Guillaume Funck's Alps-Pakistan Diaries, part 1
24-03-2026
#Team
Hello everyone,
For those who aren’t aware, I’m currently cycling to Pakistan from Grenoble. The plan is to stay there for three months this summer to do a lot of paragliding and a bit of mountaineering.
I’ve been on the road for two weeks now and things are going well; I’ve covered roughly 1,400 km since leaving Grenoble. Right on schedule, since the goal is to cover 9,000 km and 80,000 m of elevation gain in three months—that’s 100 km per day and just under 1,000 m of elevation gain (it varies a lot from region to region, of course ). It’s incredibly satisfying to see the landscapes change and roll by thanks to my own two feet. During the first week in the Po Valley, I was joined by Agnès and Pierre, and it was really great having them both there because the weather was pretty mediocre and the scenery felt more like crossing Flanders than Italy...
They left me a little past Venice on Monday morning (we visited Venice on Saturday, but crowded tourist cities aren’t really our thing ). Since then, I’ve been wandering alone along the Adriatic coast, and the weather has been pretty nice, except for the wind, which has been fierce for several days—one day in particular. This northeasterly wind is called the Bora. It picks up speed as it descends the slopes of the Dinaric Alps and crosses the Adriatic Sea, carrying saltwater spray with it (see attached photos and video). Of course, I was on the windward side and took the full brunt of it on my bike... I wasn’t feeling too confident. Sometimes I had to lean quite far over to avoid being blown into the ditch (it was coming from my left side). I think it’s the whistling of the wind through the trees that’s the most impressive.
After this emotionally charged day, I found a small brick house to stay at with Ivan, who kindly gave me a very low rate, and I was able to sleep sheltered from the exhausting gusts. It was Wednesday, and since then I’ve been continuing on my merry way through Croatia. Unfortunately, I haven’t been meeting many other cyclists or locals. Maybe it’s just a phase, and later on I’ll have more encounters—who knows? In any case, it gives the trip a bit of an introspective feel, which is exactly what I came here for. The days all blend together a bit, but the scenery changes, and that’s incredibly satisfying. In any case, I feel free and my spirits are high.
Physically, after some butt pain the first few days, I’m now dealing with pain in my left Achilles tendon (even though I had tendonitis in my right one before leaving—but that one isn’t bothering me!) and in my right knee. I’m constantly adjusting my saddle position and foot placement on the pedals to relieve the pain, and I stretch and massage myself often—it’s working pretty well. The pain hasn’t completely gone away yet, but at least it’s under control. Otherwise, I’m in great shape and easily tackling 100-kilometer days or more without any issues—it’s motivating for what’s ahead.
I’m slowly making my way to the end of Croatia, passing through Dubrovnik today, and then Montenegro, Albania, and Greece will follow.
To follow my journey day by day, I’m most active on Instagram and Strava and a bit on Facebook or Youtube
If you know anyone who would like to subscribe to the newsletter, click here
See you soon,
Guillaume
P.S.: Regarding the geopolitical situation. My planned itinerary is to travel through Turkey, Georgia, Russia (with a 3-day transit visa), Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, and Pakistan. Passing through Russia is still up in the air because the wait time for a transit visa in Tbilisi is quite long (>10 days on-site) and also due to political tensions. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan’s land borders are closed, so the Baku-Kazakhstan ferry option isn’t viable. My Plan B is to take a flight from Tbilisi to Aktau (Kazakhstan), a 600-km journey. Regarding Pakistan and the conflict with Afghanistan, I’m in regular contact with locals, and for now, life is normal in the Hunza Valley, where I plan to go. I’m keeping a close eye on the situation and will decide what to do based on how things develop between now and when I arrive in the region. Worst-case scenario, I’ll change my destination or turn back.
Photos: Damien Borbath / Sam Cornus
Other news
For those who aren’t aware, I’m currently cycling to Pakistan from Grenoble. The plan is to stay there for three months this summer to do a lot of paragliding and a bit of mountaineering.
I’ve been on the road for two weeks now and things are going well; I’ve covered roughly 1,400 km since leaving Grenoble. Right on schedule, since the goal is to cover 9,000 km and 80,000 m of elevation gain in three months—that’s 100 km per day and just under 1,000 m of elevation gain (it varies a lot from region to region, of course ). It’s incredibly satisfying to see the landscapes change and roll by thanks to my own two feet. During the first week in the Po Valley, I was joined by Agnès and Pierre, and it was really great having them both there because the weather was pretty mediocre and the scenery felt more like crossing Flanders than Italy...
They left me a little past Venice on Monday morning (we visited Venice on Saturday, but crowded tourist cities aren’t really our thing ). Since then, I’ve been wandering alone along the Adriatic coast, and the weather has been pretty nice, except for the wind, which has been fierce for several days—one day in particular. This northeasterly wind is called the Bora. It picks up speed as it descends the slopes of the Dinaric Alps and crosses the Adriatic Sea, carrying saltwater spray with it (see attached photos and video). Of course, I was on the windward side and took the full brunt of it on my bike... I wasn’t feeling too confident. Sometimes I had to lean quite far over to avoid being blown into the ditch (it was coming from my left side). I think it’s the whistling of the wind through the trees that’s the most impressive.
After this emotionally charged day, I found a small brick house to stay at with Ivan, who kindly gave me a very low rate, and I was able to sleep sheltered from the exhausting gusts. It was Wednesday, and since then I’ve been continuing on my merry way through Croatia. Unfortunately, I haven’t been meeting many other cyclists or locals. Maybe it’s just a phase, and later on I’ll have more encounters—who knows? In any case, it gives the trip a bit of an introspective feel, which is exactly what I came here for. The days all blend together a bit, but the scenery changes, and that’s incredibly satisfying. In any case, I feel free and my spirits are high.
Physically, after some butt pain the first few days, I’m now dealing with pain in my left Achilles tendon (even though I had tendonitis in my right one before leaving—but that one isn’t bothering me!) and in my right knee. I’m constantly adjusting my saddle position and foot placement on the pedals to relieve the pain, and I stretch and massage myself often—it’s working pretty well. The pain hasn’t completely gone away yet, but at least it’s under control. Otherwise, I’m in great shape and easily tackling 100-kilometer days or more without any issues—it’s motivating for what’s ahead.
I’m slowly making my way to the end of Croatia, passing through Dubrovnik today, and then Montenegro, Albania, and Greece will follow.
To follow my journey day by day, I’m most active on Instagram and Strava and a bit on Facebook or Youtube
If you know anyone who would like to subscribe to the newsletter, click here
See you soon,
Guillaume
P.S.: Regarding the geopolitical situation. My planned itinerary is to travel through Turkey, Georgia, Russia (with a 3-day transit visa), Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, and Pakistan. Passing through Russia is still up in the air because the wait time for a transit visa in Tbilisi is quite long (>10 days on-site) and also due to political tensions. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan’s land borders are closed, so the Baku-Kazakhstan ferry option isn’t viable. My Plan B is to take a flight from Tbilisi to Aktau (Kazakhstan), a 600-km journey. Regarding Pakistan and the conflict with Afghanistan, I’m in regular contact with locals, and for now, life is normal in the Hunza Valley, where I plan to go. I’m keeping a close eye on the situation and will decide what to do based on how things develop between now and when I arrive in the region. Worst-case scenario, I’ll change my destination or turn back.
Photos: Damien Borbath / Sam Cornus