A little more than five months after the end of my North Cape 4000, I’m writing down my experience on this epic trip.
I remind you that, there is a Polarsteps which allows you to retrace my journey on a map, all accompanied by pictures.
Going to Turin.
Before even starting the adventure, I had to go to Turin with my bike. From Brussels, it’s quite easy. There are only two high speed trains to take and this can be done in just one day’s journey. The big problem is that you have to dismantle your bike. And making a transition in Paris between two train stations… So I arrived well in advance in Brussels-Midi in order to dismantle my bike, only to find that the mudguards were preventing the whole bike from fitting into the cover… Damn ! Too bad, I’ll wear the cover with the handlebars sticking out. Being quite early, I was still able to choose where to leave my bike with my bags and keep an eye on everything while the other passengers loaded their suitcases. Having my brother and Delphine at the station with me helped reduce the stress. Being quite cautious, and knowing the railway companies quite well, I had allowed 4 hours of leeway in Paris to make the transfer. And I did well ! Because we left Brussels more than half an hour late following a late train from the Netherlands. Plus another delay on the line, we arrived in Paris more than an hour late. I knew I had plenty of time to make the connection without having to run and I was very happy. In Paris, I discovered the hell of the RER with a disassembled bicycle while carriyng two bags on my back. In the end, I arrived at the second station and I only had to wait 45 or 50 minutes, instead of the 3 hours planned initally. When boarding for Turin, I pass cyclists with cardboard boxes. This felt like bikes packed for a plane ride! The SNCF agent tells them that they cannot board with this kind of box because it is too big. So, he points at me when he sees me passing by saying that that’s the right size. Given that I saw the guys again in Turin I guess they managed to negotiate and put their boxes on the train. Arriving in Turin also means that it’s the first time I’ve been in Italy! The 6 hours on the train went by quite quickly, but the last hour was a bit long. Once back from the depths of the station, I sit in a corner to reassemble the biclou. The roof of the building is a huge glass roof which creates a very beautiful greenhouse effect with the sun. Here I am already busy sweating profusely without having put in a single pedal stroke. The police officers present on site will watch me a little at first but they will not come and talk to me. Once all the pieces are put back in place, head to the hotel.
My way to the hotel is quite short and I already discover beautiful cycle paths which amaze me. Italy, I already love you! I’ll be even more thrilled when the hotel staff suggests I bring my bike up to the room and when I discover that the room is three times bigger than I expected. My installation is going well and it’s already time to eat. Of course, I find a pizzeria for that first Italian meal.
Before the race
Due to train schedules, I arrived 24 hours early in Turin. Which was perfect for visiting the city and taking care of the bike in case of problems when reassembling. During this one, everything came back into place and I just had to fiddle with the derailleur cable. While driving to the hotel, then the next day, I realize that the 4-5-6 gears no longer shift as well as before. Nothing too disturbing, but I’m going to Décathlon to have this sorted out. There is no question of going 4000km with an « almost good » setting. The bike must be perfect! My visit of Turin is punctuated by more or less intense rain showers. I take shelter as much as possible so I won’t end up already soaked. I also take advantage of the free time to send back my bike cover and the outward trip’s belongings by post. Don’t hesitate to read this incredible adventure in the polarstep.
The start of the race is in Venaria Reale , a little bit up north of Turin. My hotel is 50 minutes away. In the middle of the afternoon, I set off for the briefing and to collect the traker and other goodies. On the way, I’m eating my first McDonald. On the way back, I will do the first shopping of the trip. When I arrived in Venaria Reale, I’m surprised to have something completely opposite to the RATN. There are sponsors who are there with mini boths (and a bar) and they give you your tracker with your CP card and number and then… there you go. Nobody tells you where to put your racing plate with the number. For the tracker, you’re told to wait for the briefing. So, we all look at each other a little sideways to see where everyone is putting their number. I chat with a few French people and then here is the briefing. It is done in Italian and English. The first 15 minutes are just thank you to the sponsors and local politicians, who also have their little words there. Yeah ok… Then, finally, we get to the heart of the matter! Whatever… the organizers are just repeating what is in the documents already received… I wonder what it’s for, and I’m not the only one given how my neighbors are chatting. Ok, this gives the organizers the opportunity to say that they said so and to absolve themselves of any responsibility in the event of problems, but we could very well have done without it. Well, when we see how some participants behaved, repeating things was not superfluous… but I still had the impression that it was of no use.
The grand départ
Inevitably, I woke up much too early on the day of departure. Although I wasn’t stressed the day before, I felt a bit of apprehension when eating breakfast. Despite the 50 minute journey, I am an hour early at departure! This tells you how my stress suddenly skyrockets! But I’m not the only one… There are already a dozen fellow cyclists there, busy sipping coffee. I take the opportunity to look at people’s setups. I then realize that I am far from the only one who is “so heavy”. There must be around ten of us who “have the wrong things on the bike”. It makes me smile and I take pictures of them and say to myself: “You are not alone”. During the briefing the day before, there had been no check of the bikes but we were told that there would be a check of the lamps upon departure. We had to place them all visibly on the bike so the organizers could check. As departure time approaches, I wonder how they are going to do this. There are 250 of us. In the end, it will just be two guys from the organization who pass between the participants and look to see if there are any lamps on the bike. A thousand miles from the check-up carried out by the RATN!
Suddenly, a voice rises into the air using a microphone and a speaker that is a little too powerful. The announcer tries to warm us up but no one is in “stadium atmosphere” mode. At 8 a.m. sharp, we are released. I let go of a few tears of stress and apprehension. “It’s going to be okay Bapti ! »
I’ve putted myself at the end of the pack to avoid being among the fast cyclists at the beginning. But there are so many of us that I am still surrounded by people. I am not used to that. And it will even last for almost 100 km. It’s quite strange for me, but it’s a bit nice. Above all, I have legs of fire and I still manage to maintain a good average during the first 80 kilometers. By chance of the calendar at work, it’s been 10 days since I last cycled. My legs have had plenty of time to rest and I can feel it. Of course, as soon as it goes up, it’s a different story. But, I will quickly see that I am not the only one struggling. The Danes, with whom I had chatted a little an hour before, are not far ahead of me and those who are behind are not catching up that quickly. So there would be other normal humans in this adventure?
The moutains
THE big challenge of this North Cape was the passage of the Alps. Apart from snow and mountain classes in primary school, I had never gone this high. And even less by bike! 32km of climb at an average of 5.9% and with 1878m of D+. Even though I had gone for a few passes and climbs in training, I had nothing comparable. The most important thing was to keep my pace and absolutely not follow anyone faster. This is already very true on the flat but even more so when going uphill! Despite all this theory in my head, I had no idea how it was going to turn out. As a precaution, I decided to cut the climb in two and spent the night halfway up. The ascent started well, I was comfortable and ahead of schedule. It wasn’t too hot and I knew that the higher I went, the better it would be. I had to take three breaks but I was not at the end of my life. Big disappointment when arriving at the campsite in Étroubles : it is full! I try to negotiate a small piece of land for my tent but I get nowhere. That night, I will do my first wild mountain bivouac!
I had no problem getting started on the second day. My departure at 5:43 a.m. allows me to avoid traffic for a good two hours. Once past the motorway tunnel in the mountain, I have very few cars so it’s even more pleasant. What becomes painful is that I see the road. I see it rising higher and higher but I don’t see it ending. I try to focus on the magnificent landscapes but I have difficulty. Although at the beginning, I managed to drive for almost an hour without having to stop, at some point this time was reduced to 15 minutes. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the altitude was starting to take its toll on my breathing. I’m not completely out of breath but it’s harder to keep up. I will do the last three kilometers pushing the bike. The arrival at the top is magical! Especially since a cyclist who was starting the descent said to me: “congratulations!”. Which still makes me shed a few tears. I did it ! I am crossing the Alps with the strength of my legs! That’s crazy !
After a refreshment, a toilet stop and the mandatory picture in front of the pass sign, I am launched into the descent. The first kilometers are done without guardrails and I am terrified of missing a turn. The tunnel portions are just as horrible because everything resonates. I brake and yet I go down at 45km/h! I’m terrified and I can’t wait for this to end! Fortunately, the motorists are not too impatient and do not brush against me too much. I cry, again, but out of terror. What will make me smile again is seeing two life-size characters from Cars in Sembrancher. It’s so unexpected that I laugh about it. Shortly after passing this city, it suddenly became VERY hot. Wow, I knew the temperature was going to rise, but not that fast. I stop to remove all the layers of the descent and then let’s go Lausanne, the first checkpoint.
