Every year, as part of the Tour de France, amateur riders are able to ride one of the stages a couple of days before the professionals (https://www.letapedutourdefrance.com/en).

For 2022 the stage selected is Stage 12 Briançon > Alpe D'Huez (https://www.letour.fr/en/stage-12).

This is classed as a mountain stage and is as hard as it gets, traversing 3 massive iconic mountains including the Galibier, Croix de Fer and finishing on Alpe d'Huez. In total the stage is 100 miles long whilst climbing 15,000ft, the equivalent of half way up Mount Everest.

I will be riding the stage to raise money for Bridges Centre  (http://www.bridgescentre.org.uk/about/).

Bridges Centre is a Monmouthshire charity that helps sustain locally accessible services and supports vulnerable people.  It makes a massive difference to the lives of older people, rurally isolated people, young adults with additional needs, people with mobility challenges and those who are economically disadvantaged. In addition, with more than 60 groups meeting every week Bridges Centre  provides a wide range of services from young to old and plays a vitally important role by offering services to the local community.

I volunteer with Bridges Centre as a car driver as part of Community Connections community car scheme and befriending services and find it very enjoyable and rewarding. I not only drive people to their destination but also, if needed, help them when they get there. This could entail shopping with them, staying with them at hospital appointments etc. This service is a lifeline to many in a rural location like Monmouthshire.

If you would be interested to know more about the many ways in which you can volunteer with Bridges Centre, please do not hesitate to contact Marianne Piper, Team Leader, Volunteering for Wellbeing on 07980 941946 or email her at marianne.piper@bridgescentre.org.uk