Epilogue

Photo 28: The bridge in Cahor

Photo 29: Pegasus Bridge near Caen

Photo 30: Home to Portsmouth again at last!

It was a long journey home on the Sunday and despite another early start teams didn't get back to their beds in England until after 01:00am on Monday morning.

It was a long drive back through France, but we arrived early enough at Caens to visit Pegasus Bridge and read about the amazing bravery of the soldiers that secured the bridges by glider at the start of D-Day. Our achievement over the last few days felt insignificant in comparison, however as always I am grateful for the time and commitment volunteered by the organizers to make the event possible. To plan a route for 320 cyclists through France is a challenge in itself and they did a fantastic job. The event can sound easy as its completed in a team of four, however as anyone who has taken part will tell you the hard part is the pace as there are a lot of miles to do each day and none of us are professional cyclists. The camaraderie between teams is a key part and everyone shouts encouragement which helps when the legs are getting tired. However the thing which really drives everyone to complete the challenge and the thing we are all most grateful for is our sponsors.

At the dinner on the last night the organizers announced that Challenge Adventure Charities have now raised £2,750,000 through their charity cycle rides over the last 20 years and the Cahors Challenge looked set to add another £200,000 so they are now very close to the £3 million mark. Every penny they raise goes towards charity and this year our team were supporting Cancer Research, British Heart Foundation and The Encephalitis Society. Its great to be able to do our part in helping to raise money for these charities, and as always we've had many generous donations so we just wanted to end this year by saying a massive, massive thanks to everyone for their contributions and also the good luck messages we've all received on Facebook, the blog, via email and Twitter. Thank-you all!!.

Day 3 - The Grand Finale!

Photo 25: Ian wearing his lucky boxer shorts for day 3

Photo 26: The spectacular view coming down into Rocamadour

Photo 27: Finished!!! The Cisco IT Team have a celebratory drink at the end of the Challenge (Left to Right: Colin Seward, Paul Clements, Kevin O'Healy, Ian Pudney)

We started the fourth round of rides at 13:20 with 111 miles gone. Looking at the profile it looked like we had some big climbs over the first two or three rides and that would then take us to the last summit of the day. From there it would be largely downhill to the finish.

Paul took the first ride and had one of the most spectacular views of the trip so far down into Rocamadour. He had a steep descent to the bottom of the gorge and a long climb out the other side. I went on next and had some more climbing with a couple of short descents and Kevin then finished off the climbing and Ian started the final set of descents down to the finish.

The road still went up and down so the descent wasn't straight down, but it was nice to have the feeling that you were near to home. Paul went out for his fifth ride of the day at 15:10 with 138 miles done. We finished the fifth round of rides and Paul and I then did a sixth each down the valley and along the river. Ian got out for his sixth ride with 8 miles to go. I took a quick breather and then with 3 miles to go we stopped the van again and Paul and I both jumped out and joined Ian for the final ride to the finish line. The finish line was just over the bridge in Cahor and down by the river. We'd done it for another year 540 miles and over £2,000 raised for charity. It had been hot (very hot) but as always some spectacular scenery and great camaraderie. I wonder where the 2012 Challenge will be...!

Day 3 - Limoge to Cahors (165 miles)

Photo 22: Another early start in the dark for day 3 of the Challenge

Photo 23: Team 20 showing the determination that won them one of the Challenge trophies this year

Photo 24: A view from the van at the spectacular scenery

Dinner on day 2 was a long drawn out affair. We had a welcome cold beer on the hotel patio in the sunshine for half an hour and then sat down for dinner at 8pm. Three quarters of an hour later there was still no sign of food as the hotel owners were waiting for everyone before they started serving. The hotel staff finally started to realize they had a lot of hungry cyclists on their hands as plate after plate of bread disappeared so they eventually gave up waiting and started to bring the starters out!. Two hours later dinner was finally finished. The course order was a bit confusing and a lot of the cyclists had left before the end not realizing that apple tart was being served after the cheese!

Alarms greeted us on day 3 at 05:30 again and we headed to breakfast. By 6:45am we were on the road and Paul took the first shift with his dazzling head torch. I was next up and it was still dark as I set off down a long hill. The cold morning air on the downhill froze me to the bone, but fortunately there was a good climb after to warm me up, unfortunately my phone then rang! It was Ian on the phone to say they were driving up to get me. They hadn't seen any riders or vans for a while so it was clear we'd taken a wrong turn somewhere. I jumped back in the van with my bike and we chased off to find Paul. We soon spotted where we'd missed the turning in the dark and then spent the next 30 minutes trying to catch up with Paul again!. By the time he finished he'd been on the bike for an hour. He was glad for the change, but in true Paul style he was very unflustered and had just assumed we'd gone to get some petrol or shopping.

Having got Paul back in the van it was my turn again, and this time I was heading the right way and had a good 30 minute ride. Ian and Kevin then finished the first round of rides and Paul started us on round 2 with 44 miles already done and it was only 9:23 am. Round 2 had some great rides. Some tough uphills, good downhills and spectacular scenery. By the end of round 2 we were 78 miles done. It was 11:28am now and the sun was beginning to get hot, very hot! Another 87 miles to go and probably a few more hills....

Day 2 - Up the Hills to the Finish

Photo 19: Paul cooling Ian down with his battery powered water pistol!

Photo 20: Ian fueled up and ready for another ride

Photo 21: A well earned drink at the end of day 2

The fourth round of rides was hills, hills and more hills!!. Long hard pushes up and then fast descents. Paul started our fifth round at 14:53 with 141 miles on the clock. He had another hard hot climb and I then took over with some more up as well as some welcome down. Kevin then went next and took us to within 30 miles from home. Ian then went out for the last of the fifth round rides and took another "Lift Off" drink to help him on his way.

With 20 miles left to go we started a sixth round of rides, but we shortened them to 20 minutes each to keep people going. Ian hopped on for what we thought was the last of the sixth round and we set the sat nav up and found there was actually 11 miles left. Ian did the first 6 on his own, then I hopped up my bike with 5 miles to go and we cycled the last bit in together. Day 2 was done, it was the longest day, but it had been fun and the scenery spectacular. Just one more day to go!

Day 2 - (Continued)

Photo 16: Paul cycling through a quiet French village on day 2

Photo 17: Stuart Mason-Elliott and his wife on their unusual two person bike

Photo 18: Ian coasting to a change over at the end of another ride

A lot of the early miles for day 2 were close to the river so it was fairly flat. The open stretches had a good headwind so it was nice to find a group of riders to share the front of the pack with and take it in turns battling against the wind. We grabbed some rolls and pastries from one of the little towns we went through which made a nice change from energy bars and bananas. A couple of teams stopped to have a coffee and I caught up with one of their riders who was getting tired having been on the bike for an hour. He slip-streamed behind me for 10 minutes to get a bit of a break and finally his van re-appeared!

As I finished my third ride we'd clocked up 97 miles and were over half way through the 2011 Challenge. That's always a great feeling although we knew the bigger climbs were still ahead of us and with the sun starting to get really hot again so it was going to be a tough afternoon.

Day 2 - Saumur to Limoges (193 miles)

Photo 14: The sun coming up on day 2 of the Challenge

Photo 14: First view of the Chrome Domes double-decker bike

Photo 15: Still not sure how they got on and off safely!

The end of day 1 had one last twist which was finding the accommodation!. We were staying at a holiday camp by a golf course and finding it in the dark turned out to be harder than everyone imagined. In the end there were dozens of vans driving up and down dark lanes with the sat nav and Googlemaps saying we were there, but no sign of the camp. Eventually we saw some local French people who gave us directions. We didn't even have to say where we were going they just pointed us round the corner and over a crossing so they must have directed a few people that night!

Day 2 started early with alarms going off at 5:30 am. Breakfast had to be staggered in shifts as the restaurant at the camp was pretty small and we were lucky and had one of the earlier slots at 6:20. As soon as breakfast was done we set Paul off so we were underway by about 6:50. It was a cold dark start as we made our way out of Saumur. The signs were few and far between and although the route was straight, once you'd been cycling for 10 minutes without seeing a sign you started to wonder if you were still heading the right way.

We were clocking up the miles pretty quickly, but needed to get some petrol to make sure we had enough for the mountains at the end of the day. We finally saw a garage and left Kevin on for a bit of extra time while we filled up the van. After filling up we drove off quickly and caught Kevin back-up and then shot ahead 5 minutes to get ready for a change. As we did that we caught up with one of the Chrome Domes cycling their double-decker bike. It was amusing to see the reaction he got as he cycled through the towns. People doing a double take and then cheering him on. He really was an usual sight!

Day 1 - The last push!

Photo 11: Paul cycling on his own in a welcome stretch of shade!

Photo 12: Ian ready to go after a "Lift-Off" energy drink...

Photo 13: Dinner in the Ackerman Caves in Saumur

Kevin and Ian wrapped up the 4th round of rides. Towards the end of the ride the heat and hills caught up with Kevin and his legs started to cramp so Ian made him one of his special muscle re-energizing drinks!

Paul started the fifth round with about 40 miles left to go to the end of day 1. With 40 miles to go if we all cycled 10 miles in our 30 min slot we'd only have one last ride each. However, there were a few hills to come yet, and even though it was now late in the afternoon it was still very hot. We pushed hard for the last stretch of the day and I think each of us was happy when we finished. When the last round of rides finished there were still 10 miles left so Paul did the first 5 miles and Ian and I then rode in together on the final 5 miles and we finally got off our bikes just after 7pm.

Dinner was in the Ackerman Caves near to the finish line which was an unusual venue, but was nice and cool after the heat of the day. Day 1 was done, we just had to find the hotel and get some sleep ready for an early start for day 2.

Day 1 - (Continued)

Photo 8: Ian singing to the music as he cycled along

Photo 9: Kevin coming to the end of another hot ride.

Photo 10: More fancy dress - pink helmet brushes and leg warmers!

The next round followed the same sequence again with each of our team taking their turn at riding, then resting, then driving, then navigating and back to riding again. By the time Paul started his third ride we'd clocked up 78 miles and based on the mileage completed we estimated we'd probably need to do five or six rides each on the first day depending on how hot and hilly it got. The heat was definitely beginning to kick in and we were all drinking lots to rehydrate. Ian had the most complicated system of energy powders and re-hydration drinks. At breakfast he had Formula 1 Sport, then just before he got on the bike he had Amino Acids and Lift Off, while he was doing a ride he had a herbal life hydrate and after a ride he had Prolong, a Protein Bar and two Guarana tablets. With all the powders and tablets in his bag we were just glad we weren't stopped at customs!

We passed the 100 mile mark on Kevin's third ride just after 2pm local time with five and a half hours on the clock. Just another 81 miles to go to the day 1 finish!

Day 1: St Malo to Saumur (181 miles)

Photo 5: Team Far Canal setting-up a welcome drink for riders at the Portsmouth Ferry Terminal

Photo 6: The Dream Team dressed as French Maids getting ready for the start

Photo 7: Arriving in St Malo as the sun-rises on day 1 of the Challenge.

The ferry ride from Portsmouth to St Malo all went smoothly. Team Far Canal set-up a table at the check-in with some Flack Manor beer on tap and it was good to see some old faces from previous challenges in the crowd.

The evening on the boat passed quickly, the on board cabaret seemed to clear the bar very effectively so a group of us stood on the deck outside to watch the English coastline disappear into the darkness. Day 1 started at 6:30 local time and we all piled into the restaurant for a cooked breakfast. Soon it was time to head to the van. The ferry arrived at St Malo and we pulled the van over just after customs unloaded the first bike and Paul headed off. All the vans were unloading riders so there were lots of bikes on the road and care was needed to weave through the crowds with the van. We caught a glimpse of the Chrome Domes on their double-decker bike and after getting a little lost with the arrows in the old town we were soon heading out into the countryside.

I set-off next after Paul and had a good long flat ride to stretch the legs out, Kevin then went next and Ian finished up the first round of rides just as we started to get into the rolling hills! First round of rides done and with 34 miles on the clock Paul started us off again on the second round. The day was beginning to really hot up already and it was only 11.00 local time. It was going to be a long hard day.

The Route

A couple of people have asked for more details on the route so here it is!

We'll be starting early tomorrow morning (Thursday) under the historic walls of St Malo on the French coast. We'll then cycle from Brittany into Normandy and head south over the Loire to spend the first night in the home of Saumur. The next day we then, follow river valleys that climb into the foothills of the Massif Central, and spend the second night on the outskirts of the city of Limoges. The third day we then ride on south towards the headwaters of the Dordogne. The Challenge finish line is a 14th century medieval bridge over the river Lot at Cahors, apparently home to the “black wine” revered by Tzars, Popes and Princes!. The organizers described the route as "beautiful Normandy scenery, a ride along the Loire and Creuse rivers lulling you into a false sense of security before a lumpy and spectacular run to Limoges and Cahors."

It's always hard to tell how hard the terrain will be before you get there, however this year we've been given the profiles as well and day 3 does indeed look a little "lumpy"....!

Photo 4: Day 3 Profile Limoges to Cahors