Over the last few weeks, with the Tour De France as our backdrop, we have been sharing some of the highlights from our Ride4Five charity ride. We want to share three more highlights with you. The first is the tackling of the legendary Alp d’Huez. With Sean having just turned 50 and Ben approaching 60, cycling up a mountain as fierce as Alp’Dhuz was no mean feat. The climb is severe. Twenty-one hairpins, each with a short, steep ramp connecting the next. The average gradient is over 8%. From base to summit, cyclists climb over 6000ft (1860M) in less than 8miles. (13KM)
We asked Sean to recount the experience.
Climbing Mountains
When Ben and I decided to do this challenge, there was no in-depth analysis. Nor did we truly consider the gravity of what we were about to undertake. Perhaps if we had, we would have gone a different route. Isn’t that just like life, though? It is often with hindsight that we view challenges in their true context. The whole reason for our undertaking this momentous ride was to highlight the mental struggles that friends had succumbed to. They had mountains that they felt were too much for them to climb. One mountain for each friend. Ride4Five.
Regardless of who we are, we set challenges for ourselves that can often overwhelm us. Whether it’s starting a business, undertaking some personal project, or making rash life decisions, we put in motion a course of events that have consequences. Sometimes those consequences are far larger than we anticipate. So, how do we deal with them successfully? The same way as we deal with cycling up a mountain. Let me explain.
For the purposes of this reflection, I will use the example of starting a business. The principles are the same, though, for any challenge in life. When you decide to start a business, you are faced with several significant choices: What route will I take? How will I finance the project? How can I ensure that the company has every chance of success? These are all unknowns. Without actual data and experience, all you can do is project your idea of how you will deal with the challenges and what success will look like.
When Ben and I sat in the comfort of that pub in Cornwall, by a nice warm fire, ale in hand, the challenge rolled off the tongue. ‘We will ride 1500 KM in 15 days, including five of the Tour De France Mountains.’ Simple. I should admit to you now that, despite being a relatively educated and intelligent person, I had no idea how immense the Alps were. I had even suggested that, once we had finished the challenge, I might “nip over the Pyrenees” and go see a friend in Spain. The reason I was so confident was that I had some level of fitness and had ridden several long rides in my time. The look on Ben’s face told me that he thought I was mad.
Of course, completing a few long rides and cycling up a few steep hills does not prepare you for the Alps. In the same way, having a good idea/name for a business, and having won at Monopoly a few times, does not prepare you for the rigours of starting your own company. However, we have to believe in ourselves and take the plunge. This is not a reflection on whether or not we should have done what we did. It is a consideration of how we ACHIEVED what we did, in the face of adversity. Again, just like life.
Facing Reality
In his infinite wisdom, Ben decided not to fill me in on what a mountain range actually looks like. While he encouraged me to ‘try the Alps before deciding on the Pyrenees’, his main approach was to keep schtum and be there to support each other, enjoy the experience and probably relish the look on my face. We need friends like that in life. Naysayers and negative energy get us nowhere.
For the two days before the climb of Alp’Dhuez, the horizon was lined with vast, dark shapes frowning down on us. In the final half-day, as we approached the Airbnb, which crouched on the valley floor, dwarfed by Alp D’Huez, the gravity of the situation we had created became all the more serious. That night, as we sat outside a restaurant five miles from the base, all 1860M of the mountain towered over us. To say it was intimidating is an understatement. I scoured the dark shadow for clues. Way up towards the top of the mountain, a tiny cluster of lights stood out, twinkling like Christmas lights. I imagined it might be a few cars parked high on the summit, taking in the view of the valley floor below. When our waiter brought our food, I asked, “What are the lights right up there?”
“Oh, that. Just a ski resort,” he replied.
Jeez.
The next morning, we cycled the five miles across the valley floor to the base of the mountain. The previous seven days’ gentle rides, with very little in the way of challenging climbs, had been building up to this very moment. Our first ascent stared down at us. Ben and I wished each other ‘good luck’ (We climb at different paces, so we always meet at the top of any hill).
As I hit the first ramp, the ground veered upwards, and I was faced with a slope as steep as any I had ever ridden up in Cornwall. Halfway up that ramp, the switchback just 500 yds ahead, I realised we may have bitten off more than we could chew. There were another twenty of these ramps, and then a further climb to the summit. Five mountains, in five days? What were we thinking?
Keep turning the pedals.
Were you to ask me how to cycle up a mountain, the simple answer I would give is, ‘just keep turning the pedals.’ There is a simple truth to that statement. Whatever challenges you are facing in your life right now, personal or business, I maintain that you should just keep turning the pedals. There are, however, other determining factors.
Make sure you have support. Having Ben ascending behind me kept me going. I knew that he was right there on the mountain with me.
Keep something in reserve. As any cyclist will tell you, going flat out with no thought for the next miles’ effort will lead to collapse. You absolutely must pace your effort. That means preparing before your ride by eating and hydrating with the right types of food. It also means regularly putting food in while riding. Ensure you have sufficient resources to draw upon, whether financial, social, or spiritual. If you don’t have enough, then ask for help!
Know your numbers. When you are in a place you have never been before, you must truly understand yourself. Back then, I knew what heart rate I could maintain and for how long. I knew the time it would take me to recover after a sustained effort. I could tell you exactly the number of pedal turns that I needed to do in any given minute, based on the terrain and effort required of me. I knew my numbers. Without that level of deep understanding of oneself, business, or mental state, we run the risk of blowing out. Understand yourself, your early warning triggers and your limits.
Ride to the disappearing point. When you are faced with a 13KM climb up a very steep incline, you don’t think about the top. You focus on the point where the road disappears, and you ride to the challenges you see in front of you. Focusing on the summit will overwhelm you and have you grind to a halt under the pressure. Assess what you can see, and aim for the next point. Reach that point, and then repeat the process for the next disappearing point. Bite-sized chunks, always.
The climb of Alp’Huez hurt. I faced physical and mental challenges that I had not imagined. But bit by bit, I got there. I may have underestimated the challenge, but I knew what I was capeable of, and how far I could push myself. We had planned to ride another 60 miles off the back of Alp D’huez and on to our Airbnb. we reached the valley floor, and cycled onwars to the next elavation. A relatively short climb over a foothill. My legs, however, were done for the day. Accepting we had reached what we could safely do, we phoned for the support, and loaded our bikes into the van.
There is another valuable lesson to be learned from climbing mountains. However, I want to save that until Mont Ventoux – Day 13 – and Unlucky for Some.
Alp’Dhuez The Stats:
– Distance: 50KM / 31miles
– Cycling Time: 2:55:45
– Average Speed: 18KPH/ 11 mph
– Top Speed:66 KPH / 42 MPH
– Distance Climbed:1845m / 6053ft
Every stage was a challenge, but the cause kept us moving forward. Thank you to everyone who supported, donated, and cheered us on—your encouragement made all the difference. Let’s continue to raise awareness for mental health and support vital charities like @Samaritans.
#ride4five #charityride #tourdefrance #samaritans #stlukeshospice #nexpaytour #supportintimesofneed #wegotheextramile #gotheextramile #benandsean3 #mentalhealthawareness
Coming Soon #BenandSean3 – #StLukesHospice
