The weather was set fair as we peddled off for the first day of Stage 2. There was a sense of nervousness in the team as we departed along the coastal road; would we survive the distance? Would it be legs, lungs or bum that gave out first? The ‘break-in’ ride was from Nice to Pertuis through some outstanding French countryside, filled with neatly tended vineyards and spectacular chateaus. This was to be a hard day, 110 miles and some challenging hills. We settled into a steady pace and soon found suitable distractions in the navigation and chatting to fellow riders to calm nerves and divert attention from anatomical concerns. Some big climbs were compensated by some flatter sections in which to get our breath back. As the day unwound it was clear that we were a well matched group and the team ethos prevailed in getting everyone to the first night hotel. Having arrived, we ‘watered’ the bikes and headed off to freshen up before dinner. On the tour doctor’s instructions we were advised to take ice baths to help the recuperation of weary legs. Lowering oneself into a waste deep bath filled with cold water and the contents of an ice bucket is a novel if masochistic way to ‘unwind’ from 7 hours in the saddle. Furthermore, this is a difficult evolution to accomplish silently and the corridors of the hotel echoed to a range of expletives as the saddle sores and fatigued limbs were lowered tentatively into the icy depths. Sadly, however, this 10 minute ritual, followed by half an hour lying on our backs with legs in the air, works. It served to stave off stiffness and cramps and consequently became a regular feature over the next 5 days.
Throughout the trip, dinner was a feast of variable quality. After a day in which we had conservatively burnt between 4000 and 5000 calories even the most diminutive of cyclists needs to eat a small horse to feel replete. Regrettably, novell cuisine doesn’t hit the spot, so an unhealthy number of energy bars were consumed to supplement the meal times with a predictable impact on the local air quality. So, having washed this 'balanced' diet down with moderate quantities of local grape juice, it was time to take our frozen, tired and battered bodies to bed in preparation for the next day on the road.
Day 2 was a respectable 86 miles up to Montelimar. The clear skies and gentle breeze were replaced by torrential rain and a biting northerly Mistral. This proved to be a longer day than predicted with hills and exposed roads reducing progress to a crawl. Still, we fought through and covered the distance in a semi-respectable 6 hours. A short bus ride was needed to get over the snow caped mountains, impassable at this time of year on bikes with slick tyres. We over-nighted in St Etienne with a sense that we were getting our ‘bike legs’ after two demanding days in the saddle. The pace had been a steady 15 mph on average with some faster bits to warm up and a more measured pace on the ups. That said, had proved to be a good training ground and despite being amongst the upper age range of the tourists, I gave a good account of myself on the climbs only rarely beaten to the top. The roads throughout were of vastly varying quality, but despite the potholes and erratic surfaces we sustained remarkably few punctures and only a couple of falls.
We left St Etienne for a cold and windy ride north to Nevers. The rain hammered down and I debated the merit of spending good money on gear that was blazened with ‘waterproof’ logos and clearly wasn’t. A complete change of kit at the lunch stop provided brief respite from the elements before this too succumbed to the relentless rain and we arrived in Nevers damp but content that we had passed the half way point of this stage. Today was a day to reflect on why we were doing this trip and it provided all the incentive we needed to endure the short-lived discomfort and push on to the finish.
showed remarkable stamina on this trip, leading from the front for most of the way. A feat all the more remarkable given his propensity to ensure he was the last man to leave the bar the night before. On occasions this would be around 3 am and we hit the road at 8 on the dot. Accepting that he is a mere 37 years old I felt totally vindicated in retiring earlier.
A 90 mile push to Chablis was the target for the next day. The weather was good and some outstanding country roads allowed us to believe that we were accomplished cyclists. This illusion was somewhat compromised by the obligatory fancy dress for the day which rendered the collective image to that of a bunch of clowns on bikes. Attire apart, traveling in a peloton at 40 mph is quite a buzz but requires high levels of concentration, coordination and cycling etiquette to avoid disaster. Rotating the lead cyclists allows those in the rear to use significantly less energy to sustain the same speed (up to 40% less according to the pundits if you can maintain station 6 inches behind the rear wheel of the bike in front of you) but this is not without risk. Our group of hack ‘tour de France’ aspirants managed this evolution for a good hour and a half, eating up the miles and gaining a mis-placed confidence in our ability by the minute. As thoughts turned to lunch and attention wandered a wayward wheel in the verge caused a mid-peloton faller to bring down the following cyclists in dramatic fashion. I arrived at the scene of the accident as the forth of five fallers. Braking hard on the head of the initial culprit I gracefully departed over the handlebars to land on the back of the second faller before coming to a halt on the road beyond; a relatively painless dismount for me as it happened. After a short pause to readjust torn clothing, straighten handle bars and replace chains we continued to the lunch stop at a reduced speed and with an enhanced appreciation of our cycling limitations and the appropriateness of our fancy dress.
We were greeted in Chablis by the Mayor who insisted that we should sample the town’s finest export. It is fair to say that the medicinal qualities of this libation were quite remarkable and the scars of the day’s endeavours were suitably soothed. Our ‘main man’ was duly indoctrinated into the brotherhood of the Confrerie des Domaines Chablis during an elaborate ceremony, culminating in the consumption of Grand Cru from a litre sized silver goblet. We didn’t like to mention to that this was supposed to be for all of us, but he’s a big lad and it didn’t appear to do him any harm.
The remaining push to beckoned and we attacked the final day with relish. Legs and lungs had stood up well and the undercarriage had assumed an indifference of its own. The suburbs of are not the most picturesque and the roads are a cyclists’ nightmare of ruts, pot holes and tram lines. Suffice to say, the French traffic is far more tolerant of cyclists than their British counterparts, happily allowing us to cross on red traffic lights and waiting patiently to pass until there was adequate space to do so. How refreshing.
Pausing to purchase pain au chocolate for the team before we took on the Paripherique we enjoyed a memorable ride along the banks of the Seine passed the Notre Dame, the Louvre and on to the . We negotiated the Parisian rush traffic with suitable aplomb and enjoyed a celebratory pint in the shadow of the Tower for a mere €9 (that’s 8 quid!).
We posed for pictures with the iconic monument and reflected on the people that we had set out to help – for me the Help for Heroes cause was my primary focus. We then moved onto the Stade de France, the French National Rugby Stadium, for more photos and my last overnight stop. The core riders re-grouped the following day and were joined by another 60 volunteers to take the ‘Slam’ onto Twickenham and beyond to , and over the next two weeks.
The trip was a blast – a good physical challenge, a hoot on the social side and a really worthwhile endeavour by all concerned. As at writing, I have raised over £4,500 which is fantastic and hopefully with a few more promised additions, I will smash my target of £5k.
A big thank you to you all for your support.
Best wishes
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Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
I am taking part in the Dallaglio Cycle Slam which involves me cycling for 5 days this winter over the Alps and beyond, from Nice to Paris, (760km, ) to raise money for Help for Heroes, Leukaemia Research, Cancer Research UK, The PRA Benevolent Fund, Sport Relief and DebRA.
Call it a mid-life crisis or a rush of something to the brain, but I have signed up to join Lawrence Dallaglio and his friends for one leg of their epic ride from Rome to Edinburgh. The ride is intended to raise funds and profile for a variety of charities, but I have a particular interest in Help for Heroes. I am constantly impressed by the stoic resolve of those who have returned from war zones with injuries that will radically change their lives. Having emerged unscathed after 25 years in the Royal Navy, I want to ensure that where injured service men and women need help it is not withheld through lack of funds. Its the very least we can do.
I haven't been on a road bike for over 30 years so this should prove to be intetesting. Please help to make this a worthwhile endeavour as I hope to salve my sore bits on the thought of raising £1000 for each day of the trip.
More details on the very deserving causes that this cycle ride will support are listed below.
Help for Heroes: a charity for the wounded in Britain’s current conflicts - http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/
Leukaemia Research: the only charity in the UK dedicated exclusively to researching blood cancers and disorders including leukaemia, Hodgkin’s and other lymphomas, and myeloma - http://www.lrf.org.uk/
Cancer Research UK: is the world's leading charity dedicated to beating cancers through research - http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/
PRA Benevolent Fund: provides financial support for players who have been forced to retire from the game due to serious injury - http://www.prarugby.com/69_65.php
· DebRA: working on behalf of people in the UK with the genetic skin blistering condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) - http://www.debra.org.uk/
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please do what you can to help me to help those who set out to help us.
Thank you very much.
Duncan
