May 11th - We made it! A total of 588km to Lyons with 8,950m climbed. It got a bit easier for the remaining 3 days, as there was a steady drizzle rather than heavy rain and we'd climbed 2/3 of the height on the first two days. Our last day was a long haul (145km). We went off the main road and couldn't find much open for lunch, eventually eating just bread. We had some unexpected hills to climb (Mike takes the blame) before winding our way from Viennes along the Rhone through the outskirts of Lyon, includng some fine chemical plants, before reaching the hotel de Ville. We will let you know where the full set of pictures can be found, but meantime a big thanks to everyone for the fantastic support for BTRC.
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May 6th - we have internet access here in St Andre des Alpes! 2 days of rain, snow, wind (and 30 minutes sunshine) have taken their toll. We started out in pouring rain in Monaco, after Keith set off on the left hand side of the road in front of a policeman (who luckily laughed it off). Then we climbed steadily up the Col de Turini and huddled round a fire, draping our wet clothes all round the restaurant. Phillipa and Vera saved the day with sandwiches and we set off back down hill before we climbed another 900m up to Valdeblore. Only one puncture but some very cold riders arrived in mist - we climbed 3000 meters in appaulling weather.
Day 2 began with no rain as it had started to snow! We shot down below the snow and then cycled up 1200m over 16km in the rain toward Valberg. We were shattered as we thought lunch was at the end of this climb but we had to go up another 300m to find the restaurant. The food went down well especially as it was snowing outside again! A great ride down was only marred by Keith going the wrong way (uphill in error) for a few km, before the ever reliant Chris collected him. The sun shone for a few minutes before the clouds closed in and we rode back up another 900m. Wait until you see the pitures of what we've been wearing (especially the plastic bags on feet). So, we look forward to day 3 with hopefully less than 50% rain.
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May 4th - we're off in the morning! We are getting very close to our revised target for BTRC, thanks to everyone's kind sponsorship. Hopefully we'll still smash our target.
Keith has got a bike, thanks to Ian (O'shea), so we are just about ready to go...
But it is POURING with rain. The weather forecast is for 3 more days of rain, but I doubt there's enough left up there after today.. no turning back now though.
Our route has been amended to avoid the col de Cayolle, which remains closed. We'll be going 30km further, but with less of a climb.
I think we are looking forward to getting started... We'll try and post some pictures as we go.
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April 13th Update.
Many, many thanks to everyone who has so generously donated to BTRC. To exceed our original target more than three weeks before we set off is fantastic. Of course we just had to up the target!!
It is still snowing in the mountains. The ski resorts are open for another week. This is a bit worrying. We need sun and fast. We are preparing several detours just in case of inclement weather and particularly if the Col de la Cayolle is still closed....
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One dark wintery day in 2009, Paul had the idea that we should cycle from Monaco to Lyon "over the mountains".
Ever so slightly competitive by nature, Graham and I rose to the bait, swiftly overcoming the first hurdle by buying our bikes! Paul's bluff was called, he then had to buy a bike, and the challenge was on. Keith is still trying to work out how to get his bike to France.... but, we've all started to peddle in preperation for our challenge.
We'll update this site with our exact plan once we've worked out the final route (organised, us?). We are preparing a 5 day trip, cycling around 100km a day. 'Easy' we hear you say. But the slight hitch is that we start at sea level and seem to go up and down to 2,000m a few times.
Yes, there are some serious mountain climbs. Take a look at the picture of our first two days on the Route des Grandes Alpes. Starting at sealevel, Day 1 is a steady 700m climb before dropping back to 300m at Sospel, then 1300m up the Col de Turini before we glide back to 600m only to climb the Col Saint Martin back up to 1500m. Day 2 is slightly harder with the Col de la Cayolle at 2326m on our way to Barcelonette! In comparison, the highest peak in the UK is Ben Nevis at 1344m and we are effectively climbing mt Kilimanjaro (5895m) over two days, give or take 200m...
Cancer has touched all our lives in some way. Brain tumours are an especially harsh cancer. Often appearing without any warning, they are very hard to treat, not least because of their location. My mother lost her long battle with a brain tumour over a year ago now. She received remarkable palliative care from the Marie Curie hospice in London and we have raised funds to support their extraordinary efforts. Just a few months after losing my mother, a brain tumour suddenly took the life of our great friend and colleague Chris Lyttle. Chris received wonderful palliative care from Macmillan Cancer Support and funds have been raised by various groups to support their work.
For our cycling challenge, we have decided to raise funds directly for research. There is a comparative lack of funding for research into the causes and treatment of brain tumours. So all the money we raise will go towards supporting research through BTRC and the Neurosciences team at Charing Cross Hospital/Imperial College London.
Our motto is simple "Our pain is BTRC's gain". Please donate generously and help us smash our target.
Mike
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