days, no more, no less, with a minimum of comfort in the evening after cycling all day.
I set off on Sunday July 17, 2022 and arrived in Nice on Thursday July 21. I covered 735 km for +16000D+, an average of 147 km per day for +3200 D+.

Add to a roadbook

How did you organize your trip?

In a very simple way. I went to a bookshop in my area and bought the famous IGN Route des Grandes Alpes® map with its little booklet summarizing the km to be done per day and its discovery corners to be made (visit and history of the region).
Then I opened the map and divided the route into 5 stages, one of which was shorter than the others so that I could recover a little during the week.
Finally, I drew up a weekly logbook on a small cardboard map (km and altitude difference to be covered, the day's route as there was no GPS, interesting things to see as I passed through the regions).
I set off with a 3kg saddlebag and my Swiss flag, which I unfortunately lost on my return to Switzerland. I took the bare minimum with a small medical kit if necessary.

Everything was well calculated in terms of equipment (shorts and reserve jersey, a rain jacket and a windbreaker which I didn't even use because of the sun all week with 34 to 36 degrees).
As for accommodation, I gave myself a hotel each evening. It was important for me to have a good bed to sleep well and recover after 145 km a day. I couldn't see myself traveling with a tent and all its gear. I appreciated the comfort in the evenings, and above all the chance to chat with local people and hotel staff.
I had bars with me to feed myself after climbing a pass. I took breaks at lunchtime, always finding a local restaurant and eating locally. In the evening a good meal also in the region where I was with a small glass of red one or good white Beer.
For the return to Switzerland, I took a low-cost bus from Nice to Geneva and then the train from Geneva to Sion.

What's your trifecta of passes?

Col d'Izoard : bike path too good, from the exit of the village of Cervières it starts to heat up, but good then one enters a wooded part where I met a Valaisan who lives a few km from me!

Col de la Cayolle: nice long climb, from Barcelonnette it takes 30 km to reach the top of the pass. Not too hard a climb, in my opinion. A superb nature pass where you can hear the marmots calling and spot some while admiring the scenery. There were very few cars on the road that day.

Col de Turini: fairly demanding climb of around 15 km. Beautiful views of the sea and rare tranquillity, I passed very few cars, maybe three...
At times, the roads and scenery made you feel like you were back in the 70s. All we could do was wait for Louis de Funès to pass by in an old DS, or Alain Delon in his old Renault Alpine...