Up the Tourmalet on a Brompton

A friend of a friend recently came to stay and carried his Brompton bike with him from London.  His stated aim was to ride up the Col du Tourmalet.  Not really knowing what a Brompton bike actually was, and not having seen the bike when he arrived we thought nothing of this.  When the morning came and he was kitted out in his serious cycling gear we watched intrigued as the bike was unfolded. 

The first picture is the Luz Ardiden "hill" and the second shows the man, and his bike, as he sets off on a cloudy day at the end of September, up the famous Col du Tourmalet.  The camera batteries ran out so there is no picture from the top.

All we can say is well done, but that this has probably contributed to the myth in France that Englishmen really are crazy...