Over five days 40 brave men and women set out to concur over 450 miles of northern Europe’s most grueling tarmac. Over endless mountain passes and through perilous weather they trudged on. None were professional, some experienced, and amazingly, a few even new to extended two-wheeled travel. But each and every one was unified by a single cause. This is what Magnificent Alps is all about.
The Magnificent Alps cycling challenge is an organized annual ride to benefit The PACE Centre, a UK charity school that helps change the lives of children with sensory motor disorders disabilities like cerebral palsy. Since 2008 PACE cycle challenges have seen 242 riders complete 122,000 miles throughout England and the rest of Europe.
This event is not for the faint hearted. And this year’s route only further proved the point, providing a long list of impressive mountain terrain to test the riders to their very limit. I was invited along to photograph this epic event unfolding in some of the most iconic cycling scenery in the world. Who could resist?