On Monday 11th July 2011, Stuart Bennett and the 'All the Gear No Idea' team took on the infamous etape du tour (the mountain stage of the Tour De France) to raise money to prevent brain injury in new born babies.  The cycle ride was the same route as Stage 19 of the 2011 Tour de France which was tackled by the professional big name riders like Alberto Contador and Cadel Evans (Albiet a little quicker!).
		Stage 19 was relatively short at 109.5km but the route takes in the Col du Télégraphe, followed by the Galibier before finishing on the Alpe d'Huez. These three climbs resulted in nigh-on 45km of climbing. It was an early start for the team to get to the start line for 7am to join the other near 10,000 riders ready to take on the challenge. The first climb was the Col du Télégraphe and the cool morning and the fresh legs made this climb relatively easy and confidence was high.  The team regrouped at the summit before moving on. The climbing paused briefly before the gradient went up once more and the long, long climb to the top of Galibier.  Legs were starting to tire and the summit was a welcome sight.
		Over the summit of Galibier and the reward was around 28 miles of down hill.  Time to put on the jackets ready for the wind chill as the closed roads allowed the riders to take the racing line for an adrenaline rush descent, carving around hairpins and reaching speeds of nearly 50mph. Racing through villages with cheers from the locals and for a moment it felt like we were on the real tour! The high speeds led the riders around tight bends and from bright sunshine into dark tunnels.  This hazard was the cause of a major crash and an unfortunate rider needing to be airlifted to hospital.
		The descent led us to the bottom of Alpe d'Huez and the home 'straight' of the famous 21 hairpins to the top.  The previous two mountains were being felt in the legs now and the 32 degree heat and the thought of 10 miles of steep climbing we knew this was a real challenge for us amateurs. Reaching the top and crossing the finishing line was a great feeling only topped by raising over £10000 for the research team.  A big Thankyou to everyone for your support