Reflection

Two weeks have passed since I flew into Geneva to start the Haute Route and myself & Nicola have spent the second of those weeks at a wonderful bed & breakfast villa in Eze village where we have rested, eaten & drunk a lot and done a little bit of sightseeing. It has given me some time to reflect on my whole experience and what I have learned. 

Although I prepared meticulously for this event and trained as hard as I have ever trained there are some things I didn't prepare for:

 firstly the self doubt I had all the way up to crossing the finish line at the top of the Col de Vence can't be ignored, there were some days it was a palpable almost crushing feeling like the night before stage 1 and stage 3, it affected my sleep which over time adds mental fatigue to your already fatigued body. I have always been nervous before events but once I got going it would be fine, this was different, this was everyday and very debilitating.

The sense of loneliness at the start, when I thought about it I had never done one of these big events without my friends or club mates around me and I found it hard at the start, in the end I have made some wonderful friends along the way. 

Altitude was another factor I hadn't taken into consideration, we spent most nights and quite a lot of the days at altitude, the first 4 nights we were at nearly 2000m and read like a who's who of French ski resorts; Megeve, Courcheval & Alpe D'Huez. In all the training I did I would climb the mountain then descend straight away so i was really only at altitude for a short time, this affected both breathing and sleep. 

Food was another factor, some of the breakfasts we were provided with were not to my taste and I found it hard to eat ham & cheese baguettes at 5:30 in the morning! If I ever do another one I will make sure to take porridge, cereals and stay stocked up on bananas and milk. 

The biggest thing I wasn't prepared for was how hard it actually was, I knew it would be tough and I reasoned that I had put the hours of training in and my improvement had been huge but it was not enough, there were a couple of stages where sheer bloody mindedness got me through, my aerobic fitness was excellent throughout and I never felt like I was struggling but there were times when I just didn't have the power in my legs to "dig in" when it got really steep, don't get me wrong I never felt like I would have to get off and walk but there were times my speed went down to a crawl. 

Just how tough is this event? Well it's been called one of the top ten hardest endurance events that an amateur can do but for me it's a combination of the obvious physical difficulty as well as the mental strength required to keep going, add into that all the variables like weather, mechanicals, Illness, injury and crashes and you start to get close to how tough it really is. 

And so to the cliche questions; what have I learned about myself? Would I do it again? what's next? Did you enjoy it? 

I have learned that I am both mentally strong but also mentally fragile, self doubt was my biggest threat to not finishing but pure grit and determination also got me through some of the hardest stages. 

I would definitely do it again and maybe I will do the Pyrenees version next year but it depends on a lot of factors, watch this space!

What's next will have to wait a month or so to let the dust settle before deciding!

Did I enjoy it? Absolutely yes! Not all of it,  for instance being soaking wet & cold pedalling against a 30kph headwind up a 9% slope on the Col Du Glandon was definitely not enjoyable, not being able to sleep was not enjoyable, descending on soaking wet roads with rain stinging your eyes and hypothermia setting in was not enjoyable and the sheer terror of failing at any given stage was not enjoyable but overall, hand on heart the answer is yes, the sense of achievement outweighs it all by a long way! 

So that's it, the journey is over but I would like to finish by thanking some people:

Paul Hart for pushing me hard on all those group 1 winter rides and the support and encouragement he has given me at every stage. 

The coaches of EETC without whom I would never have started down the endurance path. 

Dan Marsh who's training camps in Mallorca proved invaluable. 

Ian Tovell for our long Saturday rides!

Grant Lodge, Nick Morley, Shaun Amor, Si Chapman who's emails, phone calls, texts, what's Ap messages and comments on Strava kept me going, just to know these guys were with me every step of the way during the event helped immensely. 

Max Williams who gave me the idea for this blog and also gave me some fantastic advice after his similarly epic ride earlier in the year. 

Andy, Rich, Denis & Bernard my hotel & dining partners for the whole week. 

The Alpine Cols Team of Marvin, Stephane, Olivier & Georgie for the great support before, during & after each stage. 

My masseuse Miriam. 

Noy, Stephanie, Christian, Bruno, Shane, Elenora, Leah, Chrissie, Emma, Nick and Lake the friends I made along the way. 

And finally my wonderful, beautiful wife Nicola who put up with my absences, occasional mood swings when training wasn't going to plan, general grumpiness in the week leading up to the race, the 7 little cards she put in my case to be opened before the start of each stage ( one of which actually made me cry!) and for being there at the finish xxxxxxxx

David Butler

Haute Route Alps finisher 2014

Stage 7 - Digne to Nice

The final stage!

On paper this looked like the easiest stage of the week; 160km with "only" 2,700m of climbing. 

I woke up feeling ok but still nervous, I know there was only this stage to go but in my mind so much could still go wrong, a mechanical or an accident, so I was apprehensive at breakfast  

I hadn't been looking at the leader board all week but knew I was somewhere in the middle of the 

Pack but moving up the leader board really wasn't why I was doing this event, I was doing it to finish every stage and if I did it within the cut off times then it was a bonus, in any event I never got near to missing any of the cut off times even on the marathon stage and my average speeds each day even surprised me! At the start there was a bit of banter about trying to catch people ahead you in the general classification and I wasn't immune to this as Christian a really nice Swiss guy who I had cycled a lot of the stages with rolled up and said "I'm only just behind you DB so I have you in my sights" he said it with a smile and a pat on the shoulder, now I didn't have a clue how far ahead of him I was and I told myself I really don't care so I said "Christian as long as we both finish within the cut off and safe I will be happy!"

There were 4 climbs to be negotiated before the final climb of the Col de Vence where the race would officially finish the timing, this was at 127km, the first climb was the Col de Corobin 12km @5% I negotiated this ok and sure enough Christian shot off ahead of me and I must admit to thinking that I must keep him in my sights but then sense prevailed and I continued at my own pace, I reasoned that he had done the same thing on a few other stages and I had caught him before the end, I'm not a fast climber but I can climb at a steady pace for a long time. Col de Lecques passed without incident and I started to relax a little and enjoy the scenery. The next climb was the Col de Saint Barnabe an absolutely stunning climb with a dam and a lake half way up, the views were breathtaking and it took my mind off the 10km @4%. 

Before I knew it I was on to the Col de Bleine which was only 5km long but had some steep sections, I was making good time and could start to think about actually finishing this incredible event! it was after this climb I was to make my main refuelling stop as they had neutralised the descent because it was deemed too dangerous to time. With about 2km to go I spied The unmistakeable small slim frame of my Swiss friend Christian and I was catching him fast! As I went past I said a friendly "Allez Christian! Not far now! Get on my wheel" he tried to cling on but couldn't "see you at the feed station" I said and continued to the top. At the feed station I met up with another of our crew Noy Hazan a very good Isreali rider and we descended the dangerous Col de Bleine together. 

I took it easy on the descent and around 3/4s of the way down a marshal was in the road slowing us down......there had been an accident, as I slowly went round the corner where the ambulance and several medics were I glimpsed the rider motionless in the middle of the bend with a blanket over him, I just couldn't look so I edged past and continued down. ( I later found out he had a broken leg and collarbone but was otherwise ok) it came as a timely reminder that this race wasn't over and anything could happen. Noy & I worked together on the flat 6km section before a nice long descent to the final climb of the day the Col de Vence, the top of which was where the finish line was! 

The Col de Vence is the easiest climb we had done all week and I remember someone saying the last 2km are flat. Noy and I rode up it well, no doubt buoyed by the fact that we were going to be finishers of the Haute Route! With 5km to go we came up on 3 riders who appeared to be struggling, I recognised one of them as my mate Ritchie who had stayed at all,the same hotels as me and who had helped me on the marathon stage when I was low on food. "You ok Rich?" I said "No my Di2 has packed up so I've been stuck in one gear for 30km" 

This was bad luck for him but I knew he would finish so I said "get on our wheel and we will tow you to the finish, its only 5km and 2 of those are flat" "ok I'll try" he replied,  so that's what we did, when it got steep and he struggled we slowed down so that he could cling on and when it flattened out we went at the top speed he could manage in the gear he had, soon we came to the Flamme Rouge, 1km to go! Noy let out a massive yelp and we all cheered! Noy & I crossed the line together with arms around our shoulders and Rich was right behind, we had done it!!!! 

I felt nothing but elation and pride, I came to a stop and there were hugs and high fives all around, there were men & women in tears with the emotion of finishing what for the majority of us was the biggest challenge we had ever faced. 

We had a 10k. Descent down to the village of Vence where the medal ceremony and lunch was to take place before the procession into Nice.............. Let me tell you that descent was absolute bliss! 

It was a great atmosphere in the finish village and we picked up our finishers medals & T- Shirts, we also had a couple of beers to celebrate! 

We had to wait a couple of hours for the last finishers to arrive before we were to set off in convoy on closed roads into Nice and along the famous Promenade Anglais where the unofficial finish was, it was also where my wife Nicola was waiting and I couldn't wait to see her! 

When we rolled into Nice there were lots of cheers and car horns beeping away and it was great to wave to the crowds lining the side of the road, we then funnelled into the finishing chute and I stood up on my pedals trying to spot Nicola and hoping she would see me above the crowd of other riders.....suddenly I spotted her with her camera trying to get a picture of me crossing the line!

I rode over to her and gave her a big hug! The waves of emotion hit me and I sobbed into her shoulder. I had actually made it. 

I was a Haute Route Finisher. 

Stage 6 - Digne to Mont Ventoux

This years's edition of the Haute Route Alps is the longest and most meters climbed of any so far and the main reason for that is the inclusion of the mythical col Mont Ventoux, the race had to go in a completely different direction to enable the riders to climb it and it involved a fairly long coach journey back to the start after the climb. 

Roughly translated Ventoux means "always windy" and the col has been the scene of many a Tour de France story including the unfortunate death of Tom Simpson the British rider.  

The stage was 140km long with around 2,900m of climbing with 1,550m being Ventoux itself. 

There were a couple of long drags to negotiate in the first 100km until you hit the only other notable climb of the day the Col de Notre Dame which was 8.5km @ 3%. 

My plan was to get into a reasonable group and stick with them to my targeted feed station at 71km,

The morning was clear and bright but quite cold so I decided to start with my light rain jacket on, this was a mistake! The whole field took off from the start and the pace was very high, I got in a decent group and clung on but the sun soon warmed things up and I knew I was overheating in the rain jacket but I didn't want to lose this group as it was a good pace and I knew there wasn't another decent one behind but it became too much, if I dehydrated now I wouldn't make the end so there was nothing else for it but to stop have a pee and remove the jacket, I knew I would not make it back to the group but hoped another decent one would form behind and catch me up, I was isolated, I knew they would only be 500m or so ahead but I was losing ground all the time, it was then that a Mavic service car came up and passed me, slowed down and waved out of his window, I didn't know what was happening, was something wrong with my bike? He slowed some more and was waving again when the penny dropped, he wanted me to get in behind him so he could pace me back to the group in front! I tucked in close to his bumper and yelled Allez! And off we went, it didn't take long until I was within sprinting distance of the group so he pulled aside and I did my best Cav impression to get back onto the the rear of the group! I could have kissed him! 

The next 30km was quick until we reached the feed station at 71km where I refuelled and set off again with another reasonable group, after 10km there it was away in the distance this massive mountain with what looked like a sandy beach near the summit and a lighthouse on top, it was very foreboding. 

We hit the Notre Dame climb and the group splintered, it was now every man for himself until the climb of Ventoux. As you get closer to it Ventoux gets more frightening because you can see it in it's entirety, I instantly thought "I've got to get up there!" There was a tricky technical descent before we got to Bedoin and the start of the climb, I remember thinking "I don't think I want to do this" but away I went. 

The first 4km aren't too bad at around 6% but the next 11 km are at an unrelenting 9%, there is no let up in the legs, you then get a 2km of 5% at Chalet Reynard until the last 3km back up at 8 & 9% again. 

I took it easy on the bottom then got into my "survival" rhythm for the tough middle section, it was getting hot and I noticed I was low on water, I had planned for a splash & dash at Chalet Reynard but I knew with a sinking feeling I could not make the water last that long, I kept going......

After around 8km of the climb I had a dribble of water left and one of the medic teams came up on their bike, these guys went up and down the field all day long making sure we were all ok. I noticed it was Monique on the back of the bike who I had met at one of the briefings so I shouted "Monique de l'eau, de l'eau!!!" I must have sounded desperate as I saw her say something to the driver then give me  a thumbs up and off they went, about 1km up the road there she was standing on the side with a bottle, I quickly opened my bidon and held it out as I went past, she jogged along side and poured it all in! Bless her!!! I was back in the game! This have me a huge mental boost and I increased my speed. 

I got to Chalet Reynard and there was Marvin ready with my water, we swopped bottles and he stuffed a couple of gels in my back pocket, "take one now and the other with 3km to go" gotcha I replied and I was off on the last bit of the climb. A little way past Chalet Reynard you come out of the trees onto this barren almost lunar landscape and you are totally exposed to the wind, thankfully there wasn't much. As you come round the corner with 3km to go the rest of the climb opens up and you see the finish and let me tell you it looks like it's 20km away not 3km, I must admit my spirits flagged a bit as the gradient ramped up again! 

 

I slogged on when who should appear on her way back down? Yep Chrissie Wellington, she saw me and shouted "DB! DB! You got this! nearly there" well that was it, that was all the lift I needed! 

The next thing I knew there were crowds lining both sides of the climb and I came around the last corner to be directed down the finishing Shute! I even managed an out of the saddle sprint over the line! Mont Ventoux.......done! It had taken me 1:54 but I was at the top!

1 STAGE LEFT!!!!!! COME ON!!!!!

Stage 5 - Bourg D'Ouisan to Digne

I always new this would be a tough stage, other riders were saying it would be ok because it had 70km of flat riding at the end but I knew it wasn't flat, it was rolling terrain with some tough little kickers thrown in. The difficulty would be the sheer length and also the fearsome climb that is Col de Parquetout; only 7km long but with an average gradient of 11% this was the steepest climb we would tackle all week

The stage started with 4 climbs in a row with Parquetout being the 2nd and once over that I needed to be in a group to share some of the work on the flattish 70km, it was vital not to be left isolated or it would be tough to make the cut off!

As soon as I hit the first climb I knew my legs were good! It was probably down to having been to the pharmacy the day before and got some herbal sleeping pills, I'd had a good nights sleep! 

The Parquetout was a slog but with good legs I just kept churning and was able to spend long sections out of the saddle to add some power on the steepest parts, I passed a lot of riders going up there and I know a few bailed out before even reaching the summit. 

After the descent of the 4th climb I had my main refuelling stop then hooked up with a group of 8 riders and we set off on the flat, the pace was pretty high too high for me but I knew if I got dropped it could add another 30 mins to my time so I dug in, after 20 km we were down to five but we were still working well, I was really feeling it and the demons were saying "just drop off it doesn't matter you will still make the cut off" but I knew it was vital to stay in this bunch, I nearly got dropped 4 or 5 times but somehow always just managed to find the strength to cling on as well as do my turn on the front. The last 20km seemed to take forever and the last 10km were up a slight incline all the way to the finish line but finally we rolled in ........... I had managed 188km with over 3000m of climbing in over 25kph average speed! It was my best stage yet, it was the first time I felt like I belonged in this company and I even dared to think about finishing this damn race for the first time! 

It was a good day. 

Stage 4 - Alpe D'Huez Time Trial

After the horrendous day that was stage 3 I woke up having had a pretty rough night, I'm still not sleeping well and this morning I had a sore throat! The good news was that the weather was fantastic! Clear blue sky and beautiful scenery all around, it certainly lifted my spirits. 

As I was in the middle of the field my start time was not until 10:24 so I had time to sort through my case and have a leisurely breakfast. My legs felt a bit wooden as I walked to breakfast but I hoped they would loosen up before my start time. 

I had originally planned to have a proper go at this stage if I made it through the marathon stage as It's such an iconic climb I wanted to do it justice but with the croaky throat and wooden legs I had to revise my plan, I still had 3 tough stages to get through and although I was proud of myself for toughing it out on Stage 3 I still had self doubts. I decided to take it easy for the first 3 KM's which is the steepest section then see if I could increase the pace in the middle and then full gas for the last 3 KM's, the planned worked out pretty well and I did the official Tdf climb in 1:06 but of course this being the Haute route we did 15k instead of 12.4 which is the official length and my time was 1:16, I was happy enough with that and only lost a few places in the overall............another day done!

I spent the rest of the day resting & eating and getting ready for the longest stage of the week down to Dignes. 

Chrissie Wellington

I have met the 4 times Ironman world champion a couple of times before, once at a product launch and once at a Triathlon event. She is doing this years Haute  route Alps and I have spoken with her everyday, she is a true champion and always has time for a quick chat and always encourages everyone whilst out on the road and she is always smiling! 

Stage 3 - Courcheval to Alpe D'Huez ( The marathon stage! )

After I signed up for this event and started to look at the route more closely and analyse each stage this one stood out, of course I knew it was the so called "marathon stage" but it included two mountains I had climbed before back in 2012. As I said in an earlier post the Etape Du Tour of 2012 was the hardest event I have ever done.........Not any more! 

We were told to expect light rain and moderate wind for the entire 137km stage and the amount we would need to climb was 4,600m

At the start it was raining heavily and I kid you not it did not stop for the entire 8 1/2 hours I was on the bike! It was brutal! 

The Madeleine is one of the most famous Cols in the Alps and a massive 24km long! Once I reached the top after over 2 hours the wind was up to 50kph and it was cold! The helpers at the top were brilliant, they gave us all rain poncho's and even had to put them on for most of us as we could not feel ours fingers! I knew the best thing to do was refuel as quick as possible and get down the mountain into some warmer air, the first 5km was horrendous with the rain stinging my eyes which made me keep my head down instead of focusing on the road ahead! Once I was down there was a small flat section then straight into the feared Col Du Glandon, 20km of suffering with the steepest part in the last 3km! I felt pretty good and made reasonable time on the first 10km but after that the gradient kicked up and the wind did too! The last 3 km was a real battle for me! All around people were giving up, I just kept my head down and slowly turned the pedals, riding against a 50kph headwind on a 9% slope is not much fun! I made it to the top and it was blowing a Hooly and we were informed that the descent would not be timed as it was too dangerous, I took my time and finally made it to the last climb; Alpe D'Huez, we would approach from a different side then join the more famous side with around 5km to go, as I hit the climb I realised I was low on food with only 1 gel and a small bar to last what would be about 1:40 to the finish, another rider gave me a gel and thankfully they had set up a feed station with 8km to go so I had some more food there, the last 3km was sheer grit and determination and I knew that even if I got off and walked I would still beat the required cut off time, the elation and feeling of achievement carried me that last few KM's and finally after the toughest day I have ever spent on a bike I rolled across the finish line! It was the best Birthday present I could have wished for!

After my massage and whilst eating a big bowl of Pasta I learned that over 60 people had thrown in the towel, I honestly didn't think any less of them for doing so, it was an awful day. 

Tomorrow is a short day with just a tough Time Trial up Alpe D'Huez to contend with, I'm glad as I really need the rest! 

This short video tells the story of the day better than I can

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=ULJqlRewz0A