Cycling the Alps

Cycling the Alps – Day 1

I was first made aware of the Routes des Grandes Alpes by my friend Ross, who had ridden it solo in 2006. He had always described it as a once in a lifetime ride, or at least that was the pitch he had used with his then wife to get the green card, so when he suggested doing it again I immediately used the identical pitch with my own wife and booked the flight to Geneva before her mood changed.

La Routes Des Grandes Alpes from Geneva to Nice

There are a number of tour operators who offer the ride catered, carrying bags to hotels and food packages to the tops of mountains, but for reasons of cost and not to mention adventure, we opted to do it unassisted.

Preparation involved working out just how little stuff we could get away with carrying. Ross came dangerously close to madness last time, tearing out the pages from his guide book at the top of each climb and wearing little more than a loin cloth in the evenings in the interest of saving weight.
 

Sub 3kg was the goal

 
Sadly, this ascetic approach appeals to some deep, buried aspect of my personality. After all, why pack two jerseys when you can take one and wash it with camping soap suds (weight minimal) every evening? Its odd how obsessive these things can become, but I guess cyclist have always fretted about the odd gram here or there. Sub-3kg was the goal, excluding multi-tool and water bottles, which were frame mounted.

Throw in a Kindle and 2 maps and it came in just over 3kg.

In terms of accommodation we booked ahead in Clues (first night) and then two nights in Bourg D’Oisans (4th and 5th night). However, being just out of season we had no problems finding mid-range hotels the rest of the time.
 

Ross contemplates what lies ahead…

Over the next few pages we’ll discuss our journey but as a heads-up, here’s our La Routes Des Grandes Alpes, from Geneva to Nice, in numbers…

Days away: 8
Distance ridden: 752km
Hours in the saddle: 39.59
Meters climbed: 18,194
Calories burnt: 34,683
Technical issues: 0
Black coffees consumed: 34

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Next page is Day 2…