Man completes five-day Alps cycle on foldable bike

A Manx man has completed a five-day bike ride across the French Alps on a foldable city bike, and has raised more than £6,000 for Hospice Isle of Man along the way.

David Hogg from Crosby cycled up to nine hours a day on a Brompton bike from Grenoble to Nice climbing approximately 30,000 feet (9,144m).

But after three punctures to his back wheel he had to finish the challenge on the descent 50 miles (80km) short of Nice.

Mr Hogg said the "iconic" route was like a "cyclist's Disney World", with people on their race bikes "doing what they love", adding that it was "just great to be part of that".

Mr Hogg said the objective was "to try and do something that stood out from the crowd", which was "sponsorable".

He wanted to raise money for Hospice Isle of Man, after his family's positive experience with staff at the end of his father-in-law's life and he said it was the charity that "kept me going", especially when climbing for up to five hours.

Cycling between one and two mountains a day and starting at about 08:00 BST on the "longer days", Mr Hogg would stop about three times per climb for a few minutes to add layers as the temperatures dropped.

While the Brompton held up, it was "difficult" to control speeds during the descent, he added.

Mr Hogg had been hoping to set a Guinness World Record, but he was told that it could not be recognised as the challenge needed to be "competitive".

He said he thought he the first to complete the ride on a Brompton though.

Throughout the cycle, he had "tonnes of support", including from Manx Olympic cyclist Peter Kennaugh, who sent a video message to spur him on.

"At the end of the challenge I felt elated and just so relieved that the bike was able to make it over the last climb," Mr Hogg said.

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