Well I did it! Got the medal and didn't get off on any climbs - objectives achieved.

Incredibly tough and hot (30+) for the much of the route. Best analogy for the uninitiated - although the route is 95 miles long,  'only' 61 are uphill, so imagine cycling from sea level to the top of Mont Blanc (15,782 ft) for 61 miles in a day.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

This is the third and most difficult of my cycling adventures. For those unfamiliar with the Etape du Tour, it enables amateur cyclists to ride the same stage as the professionals in the Tour de France over closed roads. If that was not bad enough, the ride has a time limit and riders must maintain an ambitious (at least for me!!) average speed or risk being 'swept up by the broom wagon'. Typically, 20-30% do not finish - gulp.

I have chosen to ride Act 1 along with 10,000 others. This Alpine route is 152 KM (95 miles) long, climbs 4 Alpine cols with a cumulative ascent of about 4670M (15500 ft). This takes place on 8th July. More information for those interested may be found at: http://www.letapedutour.com/ET1/us/homepage.html

This year I have chosen to support Parkinsons UK and I hope that my efforts will encourage you to donate to this very worthwhile charity.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.