Thibaut Clément: Route des Grandes Alpes® in 38 hours, 46 minutes and 56 seconds

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Thibaut, can you introduce yourself?

I'm 31 years old I live in Annecy and work in Geneva, but I'm originally from Normandy. During the confinement period, I used a home trainer morning and evening to relieve the boredom. I got into the swing of things and in July 2020 I tried an official race, which I won by several minutes! In 2021, I joined the Matérielvélo.com team and joined the Grenoble club, where I've been a member for three years now in the Elite category.

Why an itinerant crossing of the Alps?

Last year, I set the record for crossing Corsica. I've been looking for a similar challenge for the end of the 2024 season. The Route des Grandes Alpes was the obvious choice!

What bike did you use?

A BMC SLR 01, my everyday bike, which I also use for racing. I'm comfortable on it, I have a comfortable position that doesn't cause pain on long distances. I took a 4-liter waterproof pannier on the back and a frame bag.

Were you in total autonomy?

I was alone and unassisted in every aspect: getting dressed, buying food, repairing my bike...

What clothes did you take with you?

A lightweight Goretex waterproof jacket that you take off and put back on as you go up or down. A warm but breathable thermal under-layer that's also light and doesn't take up much space, because with a 4-liter pannier, you have to make choices. Toe covers, good gloves, a neck and ear warmer and the same cycling shorts all the time.

What lighting for the night?

I had a headlamp before that I set at 700 lumens on the climbs and 1100 on the descents. I also had a very light headlamp that didn't take up any space. On the back, I had a flashing light and a spare.

Did you have enough autonomy with your phone, your GPS?

My phone was fully charged on the morning of the start. I kept it on airplane mode for a long time. I'd turn it back on to give news. I managed to do everything without needing to recharge anything, neither the lights, nor the phone, nor the GPS meter.

Pizza break in Modane?

I get there around 11pm and there I take my first real break. When I stop to eat my pizza, I tell myself that all is well. I'm rather ahead of schedule. I can see that the night is going to go well. After the pizza, I set off again with the idea in mind of the double ascent, Telegraphe and Galibier, from Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne.

And then, big trouble?

I come across a "route barrée" sign. Now you're asking yourself a lot of questions. Do I try to pass with the bike on my back? I wonder how long it can take over the freeway while riding on the hard shoulder? Finally, I find the bike detour sign, which I hadn't seen, but it's a lot of hard climbing on small roads. It doesn't add up to much over 18,000 meters of total D+, but every unexpected detail that goes into the negative immediately takes on considerable importance!

Finally, it's over and you reach Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne?

Yes, I attack the Telegraphe - Galibier sequence, which is really endless. From the Télégraphe I switch to Valloire, where there are still bars open. It's nice to feel a bit of human warmth before climbing the mystical and mythical Galibier.

So you pass Valloire and attack the Galibier?

With a big wind all the way to Plan-Lachat. But a rather warm southerly wind. After that, I feel the wind less. The climb goes well, on a clear night. I can make out the outlines of the peaks and I'm fully aware of the immensity of the Alps. I feel like I'm all alone in the world...

And then you meet up with your mate Hugo in Briançon?

The descent is cooler than expected and I stop at the col du Lautaret to put on another layer. Which I take off a little further downhill towards Briançon, where I'm meeting up with a childhood friend who lives there. It's about 3am. Hugo is going to climb the col de l'Izoard with me. On a late-night tiredness, it's good not to be alone, to be able to chat and share these moments. Hugo is going to do the ascent and descent of the Izoard with me... before starting again in the opposite direction to go to work. It's still dark at the top of the Izoard. On the descent, we go all out on the Arvieux straight, then split up. I take the gorges du Guil, towards Guillestre and the Col de Vars.

Breakfast in Guillestre?

Before facing the last day, I have a hot chocolate, a pain au chocolat and then a little savory and wraps. No coffee! I avoided caffeine intake for the whole trip. I didn't want it to create intestinal disorders.

After breakfast, you set off up the Col de Vars?

The sun has risen in the col de Vars. There's a little headwind that nails you a bit, but I tell myself it's not so bad. It's already early morning, around 09:00. Except that in Barcelonnette, where I want to refuel, I come across a motorcycle festival! I shunt downtown and stop in a souvenir store, where there was a can of Coke and a baguette lying around. I take that and a wrap, which I eat straight away. It's very dry, with an undercooked pastry. I leave Barcelonnette a little unsettled...

Are you drooling on the Cayolle?

What I've swallowed has just about kept me afloat on the pass, which is very long and, what's more, pretty quickly invaded by motorcycles! Fortunately, I come across two very nice young people who take me under their wing. I put myself in their wheels, telling myself that even if it takes a couple of kilometers, it's still worth it. Eventually, they drop their pace and get on mine. We do la Cayolle together and chat... Time flies, but I forget to feed.

It's at the top of the Col de la Cayolle that you talk about stopping for the first time?

At the top of the Cayolle, I'm not feeling very well and I doubt I'll make it to the end. Nevertheless, I set off again on a long transition section, downhill to Guillaumes. Here, I relax completely. I've done all the passes above 2000. My physical battery is really starting to run down. For the first time I doubt my ability to succeed.

How do you get through this difficult moment?

At Guillaumes, I take my time. I find an open bakery and eat two or three slices of pissaladière, one or two slices of apple pie... Just what I needed to keep me afloat energy-wise. I set off again on the climb to Valberg via Péone. I continue to pick and choose and start using my phone, checking messages from friends and family. I find every possible source of inspiration to keep going. That's how I get to Valberg, then to the Col de la Couillole.

How's it going after the Col de la Couillole?

In vallée de la Tinée, I should have stopped for lunch again. But when you start losing time, you don't feel like stopping, because you tell yourself that if you stop you'll lose time again. And every time you start again, it gets harder and harder! As a result, La Colmiane is a nightmare. Because I wasn't thinking clearly, I missed the Proxi at the top of the pass. I want to turn back and I crash...... I realize I'm at my physical limits...

Then remains the big chunk of the Col de Turini, but...

At La Bollène, I'm told that the pass is closed because of the Vésubie rally. The volunteer there tells me he doesn't know exactly when it will reopen. I'm finally able to set off again at around 7:15 or 7:30 p.m... and I get the first drops of rain.

And finally it goes well in the Turini?

When you remove the barriers it's like a new beginning. I climb the col de Turini rather at a good pace, despite the rain and the night starting to fall. The descent is slippery, interminable, with fallen leaves on a sodden road.

How do you end the adventure?

I pass the passes of Castillon and Èze slowly, because physically I'm at the end. After the Col d'Èze, I just have to enjoy the descent of the whole corniche section above Nice. I enjoy the last few kilometers to the Promenade des Anglais, a mythical finish for a mythical route, even though I can hardly pedal sitting down.

Almost 39 hours on a bike is a bit like being at a festival where all you do is drink and get very little sleep. At the end you end up with a big hangover!