Robby’s Alpine Cycle for Charity - Thankyou
The Bottom Line
With the generous support of friends and colleagues, Robby managed to raise more than £ 2,000 for The Madeleine Steel Charitable Trust.  Thankyou to everyone who contributed.
  

The Report
Day 0, 13th September: warm-up 30 miles
5am taxi to airport, in Chamonix by noon so time for a warm-up ride.  Soon discover that cycling is a kit-fest.  Talking about kit, buying kit and tinkering with kit are all central to the sport, my fancy bike looks like a Raleigh Grifter in this company.  Also discover that everybody else has been cycling for years and has done this sort of thing many times before - oh dear! Warm-up ride reassuring, I’m not quite the slowest   

Day 1, 14th September:  44 miles
Climb first two cols slowly but with disarming ease.  Guide warns that climb to hotel is tough – he’s not kidding!  Steep, narrow switch-back road seems to go on forever not helped by baking sun and misleading road signs, an indicated 4km becomes 7km – where’s the legendary Swiss efficiency?  Exhausted and sun-stroked, I crawl past a stricken comrade who has resorted to pushing his bike up the hill.  Road finally flattens out revealing beautiful hanging valley with glacial lake.  Swim in lake to cool down then dinner and a couple of beers watching the Springboks destroy England.

Day 2, 15th September:  68 miles
 “The Big One”, Col du Grand St Bernard 8,114 feet.  It’s hot, I must not get dehydrated.  4 pints of sport-drink later I feel nauseous.  Cycling for 20 miles up an 8,000 foot mountain pass whilst wanting to vomit with every pedal-stroke is one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life.  It’s a shame because the views are lovely.  Force down some lunch and buy souvenirs for the kids then back on the bike for the descent to Aosta.  I may be off the pace on the way up but gain on the way down.  Struggle on 20 mile climb up the valley to Pré St Didier. Lodge next door to hostel I stayed as 8 yr old ski trainee! Not sure I’ll make it to end of Tour.
 

Day 3, 16th September:  65 miles
Take advice from the wise old man of the group, “don’t go near the sport-drink, stick to water and bananas.”  Feel much, much better.  Reach Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo feeling fresh and comfortably ahead of some of the others.  Wickedly fast descent into Bourg St Maurice great fun.  Feels hot for the next climb (Cormet de Roseland 6,457 feet) but a couple of tactical dunkings in mountain streams do the trick.  Scenery here is life-affirming.  Catch the rest of the group on the descent, reach the bottom first. Benefits of a miss-spent youth downhill ski racing? Glory short-lived as overnight digs are half-way up the next Col.  Hotel worth the climb – swimming pool and gourmet food.

Day 4, 17th September:  93 miles
Step out of hotel straight onto the first climb of the day.  Take it easy as there’s still a long way to go.  Race down to Flumet then up Col des Aravis.  Still feeling fresh.  Complete a short descent before climbing the eighth and final Col of the Tour, Col de las Colombiere 5,308 feet.  Notoriously treacherous descent ends in industrial wasteland on outskirts of Cluses.  Unscathed, we form a peloton for the drag back up to Chamonix.  First rain of the Tour (doesn’t go down well with the Aussies but helps us Scots feel at home).  “Mini Alpes d’Huez” provides last outlet for any residual testosterone.  I’m done.  Total body fatigue, left shoulder cramping painfully.  Silence as collective will erodes the final few miles. Finishing line heralds weak cheers and arthritic high-fives.  Medicinal beer and restorative hot shower work their magic but will I be able to walk tomorrow?