Day 7 was probably the best day I've ever had on a bike. Two long and high Alpine passes made it a huge challenge, but with my body now operating at normal capacity again, I was able to love every single minute of it.

Out of the hotel we were pretty much instantly climbing on the achingly beautiful Colle de Maddalena (or Col de Larche as the French call it). This road snakes its way to the border between the two countries, with its peak acting as the barrier. After a bit of time at the start for me to just warm up the legs, I then set off and spent most of the time up the climb on my own. A lot of this trip I have had other people around me, which has been amazing and I have met some truly brilliant people, but it felt good to ride on my own just this once.

The thing about riding on your own is it gives you the chance to set your own pace, there's no speeding up for other people, and no slowing down for them when they're struggling, so you can just get to what feels right for you at that time, and keep going. What it also gave me was a time to reflect on the days beforehand, knowing that all that suffering had been totally worthwhile. It also meant I could just bathe in the beauty of my surroundings.

I got to the top second of everyone, which I was absolutely delighted with given that I wasn't one of the first to set off (though this achievement is offset by the fact the really quick guys set off a little while after me).

We then had a long, swooping descent to the bottom of our second climb, the monstrous Col de la Bonette.

I think, for me, the Bonette has to be up there with the greatest climbs in Europe. It's a brute, stretching itself up 23km at an average of just under 7%. It's not the steepest, but it does go on. I set off with someone I've really got to know over this trip - and indeed the 6 months of training beforehand - and it again put the whole ride into context. Dan had been absolutely smashing his training, but just before flying out he suffered a back twinge which has been giving him grief all trip. Being hunched over a bike dragging yourself up mountains is nasty at the best of times, but for Dan it became complete agony. With him, though, the FireFlies perseverance is absolutely perfectly embodied. Nothing was going to stop him getting up that climb, and it was brilliant to be with him for at least a part of it. He eventually sent me on my merry way, but it was still great to have that iconic moment with someone who has also been there with me through some of my darkest moments this trip. If ever you read this, Dan, I thank you immensely!

When me and Dan parted ways, I just rolled my way up the mountain at a pace I knew I could sustain. My goal was simple: after all my struggles, I just wanted to savour this climb, soak it in, get to the top and know that I had been in control and enjoyed every second. And that's exactly what I did. The views were just astonishing, from looking out through the valley floor, right up past the snowline with lakes, waterfalls, marmottes... you name it, the Bonette had it. Absolutely incredible.

At 2709m, the top was very cold, so I didn't stick around too long. Descending is something that has scared me quite a lot all trip, but coming off that mountain I finally felt like I had found my groove. Again the downhill twisted and turned at not too high a gradient, meaning that you could gather pace and slow down at will, while still appreciating the views that stretched out before your eyes. That climb and descent will live long in my memory, that's for sure.

A final 60km drag took us back to the hotel, but the hard work was definitely done. We all rolled in knowing that the hardest of the ride was behind us, and cursing ourselves for ever thinking it was a good idea!

Tomorrow, we ride for Cannes.

My video diary is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RdGOgnouN0

Thanks to all of you who have donated, I have now smashed through my fundraising target which I am absolutely delighted about! But that doesn't mean I can stop begging you for donations, oh no no no. Cancer is relentless, and so too will my requests for donations, so please do spare some change if you haven't done so already: www.justgiving.com/simon-lewis-fireflies-tour-2019