The Alpine Challenge 2012

  • About

    The beautiful city of Annecy is the perfect base for this event in September. Built around a fourteenth century chateau, the pedestrianised streets, filled with boutiques, restaurants, market stalls and ice-cream shops, follow the canals which flow from the clear blue water of Lake Annecy.

    But you don't care about all that, The Alpine Challenge is about pushing yourself through four brutal stages in the northern Alps. A time-trial will decide seeded groups, before you take on your fellow riders through some of the toughest climbs in this cycling-mad region. Each 120km ride features a timed climbing stage, giving you the chance to win the prestigious King of the Mountains title for the day, as well as gaining the grudging respect of your team mates.

    Whilst conquering these mountains on traffic-free roads, you can take in the stunning views of the beautiful Savoie region as they flash past on the thrilling and well-deserved descents back in to town.

    Riding alongside our Team Captain Geoff Thomas, this is a ride for serious cyclists who want to push themselves. Not for the feint-hearted, this event is as huge a challenge as it is an amazing opportunity to enjoy these famous routes.

    "The experience of riding The Alpine Challenge brought back all the feelings of that crazy La Plagne mountain top stage in 1987 when I won the Tour de France. The most real it can get for an amateur."
    - Stephen Roche - (Tour de France & Triple Crown Winner)

    But don't take ours (nor Stephen's) words for it, and take a look at the official video of the ride last year.
     

    Event details

    Date: Wednesday, 05 September 2012
    Time: Starts at 9:00 am
    Location: Annecy
    Haute Savoie
    France

    Entry fees

    We are asking our riders to raise £3,000 in sponsorship.

    In order to reserve their place, successful riders will need to pay a deposit of £300 which goes towards their fundraising target.

    Downloads

    LLR Alpine Challenge Application Form 2012.doc (MSWORD, 157.4 KB)
    LLR Alpine Challenge Application Form 2012.pdf (PDF, 157.4 KB)

  • Details

    Wednesday 5 September 2012
    Geneva airport pickup
    Leisure ride around Lake Annecy and Sign-On

    Thursday 6 September 2012
    Stage 1. Timed Mountain Stage providing seedings
    Stage 2. Mountain Stage. 1 Flagged climb

    Friday 7 September 2012
    Stage 3. Mountain Stage. 1 Flagged climb

    Saturday 8 September 2012
    Stage 4. Mountain Stage. 1 Flagged climb
    Closing celebration

    Sunday 9 September 2012
    Rest Day
    Geneva airport drop off

    Upon arrival riders will enjoy a warm up ride around stunning Lake Annecy. This gives you a chance to meet the other riders and stretch your legs after the journey.

    It all gets serious on Day Two with a timed stage to decide your seeding. Once this has been set, your group will take on the first full mountain stage including a timed flagged section. Last year Stage One was the famous Col des Aravis.

    On Day Three the riders have slightly less to contend with as they take on just the one mountain stage. Concentrate your efforts on the timed section, which last year took place on the Col de la Forclaz.

    Day Four features the final climb, the 2011 riders took on Col de la Croix Fry, but remember to conserve a little energy for the closing celebrations!

    For more information please take a look at the official site here.

    Event details

    Date: Wednesday, 05 September 2012
    Time: Starts at 9:00 am
    Location: Annecy
    Haute Savoie
    France

    Downloads

    LLR Alpine Challenge Application Form 2012.doc (MSWORD, 157.4 KB)
    LLR Alpine Challenge Application Form 2012.pdf (PDF, 157.4 KB)
    Entry fees: We are asking our riders to raise £3,000 in sponsorship. In order to reserve their place, successful riders will need to pay a deposit of £300 which goes towards their fundraising target.

  • Entering the event

    To apply to join the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Team with Geoff, please download the application form and send a completed version to James Wright.

    James Wright
    jwright@beatingbloodcancers.org.uk
    020 7504 2244
    Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research
    39 -40 Eagle Street
    London WC1R 4TH

    Places on the ride are extremely tight and unfortunately we can't accept all the applications we receive but we do hope to see you in Annecy on the 4th September.

  • Raise money

    A great way to boost your fundraising if you're doing a sponsored event is to raise money online.

    Setting up an online giving page with JustGiving or Virgin Money Giving is a great way to raise money, enabling people to sponsor you really easily. All you need to do is visit the site, select Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research as your charity and then create your page. You can then personalise it with photos and messages and send the link to everyone you know.

    Use social networking websites

    A great way to increase awareness of your event is to add details to your social networking site; be it Facebook, Twitter or MySpace. It's even possible now to link these sites directly to your online giving page, making it even simpler for people to donate. Another way to inspire people, and raise awareness, is to blog about how your preparation is going. If people see the amount of time you're committing, and why you're doing your event, then they'll be more likely to dig deep!

    Email your family and friends

    Target your most generous supporters first. People tend to match the amounts already listed on the page.

    Be persistent

    Try re-sending the link to your page one week before the event to get some last minute sponsors. Then send it one more time once you've done the event - it's never too late!

    Raise money while you shop

    If you shop online, you can raise money for us simply by signing up with easyfundraising. Visit your favourite online retailers through this site and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to us at no extra cost to you!


    Sponsorship forms

    General sponsorship form.pdf