Alex to tackle "Etape Du Tour"
Alex Hawkes Course Manager of South Winchester GC is atempting a challange of a life time
The ride that I am doing is called the "Etape Du Tour" (A stage of the Tour) and the idea is that amateurs (10,000 of them) can ride a stage of the Tour De France under "Tour Conditions", ( closed roads, banners, feed stations, large crowds etc).
This year for the first time the organisers a running two different stages - a week apart - but it would prove too expensive to do both and I would not like to be away from South Winchester GC for that long during the summer months.
I have, therefore chosen to do the mountain stage, which takes place on Monday 11th July and will be riden by the pros as the final and most prestigious mountain stage (known as the Queen of Stages), stage 19, a week or so later.
Although not that long by tour standards at 109 km - it does take in three of the most famous alpine climbs in the Tour (Le Col du Galibier, Le Col du Telegraphe and possibly the most famous of them all, the Alpe D'Huez). The Galibier being more than three time higher than the highest road (private) in Britain - Great Dun Fell, in the Pennines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galibier
The stage begins in the town of Modane, near the Italian border and finishes on top of the Alpe D'Huez http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpe_d%27Huez
I think the main issues that I will face will be first the heat of France in July, the cold when decending at high speed from high mountains, the lack of oxygen at such altitude and the length of the climbs - the Galibier is over 18 km of uphill road on its own.
The main point that I have tried to make to people is that I am funding the whole cost of this trip myself (or at least my wife is for my 40th) so all the money that I raise will go to the charites, rather than funding the trip itself.
The reason that I make this point is that while listening to a radio station recently, a number of people spoke of their annoyance of people "doing their trip of a lifetime and getting other people to fund it via sponsorship". I am anxious to stress that I will not be doing this.
My reasons for choosing the two charities that I have done, (Parkinson's UK and The Alzheimer's Society) is that Parkinson's Disease runs in my paternal family (claiming my Dad's brother) and because my Father-In-Law has recently been diagnosed with two forms of dimentia, including Alzheimer's.
At the advice of my Mum, I am writing a blog about the whole experience including all the training etc that I undertake along the way - you can have a look by clicking the link below, and please pass this link on to anyone that you think may be interested as the more followers that I get the better. You can use any of the photos that you wish for publicity of course.
http://etape-journey-2011.blogspot.com/
The link to my fundraising page is http://www.justgiving.com/Alex-Hawkes-Alzheimers and http://www.justgiving.com/Alex-Hawkes-Parkinsons-UK