Le Cochet Derby. We did it!

Le Cochet Derby; A time trial from Le Chatelard to le col de la Fenêtre; go as fast as you can up 977 vertical metres in 9.5kms on a rough, lose track in blazing sunshine. Why would anyone do that?

Why indeed. It was a slog; other than the odd glimpse of the glorious views when I managed to raise my line of vision above the endless dusty, rocky trail there was really no joy at all in any pedal or pace until I saw the finish line when a huge grin spread across my face – I’d done it.

We, Team (H)ug – that’s Rob, Alison, Chris, Helen, my husband and I, arrived in Le Chatelard at 09hr15 for the 09hr30 start only to be told that it was going to start at 10hr30. This is very French. Gather together 20 odd slightly anxious cyclists (with no bathroom facilities) and leave them to bake in the sun for an hour just to give the ambulance crew something to do, and the cyclists something to think about ..... hats and ice in this case! Of course in reality there were no ambulances because this is France and if you collapse then it is your own misadventure and you must deal with it, although if anyone thinks it’s really serious they’ll call the helicopters which, if they aren’t moving building materials about or ferrying the rich and famous between Michelin starred restaurants such as La Bouitte, will come and rescue you.

After we, half of Team (H)ug – myself, Chris and Helen of Alpine Club fame – not only failed to finish last year but also caused the race monitor to miss several glasses of wine at the top due to the enormously long amount of time we took to admit defeat and collapse into the rescuing 4x4, they decided that, this year, there would be no monitors and so we were left to our own devises. Quite right too.

And yes, they do really drive vast quantities of wine and food up to the top to hand out to the overheated contestants at the finish line, no water obviously, just wine ....... I like that about France.

The lack of monitors to my mind was a good thing because we were last again, and not having the pressure of a monitor checking his watch every 5 seconds by way of encouragement was truly a huge relief.

So we slogged on, walking and pushing the bikes when it got too steep to keep traction, riding when the pitch was more manageable. The first rider reached the top in 57mins. My husband was the first of our group at 1hr36, Rob next at 1hr44, then Alison, who also came in third of the women, at 1hr 55, then me at 2hr14 followed by Chris and Helen who came in at 2hr29 although they would have been faster if they hadn’t stopped to chat to the odd walkers we came across. What we all had in common at the top was a sense of relief, the need for alcohol and very bad backs from all the pushing; we’d trained for the cycling bit but not the pushing!

But there is a serious purpose to this event, it is to raise awareness on how climate change is affecting the mountains and so, once sufficient wine had been consumed and no one had keeled over from exhaustion (although there were a few slightly lopsided people who had to be propped up on rucsacks to prevent them rolling back down the mountain), writer and ecologist Yves Paccalet talked to us about what was happening in the mountains and what we can all do to help. From small things like not using our air con and vehicle share, to larger issues like how hotels and restaurants can recycle and contribute positively to halting the increasing temperatures across the globe. The essential message was that we can all do something....... I guess the question is ...... will we? With the mountain people reliant on the huge tourist influx, which drives and flies in from all round the globe then uses huge amounts of energy enjoying the skiing, is there really a will to change? Am I prepared to change? Am I just too selfish and set in my ways to be able to make a difference - am I prepared to walk up a mountain rather than take a chairlift...... it feels like a big ask! I am going to give ski de fond a go this year but then ..... the ski lifts are running anyway .......

Fully hydrated, fed and lectured it was time to go down, a mad dash back the way we came letting gravity do the work. Phew. That was 2 weeks ago. On the day I SWORE I would never, ever do it again, EVER. Now the pain, stiffness and exhaustion has passed and I’m about to head off out for an evening ride I’m feeling less sure about that and am already thinking about how to adapt my training for next year.

But the question – why DO we do these things to ourselves? - remains!

Nearby properties; New build for sale in Le Chatelard , Converted farm for sale with amazing view, Ski chalet for sale at the foot of the Cochet Derby course.