A six-man team from The Children’s Centre recently completed the Raid Pyrenean cycle ride climbing some of the legendary cols used in the Tour de France. The trip was a recce for an official fundraising event for the charity next summer, and the organisers are now appealing for riders to contact them if they want to take part. The team was Mike Gardner, Gary Quilliam, Rob Quane, Paul Warburton, Mike Reaney, and Mark Eastham, Fundraising Co-ordinator for The Children’s Centre. Mark said:
“The course is 441 miles and passes over 18 cols through the French Pyrenees with 11,000 metres of climbing and a time limit of 100 hours. Riders start at 9am on Monday and have to be finished by 1pm on Friday. The event began in 1952 and was organised by Cyclo Club Bearnais, as it still is today. Riders can tackle the route from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean in either direction, any time between June and the end of September. We attempted the challenge the first week in June, the first week the passes should have been open, but due to an unseasonable cold spring the Col d’Aubisque (1709m) and the Col du Tourmalet (2115M) remained closed. The Cyclo Club Bearnais provided us with a different route that avoided these passes but added some other passes and increased the daily mileage by over 25 miles. The toughest day for me was day four – six cols, the highest being Col de Puymorens (1915m) which was 35 miles of climbing before you reached the summit in temperatures of 30C. By the time my Garmin battery gave up the ghost we had done 119 miles and had climbed 10,236 feet! The last day is meant to be the easiest. A leisurely 65 miles to Cebere where we needed to be before 1pm to get our final stamp. We made it with 20 minutes to spare.”
Mark is keen to hear from anyone interested in taking part in the Raid Pyrenean next June (the exact date has yet to be confirmed) to raise funds for The Children’s Centre’s charitable projects which help families and children across the Island. With two Manx riders (Mark Cavendish and Peter Kennaugh) in this year’s Tour de France he is hoping that the Raid Pyrenean will attract cyclists who want to experience for themselves some of the Tour’s toughest mountain passes. He added:
“The Raid Pyrenean is a tough challenge, and a great experience for anyone who is a fan of the Tour de France. But it’s also a chance to enjoy cycling in France on great roads with spectacular scenery – and in a country where cycling is an integral part of its history and culture. At The Children’s Centre we have a great deal of experience in organising cycling challenges such as Land’s End to John O’Groats, so anyone who joins our Raid trip can be sure that they will have a great time and given the very best support to give them the best chance of completing the challenge.”
For more details about the Raid Pyrenean go to www.velopeloton.com or email Mark Eastham at markeastham@thechildrenscentre.org.im or call 631917.
Photo -Left to right are Raid Pyrenean riders Paul Warburton, Rob Quane and Mike Reaney at the summit of Col de Puymorens.
