AN AMPUTEE has proved that age and disability should never hold anyone back after cycling 88 miles up the French Alps in nine hours.

Vaughan Thompson, from Cumnor, recently completed the Etape du Tour and described it as the biggest cycling challenge he had ever done.

The challenge, with a climb of more than 13,000ft up the French Alps, is held each year just before the Tour de France and gives 13,000 riders the chance to cycle the same route as professional competitors.

The 63-year-old is a cycling enthusiast and was part of Oxford City Road Club 20 years ago.

He said the Etape du Tour has always been on his bucket list but it was his son Owen, 29, who encouraged him to take the leap this year and who also cycled the route with him.

Mr Thompson said: “As an amputee I never imagined I’d be able to compete.

“When I finished it, my sense of achievement was overwhelming.

“It’s surprising but once my prosthetic leg is completely adjusted then I don’t really notice it a lot.”

The father-of-two, an engineer for Culham Science Centre, lost his leg below the knee after a motorcycle accident in 1971.

In preparation for the Etape du Tour on July 19 he went to Pace Rehabilitation in Chesham for an ‘MOT’ of his prosthetic leg, to check it would be up to the journey.

He has one prosthetic supplied by the NHS, but Pace Rehabilitation also provided him with a special type of leg for his sporting challenges.

Mr Thompson usually cycles around 100 miles a week when not training for an event, but in the run-up to the Etape he was covering around 250 miles.

His training plan menat cycling the 40 miles from Cumnor to White Horse Hill several times a week.

He also cut out beer and chips from his diet to lose three kilograms and be lighter for the challenge.

Mr Thompson said: “There were three climbs and the first two were manageable but the end one was a struggle.

“I kept thinking in the back of my mind that I would not finish within the time limit of 11 hours, but I did it in nine hours so I needn’t have worried.”

The physical and mental challenge proved too much for about 3,000 competitors, but Mr Thompson finished in the top half of the remaining 10,000 riders.

When asked what he planned to do next, he said: “After I’ve taken a few weeks to let it soak in, I’ll start training for a 100-mile sportive at the end of this season before deciding on events to do next year.”