Back in 2020 as I turned 35, I wanted to challenge myself, but not just for me, I wanted to give back to others by raising awareness and money for a charity close to me, CALM (The CALMzone) for Tappy Jam. 

In doing this I had planned to take on a stage of the Tour de France L'Étape du Tour de France (L'Étape du Tour de France 2020) and the famous Dragon Ride (Dragon Ride 2020). 2020 was a strange year, was 2021, 2022 hasn't delivered either.

Needless to say, the events didn't happen, however, I have continued to train and have firmly set my goal to ride Etape du Tour 2022, and this year it is way more brutal than what I had originally planned to tackle in 2020.

Sadly Virgin Money Giving has shut down its services so I cant see my old page but all donations made their way to the charities as they were donated to this cause.

So now I am back asking you to donate again as I take on this challenge. Yes, I do cycle and you may think it is easy and that I can do it, but it's really not.

Since 2020, I have cycled more and I am fitter, but we have found out I am a sprinter, not quite Cav but I am sure I would give him a run for his money ;-).

I am far from an endurance athlete, but I try. This year's stage is in the Alpes and is the queen stage, and is 167 km / 104 miles with more than 4,700 meters / 15419 ,meters of elevation gain, including the climbs of the Cols du Galibier and de la Croix de Fer, details here 
L'Etape du Tour de France - Route (letapedutourdefrance.com)

Now here are the reasons why this will be tough for most people.

• I am not a mountain climber, nor are most people  
• I am too heavy 
• I have never ridden in the Alps
• I have never ridden at an altitude
• I have never ridden 1 mountain like that, let alone 3 on the same day
• I have only ridden 100 miles 8 times, 5 of which are this year
• I have never ridden that much elevation before

Now lets through a few more challenges on that has meant training this year has been tough

• I have degenerated discs L4/L5 that I have been having injections on to get me by for the past couple of years. In winter '21 it got real bad and I had another injection Jan '22, during April/May it got worse, my leg is constantly numb and on fire, and my back is in constant pain, I have another injection in June that I hope will allow me to get through this event, after that I need surgery to remove part of the disc pressing on my spinal nerve.
• I caught covid on a training camp in March that put in the bin during March and April and took until May to get back to where I was before, I have since been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome
• January this year after the injection I mentioned above I was feeling great but my legs turned into spanners and I was pedaling squares, and was way off training even heading into the training camp in March, it was likely this was the chronic fatigue I mentioned above.

So I am way off my training, I have had multiple challenges, and the way my back and leg are now, I don't know if I will get around my warm-up event Dragon Ride in June, let alone Etape, I cataclysmically imploded on Ride100 and had to pedal 20 odd miles with one leg and my back the worst it has been, but I will damn right give it a go.

Please donate, I know times are tough but the services CALM provides can, will, and do help every single one of us, £8 is enough to fund one potentially life-saving call.

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide. Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives. And 75% of all UK suicides are male. CALM exists to change this by offering life saving services, provoking conversation and bringing people together to reject living miserably. From advice on our site, through to free, confidential chats with our helpline staff, online or on the phone, we’re here for whoever needs us, every day. No matter what. £8 is enough to fund one potentially life-saving call.