Allez! Allez! Allez!: Bonjours et bienvenue...bonnet de douche mes amis!

And that greeting really does expose my limits at Franglais, hah-hah! Anyway, another year and another daft cycling challenge with the aim of raising some funds for some good no, great causes...the Fantastic Five!

You might remember that on the last day of 2017's ride from Seattle to San Diego, my mate Geoff told me that he had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. That was September. Well, as of January this year he has been in remission...wow! Let nobody tell you that funding research is a waste: Geoff's treatment was no cake-walk by any stretch, but the advances made over even five years ago meant a faster, more accurate and less unpleasant course of treatment. Worth my money, defo!

Blesma is the only national Armed Forces Charity that supports limbless veterans for the duration of their lives. They help all serving and ex-Service men and women who have lost limbs or eyes, to rebuild their lives by providing rehabilitation activities and welfare support. Gets my vote. Yours too?

The Multiple Sclerosis Society is a community of people living with MS and also researchers, fundraisers, campaigners and volunteers. They make a real difference but need resources!

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is amazing, full stop! Staffed by the bravest volunteers 24 hours a day, whether it's onshore, offshore, beaches or even flood rescue. Let's support them...

The Motor Neurone Disease Association improve care and support for people with MND, their families and carers. They also fund and promote research that leads to new understanding and treatments, and brings us closer to a cure for MND. Let's send them a little help!

So why am I bothering you with all this? Well, it would be terrific to raise funds for those five Good Causes: if you can donate a little, then all of your money will be split between these five charities like this:

Bloodwise (32%), Blesma (17%), Motor Neurone Disease Association (17%), Royal National Lifeboat Institution (17%) and Multiple Sclerosis Society (17%).

Okay- so you've met the charities, now what is the challenge? Put bluntly, it's to get on the bike and climb almost 35,000 feet in 24 hours. Mount Everest tops out at a smidge over 29,000 feet, so you know that this a very tall order/big ask/mission (almost) impossible!

The hairpins countdown from 21. Or in our case, 210!

You can have too much fun, y'know!

In 2014 we (me and Andy W.) cycled up Mont Ventoux six times in 24 hours, which was a fairly big day out, so I had the bright idea of trying something similar on Le Tour's most famous mountain, the 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez.

Tucked away in the far corner. Handy, that.

After extensive research (well, Google) the greatest number of ascents we (in a moment of weakness Andy W. has signed-up for this jaunt) could find completed in a day was eight: you can bet people have done more, so we rounded-up the challenge to try to complete ten ascents in 24 hours!

Goes on a bit, doesn't it? Bit like me, hah-hah!

The stats not only look awful, they are awful, hah-hah! Almost 35,000 feet of climbing in 75 miles with the average gradient being 8.6%. Pretty much the same distance from Blackpool to Carlisle, as the crow wheezes. Just to compare it with the previous stupidity, this the equivalent of seven Ventouxs! Er, any idea what 'awful' is in French? There is one positive- at least it'll be difficult to get lost, hah-hah!

75 miles of climbing, almost 35,000 feet going up. Non bon!

I hope that you agree that the Fantastic Five are all worth supporting? I'll donate £50 for every climb that I complete. To be brutally honest, this challenge is a bit extreme and it's very far from certain that I can do it. The last time we climbed it in 2015, the temperature was over 40c...as ever, we'll give it our best shot!