City cyclists take on mountainous stage of Tour for charity

IT IS one of the most arduous sporting spectacles in the world, attracting the world's fittest athletes.

But the mountain section of the Tour de France is to be tackled by two Lothians men whose training has involved Sunday cycles round the Borders.

David Hunt and Fraser Tait will take on the tortuous section of the Pyrenees, only days before the professionals pedal through, as part of a fundraising campaign for multiple sclerosis.

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It will see them cycle a little over 100 miles, but in conditions and against gradients impossible to replicate anywhere else.

The duo, who only began cycling as a Sunday morning keep-fit effort, decided they wanted to raise funds for the MS Society after Mr Tait's wife Ashley was diagnosed with the illness 18 months ago.

Duddingston man Mr Hunt, 45, who owns cleaning company Chemdry, said: "We decided we wanted to do something and Fraser came up with this.

"I'm not too sure what to expect from it. I'd never heard of this and when I look at it I haven't a clue why I signed up for it. It's right up at the top of the tree in terms of difficulty."

The L'Etape du Tour, which will take place on 18 July, involves around 8,000 amateur cyclists from across the world taking on a leg of the world famous event.

Meticulously organised entrants have to be enrolled nearly a year in advance and a day's preparation is necessary to acclimatise to the exertion needed to complete it.

A tough mountain section of the race is always chosen, which this year spans from the town of Pau to Col du Tourmalet, almost all of which is uphill transcending 2,000 metres in height.

He said: "It's going to be very tough. Although the hills aren't as steep as they are in Scotland they go on for significantly longer – that's going to be a challenge.

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"Another big thing is the temperature. When you start off it can be boiling, and by the top you can be quite chilly. They actually recommend you take an extra layer to put on when you get there, so we're hoping for it to be quite a cool day overall.

"It takes place just before the real thing, all the roads are closed and the path set out, so it'll be very realistic."

The pair have already raised more than 12,000, with a month to go before they set off. He added that he and dairy company owner Mr Tait, 44, from Dalgety Bay, were optimistic of adding to that total.

"The fundraising side of things has really surprised me, people have been extremely supportive," he added.

• www.theroadtotourmalet.co.uk