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On 2nd and 3rd July 2015 I am cycling 200km in France.   So what?...I hear you say.  Well, this is not just a couple of days spinning the wheels in the sunshine, I'll be taking on no less than 5 of the famous cycle climbs which regularly feature in the Tour de France.

For those who follow the Tour de France, the climbs I'll be tackling, weather permitting, are Croix de la Fer (1292m), Glandon (1472m), Col de Telegraphe (856m), Galibier (1245m) and Alpe D'huez (1071m).   To top it all, my hotel is at the top of Alpe D'duez, so I've got no choice but to conquer that twice!

That's an estimated total amount of climbing over the 2 days of 7000m,  or 23 Eiffel Towers, or nearly 4.5 miles straight up!

I've been cycling regularly for about 3 years but have never taken on a challenge anywhere near the magnitude of this one, I can honestly say I am scared but really excited too.  The training has been ramped up since Christmas so I've lots of miles under my belt now, including a crash about 6 weeks ago the consequence of which was a bike damaged beyond repair and body battered and bruised but thankfully (and luckily) nothing broken.  So even before the challenge I've suffered quite a lot to support the Hall Green Retired Greyhound Trust.

Did you know that each year over 9,000 greyhounds retire from racing and the Retired Greyhound Trust is dedicated to socialising and rehoming these wonderful dogs.  Greyhounds are usually retired at about 4 years old, so have a lot of living still to do once retired.  Please visit www.hallgreenrgt.co.uk to find out more about the charity or better still, rehome a dog!  Although I'm supporting the Hall Green branch of the trust, there are branches nationwide which can be found at www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk

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