Page 79 - The Chapka 2016

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 77
2016 was the second outing for The Royal Lancers road cy- cling aficionados. It saw 15 brave Lancers travelling to the French Alps to conquer Cols in the sweltering August heat.
A week before the end of Summer leave the team assembled on a balmy North Yorkshire Sunday evening to pack kit and load the bikes onto the newly refurbished trailer. The early start wasn’t without incident. The discovery that the towing vehicle could not provide any power to the trailer caused the OIC a fraught few hours! All was remedied thanks to a very willing mechanic from the AA and we set off early on the Monday morning for Savoie.
Monday was spent travelling to our first chalet in Areches, just South of Beaufort. This stunning Alpine village was our base for three nights as we found our feet in the Alps. For some that was quite literal, being the first time they had worn SPD shoes with cleats. Luckily they took to the roads like a duck to cas-
soulet. The first Col we tackled was Comet De Roseland. The road down to Beaufort provided an easy warm up with the hill to come as a good opening test. The climb was 1300m to the sum- mit from Beaufort and is a ‘Hors’ Category climb for those ‘tour’ followers out there – so no easy start for those new to the sport. It was then a simple freewheel down to Bourg St Maurice that rounded of a simple 60km start to the trip and a taste of things to come.
Wednesday saw us warming up with an easy freewheel down to Les Arcs at 1950m. Following a quick macchiato, the team set out to tackle the 1600m climb to the summit of Col de Petit St Barnard. This climb took us up to the French-Italian border with stunning scenery and a replen with crepes a must.
The third day of cycling was a more serious affair. The 1600m, 47km climb was not to be sniffed at. All made it up, eventu-
The first climb completed with the team looking smart in the new kit!
Royal Lancer MAMILS
A room with a view in Arêches
Beautiful sunset from the accommodation in Saint Andre