Another Etape - Not!

After three Etaps (2007, 2009, 2010) I think I have officially retired from the Tour du France and will not be coming out of retirement "a la Armstrong". As said by Redgrave after winning the gold before last " If you see me with an entry you have my permission to shoot me" [poetic licence used].


I have just returned from France after organizing the 2012 Guildford Peloton Etap reckie. This year the Etap starts in Albertville, the winter Olympic village going over the Madeline and the Croix de Fer.

This year’s reckie was not as well attended as some past years as family life has got in the way of the various other members of the Guildford Peloton as they breed the next generation of Pelotoners. Additionally, as it was over the Jubilee weekend people had weddings, family commitments and other distractions. Originally eight people booked but by the departure date there were just six. Chris as usual kindly agreed to be our driver, navigator, photographer and general safety back up - so there we were, the magnificent seven.

We based ourselves in La Chambre near Saint Etienne des Cuines in chalets on a campsite at the base of the Col de Madeleine. This is the valley on the opposite side to the Alp D'huez if you go over the Glandon or Croix de Fer. The campsite was ideally located as literally you left the campsite, turned left and you were on your way up the Col (heading towards Albertville). Over the weekend we did the Col de Madeleine from both sides, the Croix de Fer, and the Alp D'huez. We had a good time even though the weather went from very hot, to very wet and back to hot.

The planning this year was a nightmare. First I couldn't get suitable accommodation which is why we ended up in chalets on the campsite. That said, the accommodation was cheap, clean, with lots of hot water and very convenient and the breakfasts on the veranda each morning were very pleasant. I don't know why I couldn't find accommodation as there is a hotel in the village, Hotel L'Eterlou that we ate in each evening and would have been very adequate.

Easyjet didn't help changing the times of both the outbound and return legs reducing the time we had and effectively stopping us from cycling on the last day. Also, whilst e were there they contacted us to tell us we needed to be at the airport three hours before departure.

Next there was a problem hiring vehicles. I admit I left it late, work got in the way, but negotiating the Internet sites of the various hire company's was a nightmare and phoning them was expensive, they all use premium lines, and fruitless as the guys in India didn't know what a Renault Traffic was, the guy in the US told me that Mercedes didn't make commercial vehicles, only luxury vehicles, and the guys in Ireland put me through to the French office that didn't answer. I couldn't get any working telephone numbers for hire companies at Lyon airport. All in all it was very frustrating. I finally booked a Renault Espace through Holidays Autos and a VW Van through Argus hire. It didn't work out that way. When we arrived the Espace turned out to be an SMax, not what we wanted, on the other hand the VW turned out to be a Renault Traffic with 9 seats and a large luggage space - ideal.

Most of the weekend we put the rear bench seat down in the Renault Traffic so that we could get all six bikes in the lugguage area and the seven of us squeezed into the two rows designed for six people - not quite legal but convenient.

We arrived in Lyon on the Saturday morning at 10:00 am with Easyjet to Lyon from Gatwick. We picked up the vehicles and headed out to La Chambre, about 90 minutes away. We arrived at the campsite at lunchtime and checked in. We them went to fotify ourselves with a pizza or steak hachet and chips in La Chambre before heading back to the site and unpacking our bikes. Mid afternoon we headed out and up the Col de Madeleine. The sun was beating down and the heat was unrelenting. I got to 1888 metres before stopping. I was only one kilometer and 100 metres in climb from the summit. I could not manage to get to the top. I texted to Chris to collect me in the support vehicle. We then drove to the summit to meet everyone else, all of whom had reached the top.

That night whilst everyone else went out to dinner I stayed behind and had a long conversation with God on the great whit telephone. I am not sure whether it was the sun, the lunch, or the drugs I am taking for my glaucoma or cholesterol which includes beta blockers. Anyway, it wasn’t pleasant.

Sunday, Day 2. We drove over towards Albertville before riding back and up the Col de Madeleine. I got 1200 metres up before I gave up and called for the van. As we were climbing the rain started and it got very wet. Everyone else made the top where we all enjoyed hot chocolate.

Monday we had a big day. We cycled up the Croix de Fer. I stopped even earlier today but everyone else made the summit. At the top we made the decision not to descend on the bikes to Bourg but to drive down. We enjoyed lunch at the pizza house before starting the ascent f the Alp d’Huez in bright sunshine. There were thousands of Dutch on the climb as he following day was the Alp D’Huzes, a charity ride for cancer which involves as many ascents as you can achieve in 24 hours. They were all shapes and sizes and some disabled on bikes powered by pedals turned by hand..

I only made the first couple of hundred metres of climb but again everyone else made it. Lots of stories at the top of the ride up and the encounters with al the Dutch riders.

Tuesday we had a leisurely breakfast on the veranda of the chalets, we then cleaned the chalets and packed the bikes before loading and returning to Lyon.

Tired legs but lots of achievement for most of the group.