Epilogue

Photo 27: Walking through the streets of Annecy

Photo 28: The Chrome Domes finish at last!

Photo 29: Annecy town centre at night

Reviewing the blog as we started the journey back home I felt like there were two more final stories to tell from the trip.

Firstly, what happened to the Chrome Domes on their three seater tandem?. Well I'm pleased to say they made it safely to the end. Theirs was a truly Herculean effort and one that I doubt will be easily beaten. Talking to them at the final dinner they said that the last day in the mountains had really pushed themselves and the bike to the limits. The wheel rims were running so hot from the brakes they started to melt the blocks, they had a couple of punctures due to the weight on the tyres, and having each completed 375 miles in the 3 days they were completely exhausted. About 40 miles from the finish they did actually switch to the collapsible shopping bike as they didn't feel it was safe to come down the hairpins on the tandem. They then climbed back on the tandem again with 5 miles to go and finished around 7pm having been on the road over 13hrs on the last day.

Lastly a tale from dinner on the first night. I think there are a lot of things that motivate people to do the 500 mile ride each year. The physical challenge, the adventure, the camaraderie, raising money for worthy charities etc. As we talked over dinner at the first night it was also clear a lot of us were doing it for friends and relatives and some of the sponsors had also given donations for their friends. Friends who were battling with cancer and sarcoidosis and friends who had lost that battle. I suspect many of us as we pushed up the hills thought about those people. For me it included a colleague at work who died from a brain tumour last November and a relative who lost his fight against cancer in May aged just 17. Challenge Adventure Charities has been running since 1990 and by the end of this event they hope to have raised £2.5 million. So I wanted to end with a big thanks to the event organisers for all the hard work they put in to making this event such a success, and to leave this blog in memory of all those friends and colleagues whose lives have touched ours, and who we remember every time we climb the hills.

Day 3 - The Finish Line!

Photo 24: Arriving at the finish line in Annecy!!

Photo 25: More teams coming into the finish

Photo 26: A view of the lake by the finish line

We were now down to the last 48 miles so we switched tactics to do 6 mile rides each which meant two more rounds would take us to the finish line. The first round went pretty quickly and we were then down to the final round. We carried on up and down and then rode the last few miles into Annecy together.

Annecy was beautiful and it gave us a chance for a team photo at the finish line down by the lake. It had once again been a fantastic challenge and it remains just to say a massive thank-you to everyone who has (and will!) sponsor us. With a bit of luck our team should have raised around £2,000 and with 60 teams in total we hope the event will raise over £100,000 again which is fantastic. Its been a tough 3 days cycling, but a worthy cause, and a lot of fun!!.

Day 3 - Continued

Photo 21: Paul pushing hard to the summit

Photo 22: A view back at the mountains we'd just crossed

Photo 23: Team's putting on their fancy dress

We were now cycling close to the Swiss border and much of the scenery seemed typically Swiss with chalets, cowbells and mountains all around. There were some more undulating hills, then 20 minutes into my next ride the road started to go downhill. The road snaked down through lots of little villages and carried on descending, down and down to the valley floor. The route down twisted through lots of hairpin bends and the van finally caught up with me at the bottom and gave me a call that we'd swap in 2 miles. I caught up with a small pack of riders and we slipstreamed each other for the last part of my ride.

Dave was out next and 10 minutes into his ride he hit a major ascent. The rest of Dave's ride was uphill and he powered hard up the climb. Marc took over at the end of Dave's 30 minutes. We were still going uphill at that stage so Marc worked hard and pushed us to the top. The cumulative altitude for the day was now 2437m. Paul took over and about 20 minutes into his ride we were at 1200m altitude and hit another long descent. Paul wound his way down the mountain through 7 hairpin bends and I then took over at the bottom.

The Raw Hide team had set lunch up again at Septfontaines so our van stopped for a quick snack and drink while I carried on. Much of the rest of my ride was downhill although not so steep and there was a strong headwind so I found myself peddling hard still. It took a while for the van to catch-up with me again and by the time it did I was into another ascent. They shouted to let me know they'd pick me up in a couple of miles which helped keeping me pushing up the hill and overtaking some of the other riders.

Day 3 - Besancon to Annecy

Photo 18: Pedalling with his hands one of the amazing riders on the challenge

Photo 19: Vans stopping to help clear the cows from the road

Photo 20: Finishing my second ride of day 3

Total miles: 162, Total ascent 3440 metres

We didn't have long to wait before we hit the big climbs of day 3. Marc was up first and had a long windy climb out of Besancon in the dark. We were all a bit nervous knowing the mountains were ahead, but Marc had a great ride and powered up the first hill and when we did the first change after 30 minutes was still feeling fresh.

Paul was up next and finished the uphill climb and then had a massive long descent. I switched on towards the bottom of the descent and took it on through some undulating hills and then started a long hard climb up the next mountain. About half way up the climb I saw the blue van which was a very welcome sight and Dave then finished the climb to the top of the mountain.

The next set of rides were more undulating and the climbs weren't quite as long and hard. We passed through lots of mountain villages and meadows with cows with their cowbells ringing in the wind. The sun was shining and the skies were blue but the altitude meant it was cold and we all put some extra layers on as we pushed on to the 50 mile mark at Labergement Ste Marie.

Day 2 - The final stretch!

Photo 17: Paul enjoying his last ride of the day

Feeling revitalised by the Western lunch party I set off cycling after lunch with Caireen from The Forlorn Hope team. We set off at a fair pace pushing around 25mph and swapping the lead back and forth. A third rider jumped on after a bit and we kept the pace going until the blue Amicus van appeared sitting with backdoors open - always a welcome sight as you knew that meant it was time to swap riders.

We were now into the last 50 miles of the day. Marc had some good rides and kept the pace going well through Ougney and Taxenne, Paul pushed us on through Gendey and Ranchot and Dave sped through Salans and Roset Fluans. There were some pretty sights as we sped along by the river, past weirs and through lots of small villages.

As we got to the last 24 miles we were into the final rides of the day. Dave completed his first, followed by Mark then Paul, leaving the last 6 miles up to the finish line and the hotel for the night to me. We finished in Besancon at around 5:45 which we were pretty pleased with. It had been a very long day and we all had tired legs and were ready to stop at the end. Just one last day to go now ....the big one cycling up to the ski resorts in the mountains!

Day 2 - Continued

Photo 14: Western lunch party on route

Photo 15: Raw Hide team handing out the food and drinks

Photo 16: Team photo in the desert!

The next set of rides was a bit tougher. All of us had our share of some long hard climbs and some long descents. The day was beginning to heat up so it was hot work pushing to the top of the hills. The scenary was beautiful though and the challenge organisers had picked a fantastic route. We cycled past chateaus, went round the town of Flavigny where the film Chocolat was made, through some old French towns with cobbled streets (not so much fun on a bike!), and past the source of the river Seine. Just past the source of the Seine was the half way point for the Challenge (256 miles) and for the day (92 miles). We'd made some good progress as it was now 12:30 which meant we'd been cycling for 6 hrs and would probably finish the day around 6:30pm.

At the 120 mile mark team 3 (Raw) and team 4 (Hide) had joined forces with the Rear View girls team to host a Western style lunch ...with cakes. Most of the teams took the chance to stop, enjoy the sunshine and enjoy a glass of wine and even a Wagon Wheel biscuit (which seemed a lot smaller than they used too!).

Day 2 - Appoigny to Besancon

Photo 11: Paul cycling along with another rider

Photo 12: First sighting of the Chrome Domes

Photo 13: Chrome Domes on their 3 seater tandem!

Day 2 - Total Miles: 184, Total Ascent; 2880 metres

The second day started much like the first. The alarm went off at 05:30 and we quickly washed, dressed and went for breakfast. The starting line was quite a bit busier at 6:30 this time, with lots more teams trying to get an early start in the knowledge that we had an extra 20 miles to do compared to day one. Dave started us off and as on day one it was pitch black when he left. The darkness made it hard to see the signs and Dave and four other cyclists missed a left turn just before Les Archies. We found Dave quickly and turned him around after he'd done just half a mile down the hill. There was one more rider up ahead who'd also missed the turn so we quicky chased him down as well and pointed him back up the hill.

Marc took over from Dave just as the sun was starting to come up. Paul was next and then it was my turn. There were lots more bikes and vans around as we'd lost a bit of time with the detour and dropped back into the main pack. Parking on the roadside was more difficult with everyone else around, but it did mean there were some other cyclists to slipstream with. I dropped in with two other riders who were doing about 20 mph and the three of us kept rotating and taking turns at the front. I was at the front as we were coming up to the bottom of one of the big hils and was pleased to hear one of the guys behind shout to say he was coming through. We steamed to the top of the hill and he then dropped off for his change. I then carried on with the other cyclist for another couple of miles and it was then my turn to change.

We'd overtaken a lot of riders again by this point and as we chased Dave in the van we finally got our first sight of the Chrome Domes on their three seater bike! If anyone remembers the blog last year the Chrome Domes completed the Challenge on an old butchers bike that weighed an absolute tonne and was complete with baguettes in the front!!. This year they had a three seater bike, had added chopper handlebars to it and were dressed like crusaders. A three seater bike meant that each rider was going to have to ride three quarters of the 500 mile challenge. They said they weren't completely sure if they'd make it as the balance was a real problem so as a backup they had a collapsible shopping bike!!

Day 1 - Continued

Photo 8: Marc cycling passed the Amicus van

Photo 9: Dave enjoying his last ride of the day

Photo 10: Paul at the finish line on day 1!

The target for day 1 is 165 miles with a total ascent of 2992 miles. The second round of rides continued much as the first. I set out for the first 30 minute stint, the mist had settled in again and visibility was poor. My glasses soon got steamed up so by half way through I couldn't see much either side of the road.

Dave went out next as the mist finally cleared. The route carried on through more vineyards and passed large cemeteries that were a poignant reminder of the World Wars and the impact they had on France. Marc went next and took us up to the 50 mile mark for the day.

We kept rotating riders through the rest of the day and the miles were quickly eaten up, passing the half way mark, then 100 miles and soon down to the last 40 miles. At that point we switched tactics and divided the remaining miles for the day up and each did a final 9 mile push. The weather had been perfect all day, roads good, scenary fantastic and knowing you were on the last ride of the day you were able to give it an extra big push. There hadn't been any really steep climbs on the first day but we knew those were ahead of us in the Alps so this was a nice way to warm the legs up. For the most part there had just been undulating hills, which meant some long slow climbs and some long downhills.

Paul finished the last ride of the day taking us into Appoigny by 15:35!

Day 1 - Laon to Appoigny

Photo 5: Cyclists riding through the dark on day 1

Photo 6: Marc cycling through a French village as the sun rises

Photo 7: Cycling passed Champagne vineyards

I suspect everyone knows that sinking feeling when you spend 30 minutes writing an email and it then disappears. Well the first blog post of Day 1 has disappeared into the ether twice now so this is the third attempt and I can definitely say the sinking feeling when you do it writing on a Blackberry hurtling through the countryside is even greater!

Day 1 started at 02:00 when we were all woken up by one of the cycling teams just returning from town! Alarms then went off at 05:30 (04:30 UK time) and we headed down for breakfast. Knowing we'd been one of the slower teams the previous year we set off at 06:30 which was the earliest time the marshall's allowed people out.

I was out first and as I headed out of Laon it was pitch black and very cold. My bike had three lights on the front, two on the back plus I had a fluorescent vest on so I was quite easy to spot even though it was so dark. We'd decided to just do 30 minutes stints this year rather than an hour so when Dave took over from me it was still quite dark outside. Although the route was well marked again it was easy to miss things in the dark and Dave was lucky we were close behind him as he headed off right at a fork instead of left so we were able to catch him quickly and get him back on course.

Paul picked up the written directions in the van and was trying to work out where we were, I peered over his shoulder to check the end destination for the blog and realised he was looking at day 2 ...a little optimistic!

The road we were on was called "Chemin des Dames" or "Ladies Road" a name it acquired in the 18th century as it was the route taken by the two daughters of Louis XV, Adelaide and Victoire, who were known as Ladies of France. At the time it was scarcely a carriage road but it was the most direct route between Paris and the Chateau de la Bove which belonged to a former mistress of Louis XV whom the two ladies visited frequently. To make it easier the count had the road surfaced and it gained its new name.

As Dave finished and handed over to Marc the sun was coming up and the early morning mist was still hanging in the valleys. We were now entering the Champagne region and the little villages we passed through had lots of little champagne bars with private labels. There were vineyards on either side and the skies above were blue so it was looking like being a nice day.

Dave handed over to Paul to finish the first round of rides. This was Paul's 11th Challenge ride his first being back in 1995 so he was the most experienced of all of us. Paul's 30 minutes seemed to go quickly as we continued through small villages, fields and vineyards. The roads were a bit busier now with lots of other vans and cyclists around and shouting encouragement as you went by. One of the cyclists was over 80 years old and another was on a recumbent pedalling with his hands - the Challenge really does attract a broad range of people.

Day 0 - Eurotunnel to France

Photo 2: Queuing for the EuroTunnel

Photo 3: Bike rack in the Amicus van

Photo 4: Dave, Paul and Marc on the EuroTunnel

As Dave, Marc and Paul pulled up outside the Cisco offices memories of the previous years ride came flooding back. It was the same blue Amicus van and three of the same riders as in last years team. However although some things were the same having a better idea of what was to come we were a lot more organised! The backdoor of the van was opened so I could put my bike in and the first sign of the experience gained was apparent. Last year our bikes had all been strapped together leaning against the wall of the van. This time Dave and Marc had built out a rack inside with 4 slots so all the bikes were securely held in place and we wouldn't have to keep shuffling them all to get the one at the bottom out!.

The trip down to Folkestone was very quiet with hardly any traffic on the road. The previous year we'd been greeted by long queues trying to get across to France as one tunnel was still closed due to a fire. This time there were no queues and we sailed through customs and we were let onto a train an hour ahead of our booking.

Once in France we were back on the road again and started the 2 hour drive down to Laon. We'd seen a few bikes on the Euro-tunnel and recognised a couple of faces from last year. However we'd been warned not to blindly follow other cars carrying bikes as the Extra Mile Cycle Challenge were heading through at the same time but then heading to the Loire Valley.

Looking through all the paperwork again at what was to come over the next few days we were all getting more excited. The list of cycle teams included a lot of familiar names such as the Cheeky Boys, Rear View, Chrome Domes and others. The route descriptions also sounded familiar "steep climb", "prepare for climbs", "hard climb for several miles" .... this was going be fun!

The Alpine Challenge 2009

Photo 1: Preparing for the Alps in the Surrey Hills....

The Alpine Challenge 2009 is a charity cycle ride in which 60 teams of four riders cycle 500 miles in relay in just 3 days. The route this year starts on Friday September 25th at Laon in France, about two hours south of the Channel Tunnel. We’ll then set off south cycling past champagne vineyards and rolling countryside into Chablis country and the first night's stop at Auxerre. On Saturday, we’ll head east passing through the village where the feature film of "Chocolate" was made, then riding on past the source of the Seine north of Dijon across lovely countryside before arriving at Besancon. On Sunday, we’ll head into the Jura mountains past ski stations and stunning alpine scenery arriving at Lac Annecy with its historic and picturesque old quarter on the Sunday evening.

Most of the cyclists have been training for the last few months now in preparation for the event and while there are a few super-human athletes in the mix the majority of us are just ordinary people out to raise money for a good cause!. The event itself is organised by Challenge Adventure Charities (CAC) http://www.challengeadventurecharities.org.uk/ and the main charities they're supporting in 2009 are Cancer Research UK and MacMillan Cancer Care. Our team are also giving some of the money raised to SILA who do research into another horrible illness called Sarcoidosis.

I'll be posting regular updates to this blog during the event and have added a Twitter feed and GPS location tracker to the page this year for a bit of added fun.

Thanks so much to everyone who has sponsored us - it really is a massive boost when you're pedalling up hill .... again!