Sunday 7^th July

5.00 am.  I have been lying awake for a while but now it is time to get up.  I cannot pretend not to have been anxious about this. Yesterday, my family and I drove around the course to get an idea of what to expect. No matter how often I have studied the route on paper and Google earth, there is no substitute to getting to see it in person. Because of the nature of the route and the closed roads, this will also be the only chance for my wife and 2 daughters to see it.

7.00 am. As dawn broke, I cycled in from the camp site overlooking the lake some 10 miles south of Annecy, gradually picking up more riders the nearer we got to the town.  A long time followed standing in the pen waiting for the start.  As the first riders get away at 7.00, my bib number of 10,264 means that I have longer to wait.   A staggered start is a new feature this year and each pen is called up at 10 minute intervals.  I saw Martyn in his pen earlier and we wished each other a good ride.  The wait seems interminable. My neighbour, Lisa, is from New York where her husband runs a cycle travel business and has a party over for the etape and to follow the Tour de France. The announcer tells us that there are 55 nationalities talking part with GB the second most represented country at 24% of entries.  We shuffle forward and are off by 8.15am, cheered on by a crowd of well wishers.

9.30 am. I had been suffering an irrational fear that I would find the first climb of the day too much, so it was some relief to get over this col! The main difficulties prove to be the sheer number of riders on the narrow hill, some inexperienced in group riding and wandering all over the road. Faster riders come through from behind, motorcycle riders overtake on the left, and slower riders crawl up the inside. It is chaos and discipline is required to hold a steady line.

9.40 am. I ignore the first drink stop and carry on. The first descent begins and more faster riders swoop by.  Soon, marshals wave to slow us down and we pass an ambulance and support vehicles.  A reminder of the dangers of descending too fast and the caution required.  Encouragements are exchanged with two riders from Ipswich. It turns out that another rider used to work at the West Suffolk Hospital several years ago and asks after Soren.

11.30 am. Now at the far end of this roughly circular course and we have crossed some beautiful alpine countryside and small villages with enthusiastic spectators. I wave at a Union Jack flag and receive a wave back.  The steady climb to Col des Pres was marked by a zig zag of coloured jerseys and followed by a thrillingly fast descent.  Take on water at the drink stop before the 15 km climb of Mont Revard.  I have an additional hazard: sun tan lotion has run into my right eye restricting my vision.

1.30pm. It is hot!  The climb has taken its toll as several riders have stopped to rest in the shade. Other riders offer encouragement to a man and a woman on a tandem who are making good progress. Not much conversation in the last hour as everyone conserves their energy. I pull over to take a drink and to ease my aching feet. Another Brit pulls up and asks ‘how much longer is this .....thing?’.

3.00pm. Final food stop. There is a mini festival in the village of Gruffy, with a band playing, folk dancing and local produce to taste. I linger, recovering strength for the final climb to Semnoz and greet 3 riders with Diss cycle club jerseys. Back on the road after an all too brief rest, it is uphill all the way from here for 20 kms to the finish.

Gentle to start with, then a steep section out of the final village of Quintal  where many riders dismount and begin to walk. At this point I was glad of the 32 gear on my cassette which meant that I could get going uphill on the bike after stopping for a drink and to ease the pain in my feet.  At 6km to go, we join the main road from Annecy to Semnoz and share this with the riders who are now descending. This introduces additional hazards for the uphill riders (and the increasing number of walkers!).  I congratulate Martyn as he descends - I face 4kms and another 300m of ascent!

4.55pm. The finish!  Hundreds of riders congregate at Semnoz, relaxing, re-hydrating and enjoying magnificent views.  I make contact with my family who are waiting in the tented village back in Annecy and begin the descent to meet them.  The road is now 2 way with cyclists ascending.  Brakes work overtime to control speed.  Another rider in my group suffers a blow out but controls his bike safely; I suspect he will need attention from the Mavic motor cycle mechanics.  No need to touch the pedals for the next half an hour.

Back in the tented village I pick up my finisher’s medal and goody bag and meet up with the Wood and Wagner families.  Smiles and laughter as we recount our experiences outside a bar around a table laden with beer and water.

The 8 mile ride on the flat back to the campsite will not be a problem!

Overall impressions?  A fantastic experience.  Good organisation with only some chaos at the start.  A huge number of cyclists, long unrelenting uphill rides, exhilarating descents, great countryside, hot and sunny weather, thirst, aching feet, and good camaraderie amongst the riders, supporters and spectators. Definitely one of the hardest days of cycling that I have experienced, but my training programme certainly paid off.  I had identified my poor hill climbing ability early on and planned to work on this. The Italy training camp proved a really useful introduction to the hills - (thanks Justin) – but these were bigger and longer!

This year’s Etape may not have been the longest Alpine stage nor did it take in the classic Alpine climbs, but it was a challenging course.  11,475 riders started, 10,624 finished.  My finishing position was 9,362.  Finishing was always my ambition – objective achieved!  What to do next year?!

Who is up for a WSW ‘team Etape’?!