Zoom Wilson moving from engine power to human power

Stobart M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin will swap the four wheels of their Ford Focus RS WRC for two wheels next week as they tackle an epic 700-kilometre bike trek across some of the highest peaks in the French Alps.

The Cumbrian duo, along with trainer Barry Johnson, will be starting the Route des Grandes Alpes on the shores of Lake Geneva on Monday with the aim of finishing, less than a week later, in Antibes on the Mediterranean coast.

On the way to the finish they will be cycling over some of the same mountains that the Tour de France competitors will climb less than a fortnight later, regularly reaching altitudes of over 2000 metres as they cross famous Alpine passes like Col de l'Iseran, the highest paved mountain pass in the range, and Col de la Bonnette which reaches 2715 metres.

Last summer Wilson and Martin conquered the 1000-kilometre Land's End to John o'Groats ride and recently completed the 112-mile Fred Whitton Challenge, which covers some of the toughest climbs in the Lake District.

With cycling forming a big part of their training when getting ready for rallies, the pair will be well-prepared for the journey.

It has only been a week since the teammates finished in an impressive fifth place at Rally Poland, the eighth round of the World Rally Championship, and when they return from their adventure they will be straight back into preparations for Rally Finland which takes place at the end of July.

"We do a lot of cycling as part of our training, so it will be good to put all of that work to the test," explained Matthew Wilson. "There has been a lot of preparation put into the ride, especially with a hectic last few days of training and packing after we got back from Rally Poland."

Wilson had good words for the creative imagination of his trainer, Barry Johnson.

"Barry keeps coming up with these great challenges for us, and I am really looking forward to kicking off this one and experiencing some of the climbs that the riders will face in the Tour de France later this month," he said.

D.B. © CAPSIS International