Monday, 13 October 2008
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Monday, 6 October 2008
Day 8, Friday 3rd October LAST DAY
Prades to Banyuls Sur Mer...120 kms (plus 20 km from getting lost!)
Well, it's here. This is the team's last day of getting up for 7.30 breakfast, pulling on smelly, sweaty, uncomfortably kit, making up protein shakes, checking hair and make up and getting on a bike with a painful bottom at 8.30. Le Pink Peleton rides again - they look fantastic! A few cyclops (cycling lovers, other, partners and supporters) join the start to wish them well and follow them up the road from Prades. The final blasts of Queen chase the team up the mountain, blaring out in the quiet surroundings. Robby, Radek, Mark A chasing each other hard but go the wrong way! - Criket's in for a forfeit for that one.
They all seem to have found additional strength from somewhere and the pace is the fastest we've seen. Col de Palomores slows them down. We look back to the mountains they crossed on day 7 to find snow on the top of the coldest col yesterday, thank goodness we escaped ice skids and crashes. Sun's out again!
Time for team photos en route this morning, we're so proud of them. We stop at a restaurant for lunch before the final slog to Banyuls - but Fred takes the guys the wrong way, they end up taking their wine and steak lunch up the steepest col they've faced in the whole week, by mistake! A few grumpy faces and choice words but by the time they are stitting on top of the hill overlooking the glistening bay of Banyuls all is forgiven.
Warren manages to fall off in the last 500 metres, luckily the crowed gathered in town to cheer the heroes in miss this bit of action! Our 30 cyclists cycle slowly make their way down the main promenade in sun and blue sky to a reptuous welcome - strangers come down to the bay who've heard about our trip, the local police stop the traffic. The bikes are thrown down and arms flung around each other in sheer delight at finishing and pride at the achievement. Everyone strips down to shorts and runs into the freezing Med sea - Dickie showing a little more flesh than we really wanted to see! Ana and Sam, our girls, have made it! We scoop the guys up and take them to the hotel.
Team presentantations follow and Hopalong also known as Hop Hop and Officer Ponch from CHiPS, along with giant gentleman and stylish on a bike Si Hunter, Nige Knobblies sexy legs Garfitt are Judge and Jury dishing out the final forfeits.
Overall yellow jersey is awarded to Robby 'Teaboy' Enthoven for an amazing performance in the top pack day after day. White jerseys to Ana 'Piece of Cake' Atzen and Sam 'Spinning' Lennon for the girls sheer determination and guts. Polka jersey is awarded to Felix 'Fitness freak' Evans - a mere 22 years old and the Green jersey to Radek 'Bomber' Bohm a great guy who led from the beginning, amazing strenght to rival Bruno the pro. Well done to all.
The champagne flows and after dinner it's a free for all! The whole gang hit the dance floor and go wild - the most amazing, scary and mad dancing you've ever seen, a great release and a great end to 8 days of immense physical and mental endurance.
There are so many wonderful moments and memories that the team can share with you themselves - I guarantee, get to talk to them and you'll be inspired, your cheeks will ache with laughter and you'll wish you'd been there. What an adventure.
Well, it's here. This is the team's last day of getting up for 7.30 breakfast, pulling on smelly, sweaty, uncomfortably kit, making up protein shakes, checking hair and make up and getting on a bike with a painful bottom at 8.30. Le Pink Peleton rides again - they look fantastic! A few cyclops (cycling lovers, other, partners and supporters) join the start to wish them well and follow them up the road from Prades. The final blasts of Queen chase the team up the mountain, blaring out in the quiet surroundings. Robby, Radek, Mark A chasing each other hard but go the wrong way! - Criket's in for a forfeit for that one.
They all seem to have found additional strength from somewhere and the pace is the fastest we've seen. Col de Palomores slows them down. We look back to the mountains they crossed on day 7 to find snow on the top of the coldest col yesterday, thank goodness we escaped ice skids and crashes. Sun's out again!
Time for team photos en route this morning, we're so proud of them. We stop at a restaurant for lunch before the final slog to Banyuls - but Fred takes the guys the wrong way, they end up taking their wine and steak lunch up the steepest col they've faced in the whole week, by mistake! A few grumpy faces and choice words but by the time they are stitting on top of the hill overlooking the glistening bay of Banyuls all is forgiven.
Warren manages to fall off in the last 500 metres, luckily the crowed gathered in town to cheer the heroes in miss this bit of action! Our 30 cyclists cycle slowly make their way down the main promenade in sun and blue sky to a reptuous welcome - strangers come down to the bay who've heard about our trip, the local police stop the traffic. The bikes are thrown down and arms flung around each other in sheer delight at finishing and pride at the achievement. Everyone strips down to shorts and runs into the freezing Med sea - Dickie showing a little more flesh than we really wanted to see! Ana and Sam, our girls, have made it! We scoop the guys up and take them to the hotel.
Team presentantations follow and Hopalong also known as Hop Hop and Officer Ponch from CHiPS, along with giant gentleman and stylish on a bike Si Hunter, Nige Knobblies sexy legs Garfitt are Judge and Jury dishing out the final forfeits.
Overall yellow jersey is awarded to Robby 'Teaboy' Enthoven for an amazing performance in the top pack day after day. White jerseys to Ana 'Piece of Cake' Atzen and Sam 'Spinning' Lennon for the girls sheer determination and guts. Polka jersey is awarded to Felix 'Fitness freak' Evans - a mere 22 years old and the Green jersey to Radek 'Bomber' Bohm a great guy who led from the beginning, amazing strenght to rival Bruno the pro. Well done to all.
The champagne flows and after dinner it's a free for all! The whole gang hit the dance floor and go wild - the most amazing, scary and mad dancing you've ever seen, a great release and a great end to 8 days of immense physical and mental endurance.
There are so many wonderful moments and memories that the team can share with you themselves - I guarantee, get to talk to them and you'll be inspired, your cheeks will ache with laughter and you'll wish you'd been there. What an adventure.
Day 7, Thursday 2nd October
Ax les Thermes to Prades....a mere 90 km
Almost the end, the team have got livelier each evening - the Powerade and Viper recovery sachets aren't snatched so quickly these days, beer and wine and late nights being the replacement. Col de Jau is the big climb today but the team also face the longest climb of 20 km to reach Port de Phailheres at 2001m. All are in high spirits as they check the bikes first thing and get on their fancy dress kit we've bought for them - looks great! Lawrence is in a shower cap and full make up, Graeme looks like he's just left a 70's disco, there's hair nets and stockings in abundance - Andrew Croker is the only one to leave the stockings on all day, admittedly as arm warmers.
All set off on time (well done Hopalong and Warren). Suddenly it's tough - we've had blue skies and sunshine so far until this col. It's misty and sombre and the guys are quiet - even Ipods are kept low and a rendition of Queen's We are the Champions rousing from the assistance van fails to raise a smile. It's freezing. We get to the top of the col and it's windy and icy. The guys reach for cups of hot tea before kitting up in arm and leg warmers and quickly starting the winding descent out of the cold. Suddenly as soon as you're over to the top of the col the sun comes out so it's off with the cold kit which is thrown into the van (you'll never see so many jackets, gloves, arm warmers, and even helmets strewn everywhere, mostly lost by the end of the week!). Ruaridh's going to be awarded most chaotic kit bag (but also the biggest, cheekiest smile so he gets away with it!).
Col de Jau's done and we head down to Prades for the night. What started with a handful of the team wanting massages at the start now turns to everyone needing a good leg rub at the end of the day. Our hotel host, the hilarious Madame Maxine (who Lawrence described as the one lady in the film There's Something about Mary), at the Hexagone hotel looks after us well.
More forfeits and more awards it's the last night for the team, the final cycling day looms, and a crack troup of at 20 cyclists pile into the 10 seater van which Dickie's hijacked off our driver Astrid to drive all of 700 m into the small village to find a good bar. Several tequilla shots, Harvey smoking a tobacco pipe with the locals and lots of silly games later somehow everyone gets back for 2am! Great to see the team starting to relax, even the sore legs are forgotten for a few mad hours.
Almost the end, the team have got livelier each evening - the Powerade and Viper recovery sachets aren't snatched so quickly these days, beer and wine and late nights being the replacement. Col de Jau is the big climb today but the team also face the longest climb of 20 km to reach Port de Phailheres at 2001m. All are in high spirits as they check the bikes first thing and get on their fancy dress kit we've bought for them - looks great! Lawrence is in a shower cap and full make up, Graeme looks like he's just left a 70's disco, there's hair nets and stockings in abundance - Andrew Croker is the only one to leave the stockings on all day, admittedly as arm warmers.
All set off on time (well done Hopalong and Warren). Suddenly it's tough - we've had blue skies and sunshine so far until this col. It's misty and sombre and the guys are quiet - even Ipods are kept low and a rendition of Queen's We are the Champions rousing from the assistance van fails to raise a smile. It's freezing. We get to the top of the col and it's windy and icy. The guys reach for cups of hot tea before kitting up in arm and leg warmers and quickly starting the winding descent out of the cold. Suddenly as soon as you're over to the top of the col the sun comes out so it's off with the cold kit which is thrown into the van (you'll never see so many jackets, gloves, arm warmers, and even helmets strewn everywhere, mostly lost by the end of the week!). Ruaridh's going to be awarded most chaotic kit bag (but also the biggest, cheekiest smile so he gets away with it!).
Col de Jau's done and we head down to Prades for the night. What started with a handful of the team wanting massages at the start now turns to everyone needing a good leg rub at the end of the day. Our hotel host, the hilarious Madame Maxine (who Lawrence described as the one lady in the film There's Something about Mary), at the Hexagone hotel looks after us well.
More forfeits and more awards it's the last night for the team, the final cycling day looms, and a crack troup of at 20 cyclists pile into the 10 seater van which Dickie's hijacked off our driver Astrid to drive all of 700 m into the small village to find a good bar. Several tequilla shots, Harvey smoking a tobacco pipe with the locals and lots of silly games later somehow everyone gets back for 2am! Great to see the team starting to relax, even the sore legs are forgotten for a few mad hours.
Day 6, Wednesday 1st October
Oust to Ax Les Thermes...123 kms
This morning we leave the pretty village of Oust and its old galleried houses on the river for the 123 km to the thermal spring town of Ax les Thermes. This is the longest stage of the challenge and the guys are questionning their sanity. Again we have two group starts, although Hopalong and Warren decide to have a lie in and are the only two left to start alone, immediately getting lost on the winding roads so another 30 km added to their day.
Col de la Trape is the first test at 8.5% gradient then Col D'Agnes and Courtal de Bastard (literally) - it starts to hurt, the team look exhausted and drained but every single one of them keeps going, no one dare get off the bike for fear of never sitting on again. Finally lunch stop, a picnic in the beautiful sunshine on a farmers field at the side of the road. The scenery is amazing and no noise except the tinkling of the cow bells in the valleys below. You can see for miles around, the air is fresh.
Two more cols after lunch and one of the most beautiful - Col de Marmare, which the team reach late in the afternoon. Marmare is a winding, narrow road, not too steep but endless reaching up through forests with patches of sunlight. Again, magnificent views that you can only believe if you see. The team start to relax and take in the surroundings whilst plugging away.
First up the cols are the usual suspects - Radek, Robby, Byng a ling, Mark A (still competing with Robby), Michael, Charles, Jonny, Nige, followed by Kirkie, Simon B, Hugo, Andrew. One final Col where a small group of Wasps rugby supporters turn up to cheer Lawrence on, then a fast descent to Ax, a bar and a beer the first point of call. The evening's forfeits (disgusting cocktails of brandy or worse) and yellow, green, polka and white shirts are dished out to the heroes of the day. Next day the kit is fancy dress!
This morning we leave the pretty village of Oust and its old galleried houses on the river for the 123 km to the thermal spring town of Ax les Thermes. This is the longest stage of the challenge and the guys are questionning their sanity. Again we have two group starts, although Hopalong and Warren decide to have a lie in and are the only two left to start alone, immediately getting lost on the winding roads so another 30 km added to their day.
Col de la Trape is the first test at 8.5% gradient then Col D'Agnes and Courtal de Bastard (literally) - it starts to hurt, the team look exhausted and drained but every single one of them keeps going, no one dare get off the bike for fear of never sitting on again. Finally lunch stop, a picnic in the beautiful sunshine on a farmers field at the side of the road. The scenery is amazing and no noise except the tinkling of the cow bells in the valleys below. You can see for miles around, the air is fresh.
Two more cols after lunch and one of the most beautiful - Col de Marmare, which the team reach late in the afternoon. Marmare is a winding, narrow road, not too steep but endless reaching up through forests with patches of sunlight. Again, magnificent views that you can only believe if you see. The team start to relax and take in the surroundings whilst plugging away.
First up the cols are the usual suspects - Radek, Robby, Byng a ling, Mark A (still competing with Robby), Michael, Charles, Jonny, Nige, followed by Kirkie, Simon B, Hugo, Andrew. One final Col where a small group of Wasps rugby supporters turn up to cheer Lawrence on, then a fast descent to Ax, a bar and a beer the first point of call. The evening's forfeits (disgusting cocktails of brandy or worse) and yellow, green, polka and white shirts are dished out to the heroes of the day. Next day the kit is fancy dress!
Thursday, 2 October 2008
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
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