Wednesday 19 September 2012
The boys are back in town...
Well, back on the tour at any rate. First day had everything from showing off the Union Jack speedos on the Cote Azur, Jason stacking it TWICE, to riding through the gorgeous Bar sur loup and on to the stunning Gorge de Verdon at sunset... Awesome and good to reunited with the Ridgebacks..
Sunday 16 September 2012
Piste to Plage - an incredible four days
As I sit here admiring the view in Juan Les Pins, a little overview on what was quite an extraordinary four days of riding.
From day 1 when 160 lycra clad cyclists slogged their way up the highest col in the Alps, to the following three days of the best cycling I've ever experienced, it has been an incredible journey.
Day 2 was a big day. 3 cols, 2 awesome descents and over 10,000 vertical feet climbed. Praying for better weather we began the day with an immediate assent of the famous Galibier at over 2700 metres. We grinded up through the snowline until reaching the summit mid morning. No hanging around in the bitter -3 degrees and vicious cross wind, we started descending. At this point I've put a plastic sheet under my 'waterproof' jacket to act as some form of wind protection. Partial success. But descending in fingerless gloves I lasted less than five minutes before being unable to feel the brakes. I pulled over and shoved my hands down my shorts in a futile attempt to get the circulation back. Thankfully a friend came passed and lent me one of his overgloves, which at least gave me one brake hand and allowed for a safe descent down the mountain. A typical example of the camaraderie that encapsulated the whole trip.
With a couple of high mountain passes to get through, my spare socks were modified into gloves at lunchtime. Nothing if not inventive!
The rest of the day involved climbing Cols Izoard and Vars, both surprising us all with their toughness and relentless gradient. Thought Galibier was the hard one! The scenery was stunning with the clearest mountain blue sky providing endless photo opportunities.
Day three began by completing the summiting of Vars and then enjoying a fantastic descent through beautiful gorges, before taking on the Cime du Bonnette, at 2800+ metres, it's the highest road in Europe.
Getting up there was a real triumph and celebrated with the traditional bike above the head shot. Then we had another wonderful winding descent towards Nice followed by a short climb to Auron where we were given beers on arrival as we crossed the finish line. That was the hard stuff done, and we soaked up the sun cheering on in every one of the 158 riders. Special mention to Mark, the marine who lost a leg in a training accident who I cycled with in parts over the last few days. Truly incredible. He did everything we did and seeing him cross the line in undoubted pain, was absolutely fantastic.
Yesterday, the final day, was all downhill. So you'd think it would be fairly leisurely. No chance. Being part of a 10 man working peloton screaming down the mountain in single file, hitting over 60km an hour at times was utterly exhilarating. Trusting the guy in front implicitly as you sit inches from his back wheel flying passed other cyclists, cars and barely noticing the blurred scenery was a fantastic start to the final glorious day.
We cruised through Nice towards Juan Les Pins in one long 160 person procession taking over roads, cycle paths and generally causing all manner of mayhem on the roads as we neared our destination. An incredible sight and experience.
We stopped to waste a few minutes on the beach front before arriving and all threw down our bikes and went piling into the Med. The biggest cheer was for Mark, who, unfazed by the stones that had us all dancing about like girls, threw off his prosthetic leg and bounded down the beach and perfected a dive that would Tom Daley might almost have been proud of. Magic.
And with that, we cruised round to a fantastic reception under the palm trees at the beach at Juan Les Pins. Led in by Mark and the other injured servicemen who have accompanied us, it really was a very special moment. The breath-taking cycling, the scenery and the friendships and camaraderie developed on the road and up the climbs, have made this a truly unforgettable four days.
To be part of a group that have raised over £350k for Help for Heroes is wonderful.
And if there was any doubt about H4H being too much of a 'big charity machine' now, hearing another ex-serviceman Jamie talk so candidly about how he was so severely burned when his plane caught fire and how H4H has been invaluable to him in his recovery, was an inspiring and fitting end to an incredible few days.
Absolutely awesome.
From day 1 when 160 lycra clad cyclists slogged their way up the highest col in the Alps, to the following three days of the best cycling I've ever experienced, it has been an incredible journey.
Day 2 was a big day. 3 cols, 2 awesome descents and over 10,000 vertical feet climbed. Praying for better weather we began the day with an immediate assent of the famous Galibier at over 2700 metres. We grinded up through the snowline until reaching the summit mid morning. No hanging around in the bitter -3 degrees and vicious cross wind, we started descending. At this point I've put a plastic sheet under my 'waterproof' jacket to act as some form of wind protection. Partial success. But descending in fingerless gloves I lasted less than five minutes before being unable to feel the brakes. I pulled over and shoved my hands down my shorts in a futile attempt to get the circulation back. Thankfully a friend came passed and lent me one of his overgloves, which at least gave me one brake hand and allowed for a safe descent down the mountain. A typical example of the camaraderie that encapsulated the whole trip.
With a couple of high mountain passes to get through, my spare socks were modified into gloves at lunchtime. Nothing if not inventive!
The rest of the day involved climbing Cols Izoard and Vars, both surprising us all with their toughness and relentless gradient. Thought Galibier was the hard one! The scenery was stunning with the clearest mountain blue sky providing endless photo opportunities.
Day three began by completing the summiting of Vars and then enjoying a fantastic descent through beautiful gorges, before taking on the Cime du Bonnette, at 2800+ metres, it's the highest road in Europe.
Getting up there was a real triumph and celebrated with the traditional bike above the head shot. Then we had another wonderful winding descent towards Nice followed by a short climb to Auron where we were given beers on arrival as we crossed the finish line. That was the hard stuff done, and we soaked up the sun cheering on in every one of the 158 riders. Special mention to Mark, the marine who lost a leg in a training accident who I cycled with in parts over the last few days. Truly incredible. He did everything we did and seeing him cross the line in undoubted pain, was absolutely fantastic.
Yesterday, the final day, was all downhill. So you'd think it would be fairly leisurely. No chance. Being part of a 10 man working peloton screaming down the mountain in single file, hitting over 60km an hour at times was utterly exhilarating. Trusting the guy in front implicitly as you sit inches from his back wheel flying passed other cyclists, cars and barely noticing the blurred scenery was a fantastic start to the final glorious day.
We cruised through Nice towards Juan Les Pins in one long 160 person procession taking over roads, cycle paths and generally causing all manner of mayhem on the roads as we neared our destination. An incredible sight and experience.
We stopped to waste a few minutes on the beach front before arriving and all threw down our bikes and went piling into the Med. The biggest cheer was for Mark, who, unfazed by the stones that had us all dancing about like girls, threw off his prosthetic leg and bounded down the beach and perfected a dive that would Tom Daley might almost have been proud of. Magic.
And with that, we cruised round to a fantastic reception under the palm trees at the beach at Juan Les Pins. Led in by Mark and the other injured servicemen who have accompanied us, it really was a very special moment. The breath-taking cycling, the scenery and the friendships and camaraderie developed on the road and up the climbs, have made this a truly unforgettable four days.
To be part of a group that have raised over £350k for Help for Heroes is wonderful.
And if there was any doubt about H4H being too much of a 'big charity machine' now, hearing another ex-serviceman Jamie talk so candidly about how he was so severely burned when his plane caught fire and how H4H has been invaluable to him in his recovery, was an inspiring and fitting end to an incredible few days.
Absolutely awesome.
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