INTREPID riders from High Wycombe Cycling Club completed a stage of the Tour De France last Monday.

The six cyclists were part of the Etape Du Tour where 8,500 riders look to complete a 180km stage of this year's Tour over the Pyrenees.

The day saw crowds line the route to see the cyclists brave temperatures approaching 35 degrees, climbing three mountains, including the mighty Col de Aubisque a 17km long climb that ascended to more than 1,700 metres.

And Paul Mace did the club proud by finishing 234th in six hours, 6.19 mins to gain a well-deserved gold medal, despite starting towards the back.

Silver medals were gained by Neil Wragg (6.52.39) and Trish Hicks 8.19.25, who was the 23rd woman to finish, while bronze medals were gained by Clive Nichols (7.30.43), Paul Morrissey (9.47.01) and Paul New (10.01.17).

Wragg, who helped organise Wycombe's entries, said the experience of finishing the event boiled over for some.

He said; "Paul Morrissey put a lot of pressure on himself to complete it. He said he was going to win the medal for his daughter so he was under a lot of pressure.

"He was very emotional at the end. He just sat down and cried.

"I felt the same going over the Col de Aubisque because that was the hardest part.

"I felt sick due to the heat all the way up butwhen I crossed the top, I knew there was just one more mountain to go which I knew I could do.

"Going back down I was going at 45mph with tears in my eyes. You could put that down to the wind and the speed but I knew why they were there."

Riders had to finish within a certain time or they would be out of the event but Wragg managed to finish within a silver-medal time.

He said: "I'm really pleased about it and I'm really proud of myself and everybody at the club.

The Wycombe team started training for the event just after Christmas, riding in events in Wales and the Lake District.

Wragg said: "You do a lot of preparation but you can't prepare. You can't find a ten-mile long hill round here. you just had to do what you could."

And Wragg will never forget the whole experience.

He said: "It was an amazing feat of organisation.

"They closed the roads for ten hours and gendarmes were everywhere.

"From 7am, people were lining the whole route. It's such a massive thing for the spectators. You do see more action with 8,500 riders than 100 riders in the Peloton riding past at 40kph.

"It actually took 35 minutes for the last rider to cross the start line.

"You started at 7am and there were cyclists everywhere. You started on a hill and all I could see in front was a sea of cyclists. Behind, they went all the way up to the horizon.

"It's the biggest achievement that I've had on a bike."