Monday 11th July

Modane Valfrejus to Alpe d'Huez, the 19th stage of the Tour de France 2011, and I was in the start pen of the 2011 Etape du Tour, ready to ride. My brother-in-law James and I had been given the chance to glimpse the challenges of riding Le Tour, and to see how we measure up against the mountains, against seven thousand others and against ourselves.

The closed roads and massed start immediately sets this Sportive apart and as my group of riders rolled away and out of the town of Modane, the feeling of being part of something special grew. Leaving the cheering crowds that lined the start of the route, the first 15km was a sweeping descent that let us stretch our legs and enjoy the freedom of riding without traffic. Groups formed as the pace picked up, splitting and reforming as we swept over roundabouts and down into Saint Michel de Maurienne. With the prologue over, we turned a sharp left to head over the bridge and the climb of the Col du Telegraph began.

This was my first climb in the Alps. We'd arrived just 36 hours before and aside from a twenty minute shakedown, this was the first chance to test my legs. But the Telegraph was benign; a steady 7% gradient in the early morning cool of the trees gave me a chance to get a feel for my climbing and it felt good. Riders began to sort themselves out and drop into a rhythm and I began to settle into a group of familiar jerseys as we kept pace with each other.

After the short drop into Valloir, the ascent of the Galibier began. This was a great climb, with the landscape building intensity along with the effort. It begins with a relatively gentle rise, sheltered on both sides by the steep sided valley, but climbing on for 10km. As the valley opens out, the road turns sharply back on itself and begins a series of switchbacks, like a ladder up the valley wall, before briefly flattening out by the new Marco Pantani memorial. The drag was now steady as we climbed towards the final pitch to the summit. The alpine grass dies away as you ride into a lunar landscape amidst the remains of the winter snow and all the while above and below you a constant river of cyclists grinds out the ascent. Finally the road rounds the last corner through a small crowd of marshalls, gendarmes and applauding spectators to crest the col and head downhill.

The first section of the descent was on freshly re-surfaced road, ready for the Stage 18 mountain top finish on the Galibier. But the impeccable surface doesn't hide the technical hairpins and the sheer drops if you get it wrong. Concentration levels were fierce until the road opened up at the Col du Lautaret and my confidence rose. From here on in I was clear to enjoy the rest of the 30 miles and 8000 ft of descent. The closed roads allowed you to use the full width of the road, seeking out the perfect line through the mountain hairpins. This was a descent of your dreams, smooth roads, spectacular alpine scenery, and an edge of competitive buzz from the other riders around you. No matter we all might have started at different times, but we all felt the atmosphere of the race. But this kind of descent is why we ride and why it's worth all the effort of training; there was a real rush from the sheer joy of cycling, my cheeks were hurting from the grin on my face and I hear myself laughing out loud.

I'm snapped back to reality in a flash; a clip of kerb at the head of the group I'm in and a rider is thrown from his bike at 30+ mph. A couple of us stop to help and within seconds a motor bike arrives and the impeccable Etape organisation clicks in. We were sent on once the emergency services were on their way, but further back down the road James was held for twenty minutes while the race was stopped to allow a helicopter evacuation. The resulting jam of riders caused real problems as many were forced to walk through the badly lit tunnels.

The final approach to Alpe d'Huez runs along the flat of the valley bottom for a few kilometres and, after the frantic descent, brings a steady rhythm back to the legs in anticipation of the climb. No great fanfare heralds the start of Alpe d'Huez, just a timing strip in the road before a left turn and the climb up to hairpin 21. This is the beginning of a grim countdown as you turn back and forth across the mountain. There are no sharp steep sections on the climb, nothing to force you out of the saddle, but it's a relentless 7-10% gradient. It was like a surreal turbo session, monotonous, drenched in sweat, yet surrounded by stunning scenery, the road littered with riders suffering in the 35 degree heat and cries of "allez! allez! from spectators along the whole route. All the while I concentrate on trying to maintain a steady sustainable cadence as I paced myself up towards the finish.

After nearly an hour and a half of climbing, I finally crested the hill, past the crowded noisy bars and into the Alpe d'Huez resort. The run into the finish was a surge of adrenaline, living through the replays of past d'Huez finishes in my head I passed under the bridge, before turning into the short descent before that famous final bend. Without thinking I zipped up my jersey and with sudden reserves rode confidently up the hill lined with crowds of family and friends cheering in the riders over the line.

6 Hours 13 minutes was my time for the 109km stage with 12,500 ft of climb. When we signed up James and I simply had the goal of completing the event and avoiding the broom wagons. Well, we both did that well within time, and in the end I finished just into the top half of the 6,461 finishers at 3,209th place. I've never finished over three thousandth in an event before and I've never been happier to do so!

The Etape was an incredibly well organised event with a unique atmosphere and I can heartily recommend making the trip if you can. It went beyond the normal level of Sportive organisation, from the espresso and madeleins  laid on at breakfast, to the innovative personal video replays up on the web within a couple of days. Check out my videos at http://tinyurl.com/6f62h9z, not least to appreciate the constant stream of riders on the course (pick a camera viewpoint from the menu top left and keep an eye out for the red West Suffolk jersey). You can also check out the route from my Garmin at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/98750288

Michael Lawson