Stage 5 Day 3
Special Guests: Roger Hammond, Dennis Millard (Chairman of Halfords)
They say a little suffering is good for the soul, the trouble for the riders today wasn’t so much their souls but their bottoms!
As part of the route today they had to ride over a cobbled road or Pavé. It was only a kilometre or so but on a bike with no suspension, solid tyres and a seat like a razor blade it’s a killer on aching limbs, stressed muscles and saddle sore bums.
The route today is from St. Quentin to Roubaix a distance of 120km with an ascent of 837m and with a ride around the Velodrome as part of the route it’s quite an exciting days riding.
On a sad note we have to say goodbye to Graham Le Saux who’s been with us from day one as one of the core riders. Graham has been an absolute star on this tour, always smiling and always happy to have a chat. Thanks Graham, see ya soon mate.
Well, as we speak we are now all on the coach on our way to the Eurostar Terminal to catch the train to Ashford. Can’t quite believe its all coming to an end. We’re gonna be eating at Pizza Express tonight, can’t wait! It’s funny when you think about it. After travelling around Italy for nearly 3 weeks the first pizza I’m gonna have is in Kent!
A great day’s riding from the Slammers today with no help from a punishing head wind and persistent rain.
All riders had the same feedback on their return – Day One was tough! The first riders back were Graham Le Saux and Lee Dixon. When I asked them about the ride they said it felt like we were taking “one step forward and three step back, so we just got our heads down and pounded the road till we got to the finish line”. Darren Ball from Virgin Media said the same thing however was keen to get back on the bike the next day, commenting “it was all for a good cause to help people who are really suffering”.
We’ve had pretty much all kinds of weather on this tour but have been lucky to have the wind at our backs for most of it. Rain again dampened spirits especially for the first day riders. One of the new guys said; “We’ve been following the ride on Slam TV and it’s been beautiful scenery and super tans for everyone, then we come out and it’s awful weather and the scenery is as flat as a pancake!”
Luckily they did have a pot if gold at the end of the rainbow. The riders were all invited to the Bollinger Mansion to sample the delights of the World Famous Champagne and all who went said they’d had the best of nights. Riders were escorted through the caves where they store all the bottles before sending them worldwide. The guides took them on a mini tour telling them the history of Bollinger from their beginnings in 1829 right up to present date. Now that’s what I call a Slamtastic Night!!!
We R Interactive the makers of the football game I AM PLAYR, extended the generous gesture of donating proceeds of all in-game coin purchases made on Tuesday,15th May 2012 to Lee Dixon’s fundraising effort on Cycle Slam.
We R Interactive blends the best of games, film and TV production to create social games that bring global audiences together around sport and music. I AM PLAYR – the company’s first game is the first ever online football game to allow you to play the life of a professional footballer, both on and off the pitch.
Oli Madgett, Co-Founder of We R Interactive commented “I AM PLAYR is now played in 210 countries around the world so what better way to show our support for this incredible campaign than by donating the proceeds of in-game coin purchases from our players across the globe. We’re looking forward to heading down to the finish line on Friday to welcome the guys home.”
The Dallaglio Flintoff Cycle Slam 2012 is grateful to We R Interactive for their decision to support Lee’s fundraising efforts.
Please donate by texting SLAM5 (£5) or SLAM10 (£10) to 70300 or by visiting our donations page here: http://bit.ly/HJtdU5
After a gruelling day yesterday, looking around the breakfast room the fatigue is already beginning to take its toll. Yesterday the riders battled through horrendous head wind, rain and even hail during the 160km ride. Many of the core riders commented that it was one of the hardest rides of their lives and for the new Stage 5 riders it was a real wake up call of what to expect from the rest of the stage.
After a lovely evening at the House of Bollinger, where we were treated to a private tour of the cellars, built in 1820, which stretches over 6km below the village of Ay. We were also the recipients of a delicious dinner. As a group of 130, we were the largest group to visit and be served in the history of Bollinger.
Today the riders will be travelling from Champagne to Saint Quentin over 160km. The route will be similar to yesterday as they wind their way north through the vineyards and rapeseed oil fields.
There will also be a stop at the House of Bollinger as a new route was decided on last night, which will take the riders through Ay instead of over the hills! They will also be travelling through World War 2 battlefields as they battle their way to their ultimate goal of reaching Stratford on Friday.
We’re making great progress towards our fundraising target of £2.012m but we need your help! Please text SLAM 5 or SLAM10 to 70300 to make a donation of £5 or £10 or click here to sponsor one of our riders. Thank you for your support.
I’ve been lucky over the years. I’ve had some wonderful adventures, some fantastic journeys and met some brilliant people, adding up to a large amount of stories to tell my son Charlie when he’s a little older.
And now thanks to Virgin Media I have another little tale to tell about the time Sir Richard came for tea…
It all started at about 4.30pm on the last day of Stage 4, we had it confirmed from our London HQ that Sir Richard wanted to join the Slam to say well done to everyone and give some encouragement to the guys who were going on to do the last stage. More importantly he wanted to surprise Sam, his son, who has been on the Slam with us for the last 3 weeks.
Plans were discussed and set in motion, timings check and locations Ok’d. All we had to do now was sit and wait for the man himself…
Time ticked by when eventually the call went over the radio airwaves to confirm Sir Richard Branson was on his way. We readied our cameras and sound recording equipment and watched as his car approached, over the bridge entering the town of Espinal at roughly 6.30pm on a warm sunny early evening. As his car drew closer the excitement grew and everyone practised how they were going to greet the great man himself, is it Mr.Branson? or do I address him as Sir Richard or just Richard…. (a quick executive decision decided on Sir Richard). The car was now only a hundred metres away, we took our places and waited with baited breath……. the car glided in, turned slightly to the left, manoeuvred to the right and then………. BANG!! The driver nailed it straight into a bollard!! OMG!! First there were shocked gasps and muted calls of oh nooooo!!, but very soon after that the giggles and laughing started as a very embarrassed driver emerged from the car to open the door for Sir Richard and his wife Joan. As a true pro Sir Richard got out of the car with that famous beaming smile as if nothing had happened.
I walked over and said hi, we shook hands and walked over to the Halfords Stand and I introduced him to the team. It was here we told him that Sam was still 12km away at which point he grabbed a bike and said “Well why don’t I just jump on this and cycle to him then”, and he was off! Time froze for what seemed like an eternity and then as if we were all shocked back in to reality, we ran for the cars and quickly followed him in convoy.
The surprise went according to plan, with Sam at first not recognising his father when he caught up to them on his bike.
Sam admitted: “I didn’t notice him at first, and some of the riders kept saying ‘slow down, slow down,’ and then I saw wispy blonde hair and a leather jacket riding past. I did worry that this guy looking like my dad was about to knock me off my bike, until I realised to my delight, it was my dad! It was a lovely surprise, what a fantastic way to end the day.”
When I asked what he thought of his son’s participation in the charity event Richard commented: “I am always very proud of him. I don’t think there is any doubt about that. He’s been working really hard, and he’s looking really healthy and loving this. He’s done a great job.”
Tune into Slam TV and watch my Vlog of the time Sir Richard came to Tea….. http://www.yok.to/8fpq4X
The first day of Stage 2 started off in Bari with the new riders meeting their fellow riders and getting their bikes ready to ride by the wonderful team from Halfords. We asked, Michelle Dite, one of our riders, to give us her account of Stage 2.
According to Michelle, the first challenge, albeit a rather pleasant one, was adjusting to the weather. Having left a cold and rainy Britain, Stage 2 riders were greeted by the warmth and sunshine of Italy and the Adriatic coast.
Day 1 set off from the city of Bari with 60 riders after a morning briefing and a spot of breakfast. Joined by ex pro cyclist Claudio Chiappucci, the excitement levels were high and the first half of the route flew by with quite a few coffee stops along the way for riders to replenish fluid levels and a lunch stop in the town of Barletta.
Michelle’s reason for joining the Slam was the challenge of taking on such a mammoth task to raise money for the fantastic causes supported by the foundations. She was part of a group that was to be known as the ‘Legendary Group 5’, with her and Carmen Rendell being the only ladies in the group. Along the way, Freddie who had got detached from his group after stopping off to do a bit of filming joined them. That prompted much banter and merrymaking along the way until they finally arrived as the last of the groups, in Foggia.
Day 2 and the action started off in Foggia and headed to Ortona. Dubbed the ‘longest day’, with a route of 183km, the day started at 6am with breakfast, much needed energy for the prospect of the 36-degree heat they would encounter during the ride.
The teams took their first rest stop at the 50km mark in the town of Serracapriola. The route then followed the Adriatic coast passing the 11th century walled town of Termoli, which overlooked the clear waters of the Adriatic. Michelle says; “I kept having to remind myself to look up and enjoy the scenery instead of having my head down, concentrating on pedalling.
During the lunch stop, a local marching band came out to greet the riders and perk up their spirits after climbing a huge hill to get there. The day came to a close in the beach town of Ortona described by D’Annunzio, a famous local poet, as a “blue curve on a golden hill”.
Day 3, Ortona to Ascoli Piceno, and the going got a little tougher, through the Abruzzo region of Italy. The day started a little later than usual due to the riders being granted the luxury of a lie-in. So at 10am, proceedings commenced with the riders raring to go after having endured the horrible heat of the previous day.
The days’ ride went along the coast before cutting into the mountain route that would provide quite a few climbs and descents. Freddie again rode with Michelle’s group. The lunch stop was in the town of Castelnuovo with the riders having to make the most of it as the last 60km would be made up mainly of climbs. The day’s final destination was in Ascoli Piceno, where the local food festival, to which everyone was invited, greeted riders. Every year, the town celebrates it’s own local delicacy of fried olives and embraces all forms of fried food from Italy and beyond in the Fritto Misto Festival .
At the hotel, it was a welcome relief to find that their bags had already been packed in their rooms for them. Dinner was a lively affair and the usual handing out of awards and fines ensued. One of the core riders, Martin Smith, was the recipient of the slam’s coveted ‘Blue Jersey’ award, which he was very proud of. There was a sense of trepidation in the air as riders contemplated what was in store the next day, predicted to be the most punishing so far.
The dreaded fourth day arrived. A 175km ride from the beautiful Ascoli Piceno to Perugia through the Appennini Mountain range. With an early start of 7am, the signs of how hard the stage was going to be were clear to see – lots of support vehicles! As the day progressed it was also clear that the weather would have a big role to play in the day’s proceedings.
Michelle’s group experienced a thunderstorm that meant that they had to find refuge in a tunnel, as the storm was quite ferocious. So severe were conditions that their group fell so far back that they found themselves riding in the dark with the lights from one of the support cars at the front and a Halfords van providing light from behind.
Riding with Freddie was a huge help and finally after 14 gruelling hours, driving rain and cycling in darkness, the riders arrived in Perugia at 9.30pm to a hero’s welcome with everyone waving them into the hotel car park. This day was an illustration of the never-say-die attitude of the amazing group of people on the Slam.
The last and final day and the chance to relax was on the cards as this would be by far the easiest day and sadly, the last for the guys who joined up in Bari. There was the luxury of a lie-in again, a perk that came about as the result of the previous day’s herculean effort.
The day set off from Perugia and the route changed drastically every now and again, though never for the worse – it just got better and better! The rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside could only be summed up in one word: beautiful. At the end of the day, arriving in Siena, there were scenes of jubilation as everyone was celebrating in the square. It began to dawn on some that the journey that they had started with the training rides and the appeals for donations and had continued with the banter and shared pain was coming to an end.
For Michelle and some of the members of the Legendary Group 5, plans are afoot to meet up again on the last day of the Slam in London. Asked to give the final word to describe her experience, after a brief pause, the word was: “Epic.”
Today is the last, first day of Dallaglio Flintoff Cycleslam 2012! With a whole new set of fresh legged riders ready to bring the glory back to London, the buzz of excitement is at an all time high.
The riders had a very early start this morning, with a 5am wake up call; something they will be used to by the end of the week, as we’ve already been informed it will be a week full of 5ams! The first 3 days of this Stage are of an average distance of 160km, so the riders will have long days in the saddle too.
Today the riders kicked off Stage 5 in Nancy located in the north eastern province of Lorraine in France. Leaving Nancy, the riders will travel north along the 160km, ‘medium’ rated route, around the city of Toul to the first lunch stop at the 66km mark in Sampigny. They will then continue to the second lunch stop at the 113km mark in Revigny.
The riders will finish today’s ride in Chalons en Champagne, famous around the world for its namesake, the delicious, sparkling Champagne! Formerly ruled by the counts of Champagne, its western edge is about 100 miles (160 km) east of Paris.
Our riders will have a rare treat this evening, as it has been arranged for the whole group to visit the Bollinger Champagne caves. We will not only get to explore the underground caves of the House of Bollinger, but will take part in a Champagne tasting before dinner.
Bollinger is not open to the public so it really will be a once in a life time experience!
To follow our riders’ progress live, click here to use our tracking app.
Day 1: Nancy to Chalons en Champagne The city of Nancy is the historical capital of the renowned region of Lorraine, famous for its excellent cuisine, fine wines and a number of World Heritage accredited buildings. This is where Day 1 starts, heading west towards the fabulously named, Chalons en Champagne for a distance of 166km. The route makes its way past rambling vineyards and stately chateaus in the French countryside with a maximum hill height of 1,000m and difficulty rating of ‘Medium’.
Day 2: Chalons en Champagne to Saint Quentin Well into the Champagne region now, the traditional home of the fizzy stuff and the scenery doesn’t get any better than this. Riding along rolling hills and vineyards that have stood for hundreds of years, the route stretches for 160km with a maximum climb height of 1,808m though the gentle camber of the hills means the day’s ‘Medium’ rating should provide an experience that’s comfortable enough. The destination for the day is the town of Saint Quentin.
Day 3: Saint Quentin to Roubaix (Velodrome)
The town of Saint Quentin plays host to one of the stages of this year’s Tour De France. For riders on Stage 5, this will be their chance to blaze a trail for the participants of one of the world’s most iconic sporting events. In true Tour De France spirit, this will be the hardest day of the stage. Though climb height is short at 800m, the course will run along one of the world’s most punishing surfaces; 50km of cobbles which will provide a challenge for even the most experienced of riders and a few sore bums. This 152km run towards the home of another iconic cycling event; the Paris to Roubaix, has a difficulty rating of ‘Hard’.
Day 4: Lille to Ashford (train), Ashford to Stratford.
The last day of the Cycle Slam and a chance to rest some sore bums and apply healthy doses of Chamois cream on the train ride from Lille to Ashford. The route to the home of this year’s Olympic games should be a happy jaunt that will be very familiar to most. Cutting across the South East of England, there is very little in the way of hills (550m in total) and riders should be able to enjoy the ‘Low’ difficulty rating to complete what has been one the most epic charity efforts and arrive in Stratford, London.
Cycle Slam 2012 has provided some really inspirational stories so far and this next one is up there with the best of them!
7-year-old Ceanna Russell is the daughter of one of our Stage 5 riders, Simon Russell. After the local paper ran a feature on Simon’s part in the Slam, Ceanna proudly took a copy of the newspaper into school with her and read it out to her class.
But that wasn’t the last of it. Ceanna was also asked to stand up at assembly and tell the whole school about what her Dad would be doing in France. Her teacher, Mrs Carr, then announced they would hold a cake sale for the next 2 days at break time. Ceanna attends Colinton Primary School and with the help of her P3 classmates, named ‘Wildcats’, she managed to raise £53.80 in just two days, with £25 coming from the teachers and £28.80 from the cake sale. To top it all off, Ceanna did not take her break during the two days so she could help out at the sale!
What a wonderful effort from her and everyone at Colinton Primary and a big thank you to Mrs Imrie, the head teacher for posting a picture of Simon on the school notice boards to help with the fundraising.
From everyone at Dallaglio Flintoff Cycle Slam 2012, we wanted to say a big thank you to Ceanna.
You can do your bit just like Ceanna by donating to the Cycle Slam and helping us to raise £2.012m for our charities. Text SLAM5 (£5) or SLAM10 (£10) to 70300 or visit our donations page here: http://bit.ly/HJtdU5
The final stage of the Cycle Slam starts in Nancy, France where, after several days of sunshine, there’s a change in the weather with rain showers predicted and a high of 11C. The weather will be similar throughout the day as our riders make their way to Chalons Sur Marne, their destination on Day 1.
The riders will wake to more of the same on Day 2 as they head for Saint Quentin, with some showers predicted and a high of 13C.
Any showers in Saint Quentin should have cleared up and as our riders head over the cobbles to Roubaix on Thursday, their route should be a dry one. Temperatures look set to be around the same as the previous 2 days, around 12-13C.
As our riders arrive back on English soil, they’ll be met with a 50% chance of rain as they make their way from Ashford. The temperatures will be around 11C as our riders set off, but should improve to a pleasant 15C by the time they reach the final destination of the Cycle Slam in Stratford.
Stage 5 Day 3
