The Tour de Alain

Name - Alain Gordon-Seymour

Age - 37

Born - Cuckfield Sussex

Home - Sheffield

First Bike - Raleigh Burner 1980 Model, blue and yellow with yellow mag wheels

My inauspicious start to cycling on a Raleigh Burner led ultimately to slightly more promising form on a mountain bike in coastal British Columbia at 20 years of age. The likes of Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, and the hallowed North Shore schooled me in the craft of riding a bike. I revelled in the technical challenge of off-road cycling, and soon came to love riding uphill.  I became a member of the Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association, and learned about the camaraderie of riding with friends. I also competed, riding in a number of technical cross country mountain bike races like the Test of Metal, and started to get an understanding of the joy of suffering on two wheels.

From about twelve years old I have been captivated by the mystique and romance of the Tour de France. Not as a hardened aficionado of cycling, raised on the one day classics, but just the love of the spectacle that is the greatest sporting event in the world. My introduction to Le Tour began when our French teacher allowed us to watch the tour during lessons. Not sure how this was meant to improve our French, but I can clearly remember the opening credits following the Channel 4 logo morphing like a Rubik’s Cube, and being incredibly excited by the enormity of it all. Early inspiration was provided by great tour champions like Greg LeMond and Miguel Indurain, and they certainly helped sew the seed of my ambition to one day ride the tour 'day for day’.

I have always been relatively physically fit, enjoying rugby, swimming, running, and having climbed all over the world since the age of 14, but it has still been a short sharp transition to road cycling. After much deliberation I took delivery of my first road bike on my birthday, the 21 June 2012. I had never ridden a road bike before the arrival of my Canyon Ultimate CF SLX, but the feeling of giving every little piece of energy to the road was as exciting as it was infectious. In my brief introduction to road cycling I have ridden in the Peak District extensively, rode Stage 10 & 11 of the 2012 TDF, ridden a sportive, a hill climb, and ridden in Mallorca. In October 2012 I joined Rutland CC, and with the tea cake, club runs, and 104 years of history, my baptism of cycling fire was complete

With the assistance of my dedicated family, my supportive girlfriend, and fellow cyclists my goal is to ride the 100 Tour de France stage for stage, day for day in 2013. I have started to form an understanding of how deep I will have to dig, and realistically how far within myself I will have to look to complete 3360km in 23 days. The implications of realising a lifelong dream are massive, and in no small way are very intimidating. I have worked exceptionally hard to get to the point where I could even consider undertaking this challenge.

My key motivations are, the very great honour and privilege of riding Le Tour, to share this experience with those closest to me, that each day in the saddle is easier than being at work, and very importantly, to raise money for a wonderful charity, PACT House in Sheffield. Riding a bike can be the easiest thing in the world up against the realities of those less fortunate than me, and I am very lucky to have this opportunity.

 

The challenge begins in Corsica on Saturday 27 July 2013, follow my progress, sponsor our charity, join me on a stage, all I have to do is keep turning the pedals, the Champs-Elysees awaits.