Thonon - Trieste (Jean-Marc Lefèvre, CC 3331)
From Lake Leman to the Adriatic Sea (1200 km - 44 passes - 22,000 m ascent)
I said to myself a long time ago: "one day I'll do Thonon-Trieste".
Described by some as the most beautiful mountain walk in Europe, the route has earned its reputation for quality and difficulty.
In the course of 1999, my decision was made: "I'll do Thonon-Trieste to mark the year 2000".
The route
The problem is simple: 1,200 km; 44 passes (16 of which are over 2,000 metres high); 2,131 metres of ascent.
You set off from Thonon-les-Bains (France), then soon arrive in Switzerland, then Italy, then Switzerland again, and it's not until the 493rd km that the route turns completely into Italy. The route skirts Austria, skims Slovenia and ends on the shores of the Adriatic just a stone's throw from Croatia.
Isn't that a great career path, Mister!
The organiser quite rightly advises you to do the route in 12 stages, but I decided to do it in 10 (who knows why?).
A slow start
On Friday 23 June, I set off by car for Thonon. I've barely driven 200 km when my car shows signs of fatigue. I had to call in a breakdown mechanic on the motorway. Result: ignition failure, the journey gets off to a flying start.
Vive l'aventure
Saturday 24 June, 8 a.m., my bike with its brand new panniers set down in front of the Thonon-les-Bains sign. First photo, first pedal strokes, first climb: Le Pas de Morgins, first border post. This time it's Switzerland - YOUPI! Long live the adventure! ! !
My first stage, 140 km long, takes me to Sierre.
The shores of Lake Maggiore
The Simplon Pass is the first 2000-metre alpine hike. Despite its length (22 km), it's easy to climb, but there are a lot of tunnels and avalanches. At the top, the Simplon eagle watches over me on the way down. First time in Italy in a dream setting. The stage is at Orasso in the middle of the mountains, the kind of stop you dream of when you're tired ==> great.
On the morning of the 3rd stage, I rounded Lake Maggiore, and I can tell you that it's not snowing today! No, it's sunny and warm. The shores of the lake are very pretty! The beautiful residences bear witness to the wealth of the area. I find myself daydreaming as I sit on a bench admiring the sailboats on the lake - after all, I'm on holiday, but what the hell?
The climb up San Bernardino is pretty tough, so the 28/28 comes in handy. A very pretty pass, with a blue lake at altitude!
The Splügenpass
This morning it's "big blue", in other words the sky is magnificent, no clouds, intense blue, the stage promises to be hot. Right away, by way of breakfast, I attack the Splügenpass, a magnificent pass that rises to 2113 m, a winding climb, not too steep, no traffic (it's too early), the kind of pass I love. What's more, I've got my legs for the big days, hands on top of the handlebars ==> great, and as a bonus I'm treated to a clarinet concert all the way to the top, with big, beautiful cows grazing peacefully.
What a life!
I was even pleasantly surprised to see a marmot gambolling just a few metres away from me.
The descent is just as beautiful, but very dangerous, with hairpin bends, tunnels and, surprise, a hairpin bend at the end of the hole!
This 4th stage will be the most beautiful of the trip, the weather, the scenery, the passes ==> great art!
On the climb up to San Bernina, I almost came close to a glacier - what a view! It's the kind of sight that leaves you dreaming, it's so beautiful. The day ends with the climb up Forcola di Livigno, which is hard, very hard! As fatigue set in, I had to put my foot down for a few hundred metres because the slope was so steep.
The day of the Stelvio
The high point of this tour is the Stelvio Pass. At 2,758 metres, it is a famous stage in the Tour of Italy, with a 20km ascent.
A light rain accompanied me for the first few kilometres, a bad omen. The uneven gradient was quite severe at times. I clocked in at the Santa-Maria customs post 3 km from the summit, and from then on the weather took a turn for the worse. It's cold, it's raining, I'm struggling along, and the last few metres are a struggle, but I've made it!
I thought I'd eat up there, but given the weather I don't linger. I take a souvenir photo in front of the pass sign, buy some postcards, put on my gore-tex, winter gloves, headband and helmet and off I go! I plunge into the fog that envelops the summit. A few tourists look at me pensively, cheering me on.
The rain intensifies, and soon turns to sleet. My panniers are covered in a thin, icy white film. I'm freezing, I should have put on my leggings. Too late, I go for it. I hate descending mountain passes in the rain, partly because it's not pleasant and partly because the brakes are ineffective. In a word, I'm scared!
One thing surprised me: I didn't see any cars on the descent, just a few cyclists who were struggling to reach the top. The answer was not long in coming. The road was blocked and no one was allowed to pass: HORROR.
Will I have to go back up?
I spot a hostel, it's 3pm, I haven't eaten, I'm freezing, I don't know where to go, everything's urging me to stop. Luckily there's a French cyclist there, who quickly gives me some information:
- There's been a landslide, the road is broken up for about 100 m, major works are underway, you can get through on your bike" OUF ! !
The spaghetti bolognaise warms me up a bit and, somewhat revitalised, I set off on the next stage of this hellish descent.
The road is indeed broken up, and I have to get my foot down in the middle of a jumble of pipes, construction equipment, mud and cement. I made my way along, balancing unsteadily in front of the dumbfounded workers, but I had no choice - what an adventure! ! !
What a relief when I hit the asphalt again.
The Stelvio stage will stay with me for a long time!
This evening I arrive in the Italian Tyrol. Here, there's no problem with accommodation: practically all the locals have "chambres d'hôtes", and the chalet where I'm staying is very spacious, with very friendly people. It's a pity they don't speak a word of French: German is more widely spoken here than Italian (Austria is very close).
I had no trouble falling asleep this evening, as the stage was long and difficult, 135 km and 8 hours of cycling.
The Dolomites
The next day, a beautiful stage in the Tyrol, and the start of the Dolomites. Some fine passes, including the wooded Passo del Pallade. A laborious journey through Bolzano, with heavy traffic - my main criticism of this tour is that there is far too much traffic, with motorbikes and coaches having a field day, as the region is so attractive to tourists.
It's 5 p.m. when the storm starts to rumble, the Passo Pinei slope is 16 %, I'm tired and soaked. Suddenly I'm drawn to a Tyrolean hostel, which I can't resist - tomorrow will be daylight.
On the menu this evening: Pasta soup, steamed potatoes, local ham and sausages, homemade apple pie, all served with a little Italian wine!...
The Three Peaks of Lavaredo
The 7th and 8th stages will be the most difficult of the trip. Numerous passes with severe gradients, often close to 14% 15% or even 20% for the Longeres.
Famous mountain passes like the Pordoi, the Giau (a tough one) and the Forcella Longeres, and this climb is well worth telling you about.
I've been in the heart of the Dolomites for 2 days now, and the superb scenery has lived up to my expectations, although it's a shame that the rainy weather is spoiling things a bit.
I'm on my 8th stage today, climbing the Forcella Longeres, in front of the Tre Cimes of the Lavaredo, which is reputed to be really tough. At the Misurina pass (where I'm finally eating my first pizza), I'm stumped: should I stop here or climb the Lavaredo?
It's raining, it's foggy, it's not looking good, but it doesn't matter.
If I postpone the climb until tomorrow :
- I'm not sure the weather will be any better
- It will be impossible for me to finish THONON TRIESTE in 10 days.
So I'm off!
The road leading to the Di Auronzo refuge is a private road with a charge (not for bikes). It's not very long (about 4 km), but what a difference in altitude! From 16% then 20%, some say 23%, in the bends, very hard, very hard, very soon I couldn't go faster than 5 km/h, I gave up and finished the climb on foot, in the rain and fog.
After pointing out my route book, I ask the innkeeper for help because I can't find the way down. In fact, Forcella Longeres is a "cul de sac", so I have to go back down what I've just climbed. It's a shame; if I'd known, I'd have left my panniers at the bottom to make the climb lighter and easier.
The end of the journey
The descent to Dobiaco is like billiards, I suddenly feel like I've got wings, tonight I think I'll finish Thonon-Trieste on time, the hardest part is over. I stop off in Dobiaco at a very nice hotel. How sweet and restful it is to be in a comfortable room, when outside the storm breaks, letting down torrents of water over the city. I wouldn't want to be outside at this hour!
From stage 9 onwards, we start the long descent to the Adriatic, which is also when we come close to the Slovenian border. Of course, there are still a few passes, but they are not as high or as long, and the fine weather is back too.
The last stage is fairly uninteresting, with big roads and heavy traffic, through Udine, then straight on to Trieste. The heat is overwhelming in this big Italian city, and we take our last photo in front of the signpost at 3pm - the dream is over!
At this moment, I'm happy, I've completed the ALPINE trek without any health or mechanical problems, and without a single puncture. Of course, I had a hard time of it on some of the passes, but what a joy it is to be able to talk about your ADVENTURE afterwards.
Yes, Thonon-Trieste is a difficult, demanding route, requiring a great deal of physical effort and willpower, but it's a feast for the eyes.
Trieste-Chauny: the comeback
The problem with an online tour is that once you've reached your goal by bike, you're only halfway there, and believe me, that's a long and arduous stage. Judge for yourself.
To get back from Trieste to Thonon, I opted for the train. The problem is that it's impossible to send your bike back by train? The only solution is to transport it in a bag, but to do that I had to partially dismantle my bike and carry it on my shoulder, along with my 2 side panniers and my handlebar bag;
You said: GALLERY!
The train leaves TRIESTE station at 8.10 pm, heading for Venice, where I change trains for Lausanne, but the train is so late that I only have 3 minutes to catch my connection, which is quite a scare!
The train was packed, and I had trouble finding a place for myself and my bike. After a few adventures that would take too long to describe here, I arrived at Lausanne station.
It's 6am and there's a violent thunderstorm in the city. I'm 2 km from the pier, so I decide to take the metro (very practical with my luggage).
A 3-hour wait before taking the boat across Lake Geneva, and finally arriving in Thonon. But it's several kilometres from the port to the car park where my car is parked. The taxi drops me off in front. It's 11 o'clock when I leave the car park, another 750 km of motorway and at 7 o'clock I ring the doorbell at my house.
I haven't slept in 35 hours! I'm getting tired.
This time it's over, and the day after tomorrow, it's off to work!
Jean-Marc LEFEVRE(July 2000)
(Splügenpass)
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