Next Year ?

The obvious question isn't it ?

The instant answer is "No."

the more considered answer from the comfort of my desk is "Still No."

Riding the Etape is a big deal. It takes a lot of training, a lot of time and ultimately a lot of money.

The experience was good, but I can think of better things to spend the money on. With a bit of sponsorship I raised about £750 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, so that is something to he proud of. But on the other hand, if I had just sat at home and watched TV for 4 days and not spent money on hotels or fuel or Tolls or food etc....  then I could have donated twice that.

One of the first pieces of advice I got was to go and get a place on an organised tour. They seemd very pricey, but Mick assured me they were the best way to do it. As the family wanted to come it was not really an option, but he was right, there is no easy way to do this on the cheap.  I guess travelling down in one go, avoiding the Peage and camping down there for a couple of days would be better. Making it into the family summer holiday would have been the best option, but it didn't fall in with school holidays, so not really an option.

I can see why people think the etape is amazing, but it is not for me. I love the mountains and I love my bike and I would love to go back and ride the big mountain passes again, but just for the fun of it.