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With the knowledge that all the hard riding was behind us, a huge meal the night before and a celebratory beer or six, the sleep in the local Ibis was particularly comfortable. It seemed to be the comfiest bed I'd ever woken up in. Even with a late breakfast agreed it proved hard to drag myself out of bed but I eventually made it down and enjoyed a good feed with a view of the lake. All very civilised. Ahead of us lay about 40km of lovely relaxed riding along one of the main cycle routes that surround Lake Geneva. Initially...

Côte des Gets (1,165m) Breakfast that morning was as plentiful and delicious as dinner last night. Being in France, the coffee and pastries were especially on point. Inventively, I managed to somehow cram a croissant filled with ham and cheese into the toaster at the buffet breakfast. The impatient annoyance of the other guests at my monopolisation of the machine quickly subsidised into jealousy when they saw and smelt the delicious creation.The hotel was halfway up a climb, so to warm up in the in the low hanging clouds which greeted us after rolling out from the reception, we ascended to...

Col de la Forclaz (1,527 m), Col des Montets (1,461 m) Last night potentially the worst mechanical of the adventure struck Phil's machine... Snapped rear gear cable. For those uneducated in the dark arts of derailleur setup, when a rear shifter cable goes, the chain is put straight into the smallest cog, which obviously, is not great if you're planning on doing 3000m of climbing that day. Phil turned to the most generous, dexterous, mechanically minded, methodical, strongest, handsome and humble member of the group and pleaded for help. I was only too happy to oblige.Rising early, I sorted Phil's bike. The...

Gotthard Pass (2106 m), Nufenen Pass (2478 m)Upon clipping in and setting off, we pass a town sign that causes me to recall a joke Justin made the evening before, I went along the lines of “Could I have a beer please… Andermatt”? A play on words that entertained me (probably too much) and took my mind off the feeling that my legs felt heavy and lacked any lustre at all; imagine “café legs” and times it by ten. Onwards to the first major climb of the day, Gotthard Pass. Frankly speaking, I do not recall much of the steady ascent, after...