Day 8

So on the penultimate day our Mill guys take to the Alps Day and on to the Haute Alpes and into the region of Provence Alpes and to the town of Sospel.

En route the Fireflies face an incredible four climbs with the Col de la Cayolle, Col de la Couillole, Col St Martin and Col de Turini so a very hard day ahead of them including facing the highest road in Europe at a staggering 2,808 ft.

Adam, Chris and Neil didn’t know what to expect on today’s ride, but they did know they faced 24k worth of climbing.

At least when they set out the weather was very South of France - hot and sunny.

Today is the day the Fireflies return to where it began and where the name Fireflies originates from; Col de Turini on the first ride descending, it was late and dark and the team where surrounded by fireflies, almost showing them the path down the mountain!

Because all the Fireflies climb ‘Fireflies Mansion’ aka Col de Turini at the same time, the riders (75 in total) set out at different times with the aim to all meet at the bottom and ascend and descend together as a team.

The first team set out around 8am, with Chris and Neil heading off around 9, followed by Adam at 9.45.

In total during the day of travelling 165k, an astonishing 65k will be climbing, starting with the Col de la Bonette and a huge climb of 24k.

All the guys were in awe of the views, the grandeur and scale, you could see for miles and it felt like an award for all their hard work.

Then came the descent and they hit it! Dropping 1.6k in vertical height and 1600m in altitude.

This was Neil’s favourite ride and most fun of all the descents.

At the bottom all the Fireflies came together for lunch – and yes, you guessed it, Chris continues his culinary journey of carbonara’s! Adam went for the salad nicoise and pasta but poor Neil missed out as he was late, well he assumed it was waitress service when you had to go in and order, by the time he did a very, very, very angry French lady shouted at him.

They set off and the wind had really picked up, with Neil in front, followed by Chris and Adam following when Chris flew into an uninvited visitor… well it flew in to him. A bee-like insect (Chris couldn’t be sure) flew in to his ‘undone’ shirt – still working on his tan! As Chris tried to retrieve the bee-like demon, it stung him 4 times! Below the waist… he eventually freed it via his leggings.

So a little behind the pack now, the guys continued to find the peloton they had been in formation with had in fact had an accident…

In the strong winds two of the riders had fallen, one with road rash and the other with a more serious broken collar bone. Sadly the same rider had fallen on the penultimate day last year and also broken a bone so was clearly devastated not to be able to finish the tour with everyone. A stark reminder to everyone the risks they run whilst riding in these mountains.

At the bottom of the next mountain, it was now really hot, around 30 degrees. Chris and Neil rode on ahead of Adam and along with several unnamed ladies played the classic game of ‘Shag, Marry, Kill’. By the time they reached Jethro, Ken Dodd and Benny Hill they thought it best to stop, they still had a long way to go and another mountain to get up and over.

So finally reaching Col de Turini all 75 Fireflies climbed together reaching the top at 9.30pm.

The sun was setting and as they climbed keeping up with the sun, they seemed to able to watch the sun set more than once, taking in all the amazing colours and views.

The first riders at the top formed a tunnel for all subsequent riders to come through, clapping, wooing and hugging as more and more reached the top.

Adam was rewarded with 2 packets of smarties!

As darkness grew and with an almost full moon the milky glow of the moonlight made an incredible back drop for their descent but they needed to get down and back before nightfall really hit.

Neil went in to a shop to purchase badges for all the guys – only to find that Adam and Chris had already started their descent. Unfortunately on his journey down, he hit a pothole and punctured a tire. By now in total darkness he still had another 5k to make it back, and thankfully found a support vehicle at the bottom. By the time he reached the hotel everyone was already polishing of their starters…

As we mentioned the Fireflies take their name from the very first ride and this was ride was no exception as thousands of fireflies hung in the air as they made their final climb down, making the descent emotional and magical.

Beers, food and sleep for everyone.

One day left!

Stats from the guys:
Top speed: 50mph
Climbed: 4000 ft
Distance: 165k