The Alps and Nice
Stages 16 to 21!
Having luxuriated in a rest day with no transfers, eaten vast amounts of food and tinkered with our bikes, we were ready again for this final leg to the finish in Nice.
First up, a hot and steamy but fast stage from the coast to the Roman city of Nimes. Riding in a peloton made for faster progress into a warm headwind as we ticked off the miles. The big deal of the day was young Beatrice who joined us from the excellent STAR Scheme. Never having ridden a bike until very very recently (in preparation for joining us on tour) Beatrice took her first ride on a road bike to experience just a tiny taste of the tour with us. A few tumbles later she was just as keen to keep trying and we look forward to welcoming her on tour to ride a full stage one day – that’s her ambition! Bravo Beatrice – it was brilliant to meet you and we hope you’re inspired to give physio your best shot AND to ride with us again one day.
Stage 17 – another scorcher which began in vineyards but ended with all the climbing back-loaded. Those who made it past our final feed stop 4 were in for a treat, with a stunning, steep lung-bursting climb up to Col du Noyer, before a final ascent then climb to the finish at Superdevlouy (and yet another transfer to our hotel in Gap).
Stage 18 took us into the Alps proper as we left Gap and circuited the beautiful Ecrins National Park. A lovely climb to our first col was followed by a glorious, whoop-inducing descent that ribboned down the mountain side. The next climb through a scented pine forest protected us from the burning heat that we’d not be able to escape for the rest of the stage. Turquoise lakes taunted us (same gave in and cycled down for a dip) and more than 1 rider opted for a full immersion in the water trough at feed stop 4! A final climb and descent brought us into the charming bustling tourist town of Barcelonette for the type of buffet a hungry cyclist dreams of!
But this glorious weather was not to last – storms threatened for stage 19 and it was with no small amount of trepidation that we set off – straight into a rain storm for those taking the lite option! With thunder rumbling and lightning in the distance, we knew this would be a day of unstable weather. The lucky ones would miss downpours by a matter of a couple of hundred metres … the less lucky ones found themselves in full tropical rainstorms on hair-raising descents, or on the top of the epic Cime de la Bonnette (the highest paved road in Europe at 2,800 metres in hail that gathered in drifts on the side of the road.
Having taken a tactical decision to move our feed stop to a cafe 15km into a 40km descent (a decision made on the mountain ahead of our riders with howling winds , thunder, lightning and rocks falling onto the road!) our riders re-fuelled and tried to warm up before continuing the descent to feed stop 4.
All that remained was a long 12km slog up t Isola 2000 passing waterfalls (and for some, feeling like they were riding in one!). Every rider’s day was different today, depending on where they were along the route when the weather systems hit. No one got it easy! And it was an exhausted group of cyclists that climbed onto coaches for Nice having filled up on dinner first in Isola 2000. The prospect of another HUGE stage and an early start for a short transfer for stage 20 was somewhat sobering. What a day!
And so to Nice and the final 2 stages of this extraordinary journey.
Having been frozen to the core at times the previous day, we were all set to cycle in an oven again in Nice on the penultimate enormous stage of the 2024 Tour. With a shocking 4,650 metres of climbing over just 152km, the Tour organisers really made us work for every pedal stroke of this Tour. Col de Braus, Col de Turini, Col de la Colmiane and finally Col de la Couillole. Beautiful … and brutal, in equal measure. But what a finish! High up above the Med, with glorious views to savour this very special moment.
We returned to our hotel to be greeted by some of the friends and family who flew out to celebrate the end of this year’s Tour with us. Stage 21 we rode out leisurely to Monaco and the start of the Time Trial stage, meeting with friends and family at a tennis club for lunch before the ride back to Nice. A fantastic atmosphere with huge smiles, a sense of excitement mixed with relief that we’ve made it this far. Pride in the faces of family members, lots of emotion. We always love this part of the tour where the reality of what we’ve achieved starts to dawn on everyone.
But even with a stop in Nice for drinks by the beach, we needed a proper celebration worthy of our riders. So in the evening we headed to a beautiful venue in a vineyard for a slap up dinner, medals and speeches. It was a fantastic night and a lot more fun than watching England loose the footie!
And so another brilliant Tour draws to a close. We’ve raised an astonishing £505,000 so far, and the funds continue to roll in until we close the fundraising for 2024 at the end of August.
To every rider – we salute you. That was a tough tour, but you rode with bravery and tenacity. Bravo! To all your families and supporters – thank you! Thank you for enabling our cyclists to train and take part, for supporting their efforts and for being so generous in your donations to WWMT.
Together we’ve achieved something incredible – not just in our own lives, but by significantly helping the lives of others who don’t enjoy the advantages in life that we perhaps take for granted. This is what makes Le Loop so special – it’s greater than the sum of its parts.
See you again next year!? Lille … here we come!
Vive Le Tour! Vive le Loop!
