Cæsarean Cycling Club

Training was my first hurdle. I could not train for climbs that go skyward for 30 kms at anything from 5-15% inclines over here, as no hill in Jersey comes remotely close to that height or distance. So all through the racing season, I have completed a race and then immediately gone out and cycled for at least another 2 – 3 hours around the North Coast just to build up my stamina. Holidaymakers must have thought I was completely mad, constantly riding up and down L’Etacq hill for hours on end.

Gearing for my bike was my next problem, as I still had to ride high mountains even when I was exhausted. I came to the conclusion of using an 11-32 mountain bike cassette, with a 50-38 combination of chain rings. This was far lower than I had experienced using in the Alps, but I considered it to be my insurance policy, should the ride not go as planned.

31st August, came around all too quickly and I flew out to Paris to meet the other 22 cyclists. The group came from around the world to do this challenge, including Michael and Robert from Sweden and Jim, Dave and Richard from Australia, with whom I became friends with. Jim was using the trip to train for the New Zealand Ironman.

We travelled to Hendaye by coach on the Sunday, arriving at 18.00 hours to assemble the bikes and check over the equipment for the next day.

With hills behind us and mountains ahead, we planned the day over breakfast. The tour guides gave us the option of doing an extra 20km detour, including the Col de Marie Blanc. The appeal to add this to my CV, along with 10 other riders, was too great an opportunity to miss, so off we went.

The day was overcast and grey, but still dry. Some detour this turned out to be, being only 6 km long, but the easy parts of the climb were a shallow 10% rising to 14% in places. It didn’t take long to use my lowest gear and part regret my bravado. The descent, however, was what makes climbing so enjoyable, long twisting roads tucked over the handlebars to gain as much speed as possible.

It was on our descent that we suffered our first casualty. As a shower started, Peter from London braked too hard and lost his front wheel and crashed. He was shaken with only cuts and bruised pride, but it served as a reminder of the caution required on larger descents, as we carried on with the ride. By now the shower had turned to heavy rain. With two big climbs and 60 miles ahead of us, we really did not need this.

Our next climb was the Col d’Aubisque, an 18km 6.7% climb rising to 1,709 m. The climb was steady, not aided by the torrents of water flooding down the roadside. We stopped in the cafe at the summit to get some hot soup and tea down us, dreading the descent and the next climbs ahead. Amazingly, as quick as the rain came it cleared and half way down the road it was like a summers day, which dried us all out very quickly. The Col d’Soulor proved quite easy, but then it was on to the Col de Tourmalet. At 2,115 metres high, this was the biggest climb of the Raid and at 19 km long, at an average 7.4% with a final km of 13%, this is what all the talk was about prior to the stage.

This day started in misty conditions, straight on to the 1,489 m Col d’Aspin, a relatively easy 13km long climb at an average 5%. This was followed immediately by the Col de Peyresourde, whose summit rose to 1,569 m. Two big climbs in 40 km. Smaller climbs followed before the day’s final ascent the Portet d’Aspet. This was today’s sting in the tail. At only 1,069 m it wasn’t high, but a very steep 15% in places.

It was on this climb that we passed the monument to the Italian, Fabio Casartelli, the 1992 Olympic Road Race Champion, who died during a crash descending the climb in the 1995 Tour de France. This was the only time I stopped on any of the climbs to admire the peace and tranquillity of the area and to reflect on why we do such things.

Statistics for the day: 106.2 miles , 7 hours 4 minutes riding time, average speed 15mph