The Macmillan Jersey Cycle Challenge - Day five and the final push to Marseille

The Macmillan Jersey Cycle Challenge is not for the faint hearted. We follow the progress of the team of brave cyclists through the sun-kissed fields of central France.

Brendan Stewart, CEO of Investec Bank (Channel islands) Limited and sponsor of the Challenge said: “Investec Bank Channel Islands wants to thank and congratulate all those who took part in the 2021 Macmillan Jersey Cycle Challenge.

“The event turned out to be two years in the making after the pandemic and ultimately resulted in the challenge moving to a completely different country at short notice. That the riders took all this in their stride and stuck resolutely to their commitment and objective, to raise awareness and funds for Macmillan Jersey, deserves recognition. And they made it up Mont Ventoux!

“We have been delighted to again support the Challenge, not only with resources but also with three of our own staff taking part. We wish all the riders a welcome rest from the saddle… until the next Challenge!”

We have been following the team courtesy of Adrian Rowland, one of the cycling team, who has been documenting the experience for Macmillan.

Today was our last day in the saddle. Our legs probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer and so it was with great relief that we set off bound for Marseille a mere 150km away.

Click here to donate to Macmillan Jersey Today’s ride was to take us along some quite fast sections of road, one stretch being for over 20km with cars, bikes and trucks thundering past it was the least enjoyable section of the entire ride. Concentration had to remain high and there was no opportunity to have any banter as we had to stick to single file at the side of the road.

Our water stop in Senas provided us with one last opportunity for a group photo before we set off in search of a coffee stop before heading into more scenic countryside culminating with splendid views over the Etang de Berre a lagoon of over 155km2 created by the rise in water levels at the end of the last ice age and lying some 40km north-west of Marseille.

Our lunch stop was in a bar which the owners had kindly said we could use. They did not sell food which was fine as DA had provided all we needed, but their hospitality was rewarded with a decent spend at their bar or drinks and coffee.

We had been warned that the last section of our ride would be little lumpy and with the drivers of the Marseille region being renown for their impatience we were advised to split up into smaller groups and we took heed of this advice and complied accordingly.

Click here to donate to Macmillan JerseyOne final group shot was missed by Scott, Denis and John who had stopped when Scott had a puncture, something few succumbed too, but on this occasion it took the three guys plus the mechanic, Marcus from DA, a full hour to repair the problem. The tyre was so tight on the wheel that they simply could not get it back on the rim and ended up having to cut the tyre off and replace it with another.

Our ride into Marseille took us through the most insalubrious parts. In parts it resembled a third world country. Marseille is well known for being a hotch-potch of nations and the crime hotspot of France. Whilst we were advised to ride in small groups we were also told NEVER to ride alone: you can understand why. Riding on amazing bikes often worth several thousand pounds you can understand how quickly rider and bike could have been separated from each other if you were not careful. Nothing happened to anyone!

Click here to donate to Macmillan JerseyThe Vielle Port in sight, we had reached the end of this epic challenge. The champagne flowed as much as did the tears of all of us! Sheer joy thta we had finished and accomplished so much in terns of physical and mental effort, emotional energy tanks emptied and Macmillan’s operational funding pot replenished by at least £130,000.

It was time to party and party we did until 2am! the wine flowed and the laughter continued long into the night.