Cycle to Mipim, day six: the home straight

Andy Hillier

While the stage was only around 160km, what I hadn’t appreciated was the 2,600 metres of climbing along the route.

The day was made far harder by the horrendous weather conditions. The rain had started falling heavily the previous night and hadn’t stopped by the time we departed at 6.30am.

Nevertheless, we donned our full wet-weather cycling gear and headed out from Gréoux-les-Bains into the dark. Progress was slow as we picked our way through the morning commuter traffic. We then found ourselves battered by strong headwinds and crosswinds once clear of the towns and villages.

Wet and cold, we pedalled on. The first major climb of the day was Gorges du Verdon, a long but extremely picturesque climb that winds its way above an emerald-green river. Trying to ride a big climb in wet-weather clothing proved a major challenge: you quickly overheat when heading up hill, then freeze on the descents. As a result, you constantly have to zip and unzip layers of clothing while trying to stay upright on the bike.

After a lunch stop and a change into some dry clothing, the peloton headed in the direction of Cannes. But more climbing awaited, testing the resolve of the riders like me with rapidly tiring legs.

But then, as we crested the final hill of the day, the coastline came into sight and the aches and pains all disappeared. A few kilometres later and we arrived at La Croisette in Cannes to rapturous applause from friends and colleagues.

Getting to the finish required both perseverance and camaraderie. The lows were really low, but the many highs made up for it.

A huge thanks must go not only to the 60 riders who took part this year but the Club Peloton staff and crew who supported us every pedal stroke of the way.

So, would I do it again? Halfway through the gruelling last day I told everyone it was my first and last time. Twenty-four hours later, I’m not so sure. There’s a part of me that thinks I could have ridden even further or cycled faster up the hills. There’s only one way I’ll find out.