Cycling across the French Alps the hard way: Day 5 - Col de Telegraphe to Mont Dauphin

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Day 5 - Col de Telegraphe to Mont Dauphin

Day 5 – Valloire to Mont Dauphin. Sorry for the slight break in blog posts - Saturday was a rest day from cycling after the first 4 days. Ended up doing a 5 hour hike instead, not exactly restful for the legs but at least different.

An epic day today with two huge passes – Col Galibier (8,665ft) followed by Col D’Izoard (7,740ft). Total climb around 8,000 ft. The legs are aching again. Galibier is steep and regarded as the real classic on the Tour de France, but doing Izoard after was much harder. This climb starts quite easily (though very hot today) but ends up as around 10 miles of steep grind. The descents off both are also exciting with narrow road and plenty of hairpins into the valley below. After Izoard you descend into a gorge with spectacular views and drops into the river below. A fantastically scenic ride. Tonight we are staying at a hilltop fortress town built around 1700 called Mont Dauphin which is a Unesco site. An amazing piece of history.

Figures to date: total climb 33,900 ft. Total distance 292 miles Total hours in the saddle: about 34 Total sore bits: quite a few!

So far on this trip the weather has been no problem at all - just a little bit of rain at the end of day 4. Contemplating cycling over a pass in a blizzard is not a pleasant thought. The temperature has been at extremes between the tops of the passes and the deep valleys - from just a few degrees at the top to around 30 C at the bottom but this was expected anyway. Hopefully the weather will hold up for the next few days, it is already feeling hotter as we get closer to the South of France.

Tomorrow: Col de Vars and (maybe) Cime de la Bonnette – regarded as the highest piece of road in France at around 9,500 ft

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Some more info on the charities and what they do

THE GRENADA NATIONAL PATIENT KIDNEY FOUNDATION

The Grenada National Patient Kidney Foundation (GNPKF) was established in 2007 with the primary aim of funding the dialysis treatment of Grenadian kidney failure patients each of whom is living with a life threatening condition. There are two dialysis machines on the island so far but until the formation of the GNPKF there was no means of funding the treatment of patients on a regular basis. The Government of Grenada makes a small contribution to the cost of treatment of patients in need and plans to increase dialysis resources to patients in the long run. Patients with end phase (stage 5) chronic kidney disease require a minimum of 3 dialysis treatments per week in order to be able to survive. The procedure is extremely costly – around EC$664 per patient per dialysis treatment or EC$8,645 per month per patient. Currently the GNPKF is only able to fund 1 or 2 treatments per week for 3 patients, with 2 or 3 additional patients needing treatment soon. So far the Foundation has been able to treat 8 patients but recently 3 of those patients have died, their deaths at least partly attributable to the limited dialysis available to them.

Chronic kidney disease is caused by a variety of factors but most common are diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure) in addition to genetic and infectious causes. In turn one of the prime causes of diabetes and hypertension is obesity. A secondary aim of the GNPKF is preventative – by educating Grenadians to the risks of obesity for example, which can lead to the development of medical conditions and ultimately to chronic kidney disease and the dependence on dialysis.

Considerably more funding is required to meet the basic needs of dialysis and chronic kidney disease patients to ensure their ability to lead productive lives and ultimately their survival. The GNPKF President says “Our endeavour is to meet the needs of all Grenadians whose lives depend on dialysis and to do so we urgently need more funding. All help is welcome”.

WYCOMBE HOSPITAL STROKE SUPPORT FUND

Some facts and figures

Did you know that each year in the UK over 130,000 people have a stroke?
Nearly 1/3 will die within the first 30 days
A 1/3 will make a recovery within 1 month after intensive rehabilitation
A 1/3 are permanently disabled and need long-term rehabilitation
Stroke has a greater disability impact than another other medical condition
A quarter of a million people are living with long-term disability as a result of a stroke in the UK.

Stroke can affect anyone.

Each year over 10,000 people in the UK have a stroke under the age of retirement – that’s more than 200 a week, it is not just a disease that affects older people. One day you are fit and independent, the next you are disabled and dependent.

Early intervention is vital

There is no miracle cure for stroke but research over the last few years has shown that people managed on a specialist stroke unit are less likely to die and are more likely to regain independence.

About the fund

The Stroke Support Fund was set up in May 2004; it is a Wycombe based charity covering the South Buckinghamshire area. The development of this charity came about from the conscientious staff that work with stroke patients at Wycombe Hospital.

The charity raises money for equipment, training for staff who would with stroke patients, assessment equipment, literature and many other items that benefit our patients. So far we have been able to purchase lifting equipment, specialist seating and wheelchairs, a bladder scanner, specialist exercise equipment and been able to send many of its staff on specialist courses. We are aiming to purchase a new monitoring system for patients in the first 24 hours after stroke. This equipment will cost around £25,000.

Please click here to send me a donation email and a request for information

Cycling across the French Alps the hard way

THE ROUTE

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Day 5 - Col de Telegraphe to Mont Dauphin

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Some more info on the charities and what they do

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