Motorcycle Explorer November 2016 Issue 14 | Page 105

sjaak lucassen
Route des Grandes Alpes
Geneva to Nice
France
Starts: Geneva (ish)
Ends: Nice (ish)
Length: 425 miles
.
Time: Give it a week
Best ridden in: Summer, closed during winter
Top tip: Do the ride, don't think about it.... book it!
INFO
Sjaak'sWebsite
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Sjaak Lucassen from Holland is a round the world
rider on a Fireblade and a Yamaha R1 called
Florentina. Skaak has gone for the Grande Route de
Alpes! This was a serious bucket list ride of mine and
takes you from Geneva down to Nice at the
Mediterranean Sea, past no less than 16 glorious
alpine passes. It’s a has a huge diversity of
landscapes as you pass through some of the best
National Parks that France has to offer!
You will climb to around 2800m above sea level so
this is a seasonal pass obviously and would be
closed during the winter for the snows. You’re
looking at around 425 miles of biking bliss. This was
made so much better by the addition of the French
motorway system. This means that the route that
commenced on around 1909 has less traffic and
used now as a tourist route.
I would say that you need a good week to really
make the most of this ride. It’s a tour and explore
ride not a race so enjoy it. The sights are out of this
world and will have you loading your SD cards by the
bucket full. I’m advised that September is the best
time to go as the French have their holidays in
August. I can certainly see how Sjaak would have a
lot of fun on an R1 down this route.