2012

It al started in 2012.

In 2012, my colleagues at work planned to participate in Climbing For Life. What happens when you are the only one on the office island that doesn't cycle? Well, they kept nagging and when Bart said "When Franky joins, I'll join too" I finally gave in. So the goal was set: to conquer the Galibier by bike on September 1, 2012.

I had played soccer for years, but had to stop a few years ago due to several knee surgeries. So there was work to improve the physical condition. It was time to buy a bike: A Cube Nature Pro .

On April 16, I rode my first training ride. With 1800km in the legs we traveled to Valloire. Despite the bad weather we decided to do the full climb: Télégraph and Galibier. On September 1 in the early morning we started the climb in Saint-Michel-De-Maurienne. After the hairpin bend of Plan Lachat, the rain turned into melting snow . The journey became heavier and heavier and I regularly had to get off the bike to relax. Due to the snow, safety was no longer guaranteed and we had to stop the climb 1 km from the top.

Despite the tough conditions I started to fall in love with cycling...

Achievements:

• Télégraph + Galibier 2642m • 5.5% • 34.8 km • Profile

In 2012 the odometer stopped at 2059 km. The altimeter reached 7574 m.

Climbing For Life is a Belgian event that combines cycling, running or walking with fundraising for charity.