Article about the Cent Cols Challenge in French newspaper Dauphine Libere
Not only did the inaugural Cent Cols Challenge catch the imagination of all the riders who took part and those UK-based readers following via the blogs on RCUK, but French newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré greeted us at the finish.
Capurting the momentous occasion when most of the riders who started rolled wearily over the finish, here’s a rough translation of the article:
“On Thursday a group of 30 riders crossed the finish line at the top of the Semnoz of a 10-day 2,200km ride across the Alps. Having started in Thonon on 14th September their mission was to ride 200km per day climbing 4,200m per day on average and taking in many of the legendary cols as they made their way down to Nice and back up to the Semnoz….”
“You could see the sense of satisfaction on the faces as they sat out on the café terrace at the finish, but most of all you could see the sense of camaraderie amongst the group. Only one rider abandoned during the ride. This was the first edition of this event and four different routes are planned for next year. Philip [Deeker] hopes to attract riders from other european countries eventually to further share the ideals by which true ‘grimpeurs’ live by.”
