Wilson, Martin to take on Alps cycle
Stobart Ford World Rally crew Matthew Wilson and Scott Martin will continue their physical training for the last third of this year's WRC by starting the Route des Grandes Alpes bike ride this morning
The Cumbrians rode from Lands End to John O'Groats last summer and, in an aim to maintain their fitness level, they are aiming to complete one of Europe's toughest rides in under a week. Their 700km journey begins at Lake Geneva today and ends at the weekend in Antibes on the southern coast of France.
The Route des Grandes Alpes will take them over the highest roads in Europe, including the Col de la Bonnette at a summit of 2715 meters.
Wilson, who is enjoying his strongest season yet in the WRC - scoring points on all but two rounds of this year's series, admitted he was looking forward to the ride.
"We all really enjoyed Lands End to John O'Groats last year and we were looking for something new to do this time," he said. "This is going to be a massive challenge. We watched the Tour de France time trial in Monaco on Saturday - just to give us a bit of inspiration. Let's hope it worked!
"The ride itself won't be as long as the one we did last year, but the climbs are going to be much, much higher. It's the climbs that are going to be the big challenge for us, but the good news is that once we get to the top, we'll be able to come down the other side at speeds of up to 70kph."
Wilson and Martin are joined by team trainer Barry Johnson on the ride.
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