France End To End Day 14 : Huge Downhill And Emotional Endings

7th October 2023 Castellane To Nice

So I’m sitting here a day after we finished in Nice, looking back on a very special day which ended in Hot and Sunny glorious weather on the coast but began up on the higher ground in Castellane where extra layers were donned as we left our hotel in the morning mist. We have had this morning mist on several occasions and as ever it gave a beautiful alternative view to the surroundings and the best example would be comparing the view of that amazing church at the top of the rock that I included in yesterday’s blog

After 13 days when sometime’s it has felt we’ve been climbing up hills constantly , the ride began very soon after the start to climb again and we had a couple of 4 mile climbs with a small descent in between and I wasn’t the only one to comment along the lines of ” only 4 miles” . An example of how your mindset alters across 14 days of a traverse across a country. 2 months ago I would NEVER have talked of a 4 mile climb in such a flippant fashion, but true to the new description, we just got on with it and the climb revealed more photo opportunity as we rose above the mist and into the morning sun , although extra layers didn’t come off until our 20 mile Brew Van stop because the short downhills were still cold in the shadow of the surrounding hills.

The Brew Van as ever came at the right time, it had been mostly uphill for the first 20 miles, not always tough but up nonethless and it was like an “everything must go” garage sale with it being the last “van feed” of the tour so in spite of a relatively easy last 30 odd miles I found myself grabbing the last piece of Apple tart that I didn’t really need because ” it’ll be thrown away otherwise” . We set off , fully loaded and any extra layers taken off in the warm sunshine which gave us clearer views of villages below

What followed was simply stunning and nothing that any of us had remotely come across before – a 24 mile descent all the way toward the coast. 24 miles with hardly any pedalling, and as were were at around 1100 metres at the start , it wasn’t steep it was just a glorious gradual descent and it just got better and better as we found ourselves going through a gorge again with its rocky outcrops, high walls, waterfalls and photo opportunities at every turn , which we gratefully took advantage of .

The excitement level grew as the sign came into site just around the corner of the promenade wall and up a slight hill – yes another bloody hill just to finish off with the recurring theme and with emotions already high because we all knew it was a hell of achievement to cycle across an entire country – I came the closest I ever came in 900 miles to falling off my bike in the last 20 yards. Knowing Richard had family waiting for him I heard the call “Come on Dad you’re nearly there” and thought nothing of it as it was Richard’s cheer leaders but out the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse and confusion for a few seconds almost caused me to topple. My son Jamie was there greeting me , I had no idea he was going to be here and, well , it tipped me over the edge emotionally – evidence below alongside a cheerier pose once I’d pulled myself together.

So we all crossed the line and after handshakes hugs, and a few tears all round, posed for a group photo and individual photos beside the sign to mark the occasion.

So there it is, around 900 miles and 57,000 feet of uphill pedalling including an epic day conquering the Beast of Provence Mont Ventoux. I’m no athlete by any means, my website and social media channels carry the title “Ordinary Bloke On A Bike” and that’s exactly what I am and is exactly why I say to anyone feeling they are “just” an ordinary bod with wild dreams of LEJOG, Ventoux or any other iconic challenges that could never come to fruition. You CAN do these things, 7 years ago I was a chubby non cyclist with these crazy thoughts. 29 years ago I made my only previous visit to the summit of Ventoux with my young family in the car, laughing at these mad people cycling up this monstrous mountain and there I was a few days ago doing the same and feeling euphoric.

I’m now typing this the day after we finished – Yes I was so pleased to wake up over an hour later than normal knowing I didn’t have to ride a bike today and give my sore backside a break but I wouldn’t change one minute of the last 2 weeks, achieving personal goals, riding across an entire country , finding it tough many times but spurred on by the fantastic people I shared the experience with, some I already knew and others who have become new friends. We have been in a relentless bubble with no time to do anything other than “EAT SLEEP CYCLE SHOWER REPEAT” and fit in there somewhere , washing cycling kit in the sink, and doing this blog. The relentless pace has now stopped but I feel the bubble will never burst, just like with LEJOG. These epic multi day challenges do that to you- shared goals, shared triumphs and all that and I doubt this is the last time I will cycle with most of these great people, who all achieved their own personal victory yesterday.

I did this for many reasons one of which was to raise money for Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice in Coventry who really need the funds and during the last week through generous donations, recognising the gradual struggle to get this done we got the total for this challenge to over £7,000 and I’m immensely grateful for every single penny.. If anyone reading this wishes to support me and Zoe’s place Baby Hospice in recognition of me completing this challenge my fundraising page can be found by clicking here.

France End to End – If you cycle, try it some time and I’d recommend Pedal Britain to help you achieve it because I could never have done this without them and the group they put together to complete it with me. Goodbye and Au revoir from Nice!