In what easily ranks as the toughest event that one of our staff have ever taken part in, we’re proud to announce that our store manager, Paul Winter along with his friend Quinton Ivan, will be taking part in this years Rapha Cent Cols Challenge to raise funds for the Breatheasy Programme based at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town! Follow this link to donate to the fund, as every little bit helps the kids in need!

Image via centcolschallenge.com

The Cent Cols Challenge is something that not many people can comprehend and it isn’t something you enter on a whim! Paul will be riding together with Quinton for ten days, tackling routes unimaginable to most. As Quinton says on his fundraising page:

“This entails cycling 100 cols (ridge between 2 peaks) over a period of 10 days. Over the 10 days, we will cover 2 000kms and ascend just over 50 000m. This is regarded as the hardest, untimed cycling event in the world. To put this in context, the Tour de France, on average, spans 3 300kms and 49 000m of ascent over a period of 3 weeks.”

The Cent Col Challenges are ridden in small groups: 2017 maximum 15 riders.

This is what awaits Paul and Quinton and all the riders taking part in the Northern Alps Cent Col Challenge that takes place over ten days.

Northern Alps

Stats

173km/5200m; 213km/5900m; 180km/5150m; 140km/4500m; 182km/5200m; 213km/5250m; 202km/5800m; 207km/6100m; 194km/3700m; 172km/3500m

Main Climbs

Grand Cucheron, Granier, Mont du Chat, Grand Colombier, Semnoz, Arpettaz, Saisies, Cormet de Roselend, Petit St Bernard,Iseran, Finestre, Izoard, Mont Colombis, Alpe d’Huez, Croix de Fer, Galibier, Sarenne.

Description

15 to 25 July. As ridden for the first time in 2016. The Grand Icons of the Alps take turns for the spotlight with backroad local ‘secrets’. A very demanding route that earns its place on the “top shelf” of the CCC roster! Stages : 1. Grenoble>Belley; 2. Belley>Annecy; 3. Annecy>Albertville; 4. Albertville>Bourg St Maurice; 5. Bourg>Sestriere; 6. Sestriere >Gap; 7. Gap>Alped’Huez; 8; Alpe d’Huez Loop; 9. Alpe>Vassieux-en-Vercors; 10. Vassieux>Grenoble.

Cent Cols Challenge from RAPHA on Vimeo.

The 2017 edition presents an extra special challenge for Phil Deeker. Ten years after riding 300 Cols in 26 days and then creating the Cent Cols Challenge concept, Phil Deeker will attempt to ride all 1,000 cols in 2017 which is a feat that is difficult to even think of, never mind participate in!

To Paul, Quinton and everyone else riding this year, good luck out there and enjoy it!

Follow Paul Winter on Instagram: @nowindwinter
Follow Phil Deeker on Instagram: @phildeeker
Follow the Rapha Cent Cols Challenge on Facebook: @centcolschallenge

Finally, a message from Quinton from his Backabuddy page:

My name is Quinton Ivan. A friend of mine, Paul Winter and I are cycling the Cents Col Challenge in Northern Alps (14 – 26 July 2017). This entails cycling 100 cols (ridge between 2 peaks) over a period of 10 days. Over the 10 days, we will cover 2 000kms and ascend just over 50 000m. This is regarded as the hardest, untimed cycling event in the world. To put this in context, the Tour de France, on average, spans 3 300kms and 49 000m of ascent over a period of 3 weeks.

The purpose of the challenge is to raise funds for the Breatheasy Programme based at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town. Breatheasy empowers parents of children, reliant on a tracheostomy or artificial ventilation for breathing, to provide safe care for their children at home, significantly improving their quality of life. Donor funds are used to purchase vital medical equipment (ventilators, sunction machines and humidifiers). This is an ongoing programme with life-saving medical equipment constantly needed for patients. Without such funding, most parents cannot afford to take their children home. We hope to raise as much funds as possible to empower as many parents to care for their children at home thereby uniting families.

I cannot over-emphasize the great work done by the Breatheasy Programme; it truly is a beacon of excellence in the public sector. For more information, please visit http://breatheasyprogramme.org

Paul and I will no doubt experience enormous pain and suffering over these 10 days, but it pales in comparison with what some of these kids have to endure. They are truly amazing. Please help us raise as much funds as possible to bring some normality to their lives and help unite as many families as possible.

Thank you