About US
Wondering how experienced and passionate about the mountains your guide is ? Read on below and discover our journey to this point.
Once upon a time…
« My love story with the mountains started in the late 1980’s during a family holiday to the ski resort of Val d’Isère. It was a summer holiday and I was 11 years old. I immediately felt right at home among the snow covered summits. I was already a cycling enthusiast then, keenly following all the major races on TV. At 14, I got my first race bike and started riding in a club myself. From that moment, I dreamed of conquering those famous mountain passes I had seen my idols climb in the Tour de France. In 1993, at 16 years of age, we went back to Val d’Isère, to climb the Col de l’Iséran, the Col du Galibier and l’Alpe d’Huez. Over the following years, much more trips and cols were to follow. The Pyrenees, the Giant of the Provence (Mont Ventoux), The Vosges mountains, the Italian Alps with the famous Passo dello Stelvio, and plenty of other French passes were added to my ‘been there, done that’-list.
Above the clouds on the way to Lourdes-Hautacam in 1995.
Climbing the Col du Galibier in polka dot jersey in 1993.
Near the top of the Col de la Madeleine in 2009 with Mont Blanc in the background (yes, looking back now, I do regret the rainbow jersey).
Moving on
In 2013 I embarked on the next step in my journey. Instead of undertaking these trips by myself, I now got the opportunity to organize the yearly trip to the Alps of my new local club. I was in charge of the choice of the destination, selection of the lodging, plotting the trips, briefing the team, etc. We went to Bourg d’Oisans (as everyone wanted to tick off Alpe d’Huez on their bucket list) and everyone had a great time. So more trips followed, each one better organized and more professional than the previous one. After Alpe d’Huez came the Valais region in Switzerland, the Vosges mountains, Bormio, Samoëns in the Haute-Savoie, the Dolomites and Beaufort in the Savoie. By now I knew most of the Alps like the back of my hand and I started dreaming of making a living out of this knowledge.
A bit of a disorganized rabble at the official top of the Alpe d’Huez climb in 2013.
Getting professional
In 2018, I started a collaboration with Belgian cycling travel agency Flamme Rouge. For them I guided a trip to the Spanish city of Girona, the place to be for a growing number of professional cyclists. In 2019, I organized and guided a 6 day round trip starting from Geneva and crossing the Alps all the way to the Col de la Madeleine and back. The global pandemic put paid to further travel 2020 plans with them, but I had gotten my first experience with professional travel and I wanted more.
On the way to the gorgeous Passo Giau in the Italian Dolomites in 2018.
Bourg Saint Maurice
Due to a combination events, my wife and I finally decided to pack up and move to the Alps permanently in 2020. It was evident from the outset that we would set up a business in tourism so I set about looking for the best places to set this up. The town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice is beautifully located at the foot of 3 famous mountains passes (Col de l’Iséran, Cormet de Roselend and the Col du Petit Saint-Bernard). The riding in and around the Tarentaise valley is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a lovely town with plenty of amenities. Moreover it is connected to the ski resort of Les Arcs with a sky train which makes it equally perfect for winter tourism. Our choice was quickly made and in August 2020 we started our new life as “Savoyards”. »