Route des Grandes Alpes Cycle Tour

In 2022, my brother John, his girlfriend Katie, our friend Ade and myself were about to tackle the whole of the Route des Grandes Alpes when devastatingly our John died just 6 days before we were due to start. It remains a devastating loss, and getting back on the bike has been really difficult. I decided to do just the first 5 days as a tribute to my brother, and because doing the whole route would have been too difficult emotionally. So Ade and I started in Thonon-les-Bains and finished 5 days later in Modane. The ride was spectacular, taking in 6 cols - Col du Joux Plane, Col de la Colombiere, Col des Aravis, Col des Saisies, Cormet de Roselend and the Col de l'Iseran. Unbelievably for us, both the Cormet de Roselend and the Col de l'Iseran were closed but accessible to cyclists. These days were truly memorable for riding on empty roads and the overwhelming feeling of love and grief for my brother that I experienced on those cols.