On the Road to Recovery team hit by injury blow

Day 3 – Valloire to Bourg d’Oisans
Distance: 147km
Estimated time: 7 hours 39 minutes
Ascent: 3543 metres
Descent: 4237 meters

ANOTHER early morning start and it can be  tough to get motivated when it is cold, wet and windy in the Alps.

Outside the Christiania Hotel in Valloire, though spirits were high at the start of the third day of the On the Road to Recovery challenge.

The first stage was the short ascent to Col du Telegraphe, but with more than 300km worth of pain in their legs, the climb felt much longer and some members of the team were feeling it more than others.

TheBusinessDesk.com’s Lee-j Walker, who this summer completed an Ironman in Switzerland in training for On The Road, was laid low by an injury to his knee, and had to retire.

He said: “I’m absolutely gutted. It’s the first knee injury I’ve ever had and I’m devastated I couldn’t complete day three. The aim is to get plenty of rest tonight, and attempt Alpe D’Huez tomorrow. I’m not getting on the flight home tomorrow until I’ve attempted the most iconic stage of the Tour de France.”

The next big challenge for the remaining eight riders was Col de la Crois de Fer, 2000 metres above sea level and 24km to the top.

The weather was still chilly, but the clouds had disappeared and the sun was shining. On the way up, the team kept discarding layers of clothing as the sun began to beat down. The views were tremendous. Green valleys extending from clear blue lakes and the snow-capped mountains piercing through the clouds in the distance.

The higher we climbed, the more impressive the views. At the top we stopped for coffee and it was time to stock up on calories. Each rider has had to consume on average 4,000 calories per day, which is equivalent to eight Big Macs.

Their diet includes sandwiches, peanuts, M&Ms, Snickers, bananas, apples, protein shakes, raisins – whatever they could stuff in their back pockets to eat on the go.

Rob Cotton said: “Today was the definition of pleasure and pain. We had a freezing descent to start with, then had to climb for three hours with gradients reaching 12% in most parts. At the top, the feeling was sensational. Tomorrow will be tinged with sadness. I have learnt to respect and love the mountains and will definitely miss them. To have a final race up one of the masterpieces that the Alps has to offer will be the icing on the cake.”

Rob Pailin added: “It was a massive relief to be cycling in the sunshine today after we’ve endured two whole days of wet weather.  Mike Perls came out of nowhere today with a surprising burst of speed, but we’ll see where his legs take him tomorrow when we have to tackle the iconic Alpe D’Huez climb in the morning, which I’m really looking forward to.”

To donate to the team’s fundraising efforts, go to : http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=OnTheRoad&isTeam=true

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