In June 2024, I will be aiming to set what will hopefully be a new Guinness World Record for crossing the French Alps, all in aid of Hospice Isle of Man.

Over 5 days, I will be cycling solo and self-supported from Grenoble to Nice taking on some of the biggest and most famous climbs in the cycling world. These are the sort that feature on the Tour de France and include the legendary Alpe d’huez, the Croix de Fer, the I’zoard, the Col de la Bonette and the mighty Galibier. However, there's a twist.....

In order to make this challenge truly epic (and sponsor able) and to set what will hopefully be a new Guinness World Record, then I will be riding the whole route on a 6 speed Brompton folding bike.

(If you didn't know, the Brompton was originally designed back in the 1970’s as a city commuting bicycle which folds up and can be carried on a train or bus. It's certainly not an obvious choice when it comes to high altitude mountain climbing !)

By the time I reach Nice I will have ridden approximately 300 miles and climbed almost 40,000 feet, which to put into perspective is almost the same height as Mount Everest plus Mont Blanc when added together, all self-supported and all on a small folding bike.

And if that isn't enough, I'm a 50 year old Type 1 diabetic, which will no doubt add an extra layer of spice and complexity to it all !

The whole event is in aid of Hospice Isle of Man who provided palliative care to my late father in law - Colin Davies in 2022. They were honestly incredible to Colin and our family and so I hope that by the end of this epic journey I will have raised at least £10,000 to give something back to this amazing organisation.

For the avoidance of doubt, this is a self-funded challenge and so 100% of any donation will go to Hospice IOM.

If you’re interested in following the adventure, then I will be vlogging the entire adventure on a GoPro Max which will be uploaded after the challenge ends to my YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@hoggvindog

You can also follow the tour on my real-time blog on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553014267532

or

https://twitter.com/Hoggvindog

https://www.instagram.com/hoggster99/

For the avoidance of doubt, this is a self funded challenge and so 100% of any donation will go to Hospice IOM.

I hope you will be able to support me for this really worthwhile cause and thank you in advance.

Dave

Finally, a huge thank you to Gary Gödel for the Original Artwork. Check out his amazing work at :

www.redbubble.com/people/gagodel

A huge thank you also to my colleague Dominic Richardson for giving his time so generously and for incorporating Gary’s artwork into the trailer and flyers.