BL ANC CHEQUE
As the gradient steadily cranks upwards, I’m soon out of the saddle, opening my lungs up
The words pop into my head spontaneously: “Thar she blows!”. The piercingly white upper slopes of Mont Blanc suddenly hove into view on the horizon, as I ride a gentle decline down through green, alpine meadows towards the village of Meiussy.
The air is supernaturally clear, washed over the past 48 hours by a relentless summer deluge. I can see a solitary outrider: the white fluffy cloud sitting just above the hi-definition shoulder of the Alps’ mightiest mountain, while a cool breeze washes over my legs, urging them on. It’s the kind of view you wish you could telepathically beam to your friends, toiling at their home desks. “Ha ha, suckers!” Or is that just me?
It’s certainly a day for ambition and élan, as the mountain sun burns away all recollection of the months I’ve spent slowly devolving into a lowlander. My ride partner today, Amelia Pearson of sport and fitness specialists Buzz Performance, swapped the rain of Tasmania for the sun and snow of the Alps eight years ago, and now she has thrown down the gauntlet, firing up her Strava for what she calls ‘Razzmatazz’: 100km of riding with three cols and more than 2000m
