Update September 2009:Well if you haven’t heard by now, I did it!  I can honestly say that I couldn’t have completed the course without your sponsorship – it was a real motivator through the toughest parts of the day.  It was the hardest challenge (physical and mental!) that I have ever undertaken.  At the same time it was a great experience – it’s not often you get to cycle through beautiful countryside with 9,500 other cyclists, on roads closed to traffic.  I scraped through the ‘cut off’ time of 10 ½ hours with just over 3 minutes to go.  The last 21km climb up Mont Ventoux was always going to be the decider – but I hadn’t appreciated just how tough it was going to be. Since the day, I’ve had many flashbacks but it is those of Ventoux that stick in the mind most.  For those of you who want a bit more detail on my experience, I’ve included it below. For an alternative (but similar) view you can read the account from the Sports Editor at the Telegraph here.  Despite the challenge, I am already thinking about next year’s events and who I can recruit to join me! 

Thank you all once again for your very generous support.     

20^th July – Day of the Etape:
Alarms go off at 4.15am for an early start and to grab a quick breakfast. Last minute checks, coach to the outskirts of Montelimar where we unload our bikes from the trailer and find our way through the streets and thousands of cyclists. Make sure I've enough painkillers for the day as shoulder still recovering from my white-van incident 6 weeks ago - luckily no drug testing on the Etape!

7am and we’re off! Soon after leaving Montelimar, we’re treated to beautiful scenery through vineyards, lavender fields and Provencal hills and mountains.  Ventoux taunts us on the horizon from near the start – although still another 150kms to go! Our original group of around a dozen has now spread out amongst the other 9,500 riders.  I’m cycling with Danny and Guido and keeping a pace which means we are on track to avoid being ‘swept up’. Up until this point things are going pretty well; although I had a ‘mid course dip’ when I need a couple of energy bars to keep me going to get a second wind.

Ally is at Bedoin with the rest of the support crew (our children and her parents!).  This is the base of Ventoux and some decent home made sandwiches provide a much needed supplement to the rather poor food stop.  At this point we’re around 1 hour ahead of the broom wagon and feeling reasonably confident.

Pulling out of Bedoin the climb starts and Danny and Guido quickly pull away from me.  It’s a gradual climb initially, but still enough to slow me down and I’m overtaken by lots of people.  Then into the forest – gradient of 10%+ for the next 5 miles, 35C, humid and still.  It’s like a battle zone in here – people walking and pushing their bikes, cyclists collapsed at the side of the road being ill, resting with head in hands, ambulances constantly going up and down the road taking the ‘casualties’ to safety; a few people are even cycling.   

Exit the forest at Chalet Reynard.  No water left at the food station!  Then a chap appears out of the restaurant with a hosepipe …. he’s mobbed as cyclists fight off each other to get their water bottles filled – necessary fuel for the final ascent. No time to loiter.  Constantly watching the clock now – I just clear the broom wagons and intermediate cut-off at Chalet Reynard by 5 minutes.  Set off up the road through the moonscape that is scene for the last 6km. There is still a long, hard grind to the top and, as the road snakes around the mountainside, the summit comes frustratingly in and out of view. As I occasionally glance over my left shoulder I realize how high I’ve climbed, a view that stretches out 50 miles across Southern France.

Camper vans line the route and provide a welcome support. I would like to think they’re here just to support me but really they’re here for the ‘main attraction’ – the Tour comes through on this exact route 4 days later. Some people even offer cyclists a chance to rest their legs on a deckchair in the shade!  With no time to spare, I make do with the offer of cold water being poured on my head as a cycle slowly by.

Finally that last steep hairpin corner and I dig deep to find the energy to get out of the saddle and pedal hard across the finish line.  I come in 7,168 out of 7,396 finishers – there were 9,500 starters.  You can see my time (if you need the proof) at the official website.

Fuel consumed en-route: 10 litres of water, 8 energy bars, 7 sandwiches, 4 croissants, 3 bananas.

A big thank you to my fellow cyclists over the last 7 months for getting me into a great sport and for being great company on those weekend morning outings around the Surrey Hills – weather not always as good as it was in Provence!  Also to Guido, Danny and Robert for being motivating cycling companions on the day.

Update - July 2009:  After 6 months of training, I was thrown off my bike when a white-van-man decided to drive over my front wheel a few weeks ago. 6 hours in A&E for stitches to my knee, a shoulder sling for torn ligaments, and some borrowed parts to repair my bike mean that I am now back on the road!  I was unsure that I would be able fulfil my entry for the Etape ....... however after the last couple of weekends - 110 miles around the Surrey Hills and 100kms on Dartmoor, I think I'm ready for it - as long as I'm dosed up on painkillers!

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page.   I am fundraising for the national charity SADS UK in memory of a great friend of mine Bill Preest who died suddenly from SADS (Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome). 

Bill passed away at the age of 37 leaving a wonderful wife, Helen, and 2 beautiful young children, Lauren and Oliver.  He was far fitter and healthier than most of us but unfortunately he had a heart defect that went undetected until it was too late.

SADS UK's work includes donating heart monitors that can detect abnormalities of the heartbeat and will assist in preventing further tragic deaths of apparently fit and healthy people.  The cost of each heart monitor is £1,500.

To raise money for this great cause, I am taking on the challenge of cycling the Etape du Tour this July. 

The Etape du Tour is a famous amateur cycling event, consisting of riding a stage of the Tour de France prior to the pros racing the same stage. The stage I will be riding, along with around 8,000 other cyclists from around the world, covers 172km and five "categorized" climbs, including a finish up Mont Ventoux in the photo - a 21km / 1500 metre climb described by Lance Armstrong as 'a tough mountain, probably the most difficult climb in France'!  The last time this mountain was used by the Etape,  it was hailing, the temperature was 1°C with 60mph winds at the summit - in July!  

The memory of Bill and the wonderful family that he left behind will be a big part of my inspiration for this challenge (and I know I will need as much help as possible on the day!). I hope that my efforts can help save the lives of other apparently fit and healthy children and young adults.

All donations are most gratefully received and you can donate online.  Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: SADS UK gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Many thanks for your support.

Matt