Alpine Tour

Every year in July, the Tour de France captivates millions with its breathtaking landscapes, brutal challenges and tales of human endurance and spirit. Alongside our professional teams and athletes, LOOK is proud to support unique endeavors that push the boundaries of body and mind, inspiring people far and wide. Imagined by our ultra-cycling ambassador Victor Bouscavet, the "Alpine Tour" is an extraordinary challenge connecting all the Alpine passes of the Tour de France 2024 in a single, awe-inspiring route that spans 800 km and ascends 18,000 meters.

Offering a reinterpretation of what the Tour could be if the focus was purely on the mountains, Victor completed this Herculean task aboard his LOOK 785 Huez. His meticulous approach, never-give-up attitude and ultimate achievement, set amidst some of the most iconic and demanding cycling terrain, are a reflection of the passion, courage and performance prominent not only at the Tour, but also at the very heart of LOOK’s DNA.

Setting up the Perfect Ride

Every quest for excellence, just like every great product, begins with thorough planning and preparation. The Alpine Tour route strategically included ascents from stages 4 through 21, including the mighty Galibier and Bonnette passes, demanding an intricate dance of logistics and geography to tackle them in the exact same order as the professional peloton. Winner of the Race Across France, Poco Loco, Desertus Bikus and just recently the Transpyrenees, Victor drew on his ultra-cycling experience but also his engineering background and love of artistic minimalism to craft a route that is as pure as it is authentic: hours spent scanning maps, analyzing gradients and pinpointing locations to refuel or sleep, with the goal of harnessing the beauty and power of the mountains.

It is perhaps this innate desire to take his adventures into his own hands and give them a unique perspective that sets Victor apart. His bike and setup received the same attention as the mapping process. The LOOK 785 Huez, with its ultimate lightness, innate agility and dash of compliance, was the natural choice to maximize speed on the climbs on the way to the 48-hour target. Victor added 30mm tyres, custom-fashioned carriers and aero bars for enhanced comfort and aerodynamics, saving energy and time on the climbs and in between. Just like the professional riders at the Tour, preserving strength whenever possible was paramount.

Precision in motion

In this regard, the new LOOK Blade Power Dual pedals were crucial for Victor, allowing him to manage his effort and pace himself up and over every climb using ultra-precise performance metrics. The pedals’ extended battery life of 60 hours was ideal for the relentless demands of the challenge, ensuring Victor never had to worry about recharging them for the whole duration of the Alpine Tour. With cutting-edge electronic components, the power meter in each pedal is designed to calibrate automatically in response to varying temperature and atmospheric pressure for optimal precision. From Col de la Bonette (2,715m) to sea level, from 3 to 35 degrees and from sunshine in Nice to hail in Isola, their reliability and accuracy were crucial in optimizing Victor’s every pedal stroke.

At an average speed of 20.8 km/h, he smiled his way across 803.2 kilometers (499 miles) and up 18,053 meters of elevation (59,299 feet) to stop the clock in 43 hours and 32 minutes. Of this total elapsed time, Victor was in motion for 38 hours and 38 minutes, leaving just under 5 hours to manage equipment, refuel and rest as efficiently as possible. Victor stopped for 10 minutes at the top of the Col de Vars, 15 minutes in Barcelonnette, another 10 in Isola, 30 in Nice and a crucial 45 minutes at the Col de Turini. It was there, after an exhausting 719 kilometers and 36.5 hours of relentless cycling, that he slept for 15 precious minutes. An insignificant amount of time when compared to the scale of the challenge, highlighting the sheer willpower and endurance required to take on such a ride.

Mind over mountain

For sporting achievement is never simply a question of equipment and data: the true art of cycling lies in the mental and emotional journey it embarks us on. For the ever-smiling Victor, driven by a lifelong search for adventure and freedom, this challenge was never a race; it was a creative, personal quest fueled by determination and a pure love of cycling. It was about transcending limits and using his LOOK 785 Huez to carry him to the finish line of his own Grande Boucle.

Just like the Tour de France, Victor’s Alpine Tour is a testament to the power of the human spirit. At LOOK, we don’t just build bikes and pedals; we aim to disrupt, surprise and craft experiences that inspire everyone to challenge their own horizons. Victor’s ride, just like every stage of the Tour, celebrates our heritage, our commitment to excellence and our belief that with passion and perseverance, every cycling journey can become a unique work of art.

Victor’s stats

• Total distance (km) 803,42 km
• Total elevation gain 18’053 m
• Total elapsed time 43h32
• Total riding time 38h38
• Average speed 20,9 km/h
• Average power 156 w
• Normalized power 186 w
  
  List of climbs Sestrières, Col de Montgenèvre, Col du Lautaret, Col du Galibier, Col Bayard, Col du Noyer, Super Devoluy, Col du Festre, Col de Manse, Col de Vars, Col de la Bonette, Isola 2000, Col de Braus, Col de Turini, Col de la Colmiane, Col de la Couillole, La Turbie, Col d’Èze
  
  Bike LOOK 785 Huez with custom aero bars & 30mm tyres
  Gearing 52x36 Chainset, 11-34 Cassette
  Pedals LOOK Power Blade Dual