Travel broadens the mind, so it is said, and there is no doubt that riding L’Etape du Tour is a great insight into what a mountain stage of the |Tour de France is like. Make no mistake, they are hard and an Alpine Climb is like nothing Britain has to offer. The 2023 edition had 6 climbs (5 categorised) and in the heat, rumoured to be between 38 and 45 degrees, it was a game of keeping cool and hydrated to survive the climbs.

We flew out on the Friday and immediately set to work on an acclimatisation ride up Monte de Salevez, where we were approached by a Tour de France for a photo of us they could use on Social Media … who knew we were pin-up material?

Saturday we did a flatter ride along the shore of Lake Geneva, visiting beaches and picturesque medieval towns and then came the gruelling Etape du Tour on Sunday… the professionals do it next Saturdayy (Stage 14)

Enjoy the photo gallery below: