L’Étape du Tour de France, 157km with over 4,100 meters of elevation on a day that reached 40-degree heat. These are the elements I found myself battling in July this year as I fought to complete the race.

After starting road cycling last summer with my wife, I naively signed us up for the challenge – which replicates the Queen Stage of the Tour de France. It wasn’t until after signing us up that I realised the race was taking place on her 40th birthday! Although I lost a few Brownie points, she accepted the challenge.

Despite months of training several times a week for hours on end, nothing could have prepared me for the mental and physical fortitude needed to make it across the finish line. While most of my training was undertaken in cold and wet spring conditions in my hometown of Chamonix, the race day fell during one of the hottest periods on record.

L’Étape is far from an easy feat. On average, 20% of participants don’t finish. This year, due to the extreme heat, it was even higher. It is practically impossible to convey the intensity of the toll that L’Étape takes on individuals both mentally and physically. With three young children, including twins, I would like to consider myself as relatively well-versed in meeting challenges thrown my way. But, as I gulped my way through litres of water – sweating it out as quickly as I could take it in – and was faced with a 1,000-metre climb at the last hill, I realised L’Étape would require me to draw a level of energy and mental perseverance that I didn’t know I had.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that – at each stop point – I seriously reflected on whether I had what it takes to continue. These stops were not simply a chance to rest and rehydrate, but also where each competitor had to dig deep to find the strength to get back on the bike and carry on. Thankfully, at the top of the Col du Feu, whilst taking some time to rehydrate, I was chatting with a fellow competitor, and it turned out he was riding with my colleague Tim, a bizarre coincidence given there are 16,500 riders! Tim had completed L’Étape once before, and I knew he truly understood the pain I was going through. He offered words of advice, and we motivated each other to press on.

At the next check point I checked where my wife Anna was, and after realising she wasn't far behind me, I decided to wait for her so we could tackle the second half of the course together while Tim continued.

During the second half of the race, we were confronted with what can only be described as a wall of heat, as we took on the Ramaz - a brutal 14 km climb that accounted for 1000 metres of the total ascent. The support of the public on this climb was unbelievable - without them I am not sure I could have carried on. They lined the road with hose pipes and buckets of cold water – soaking all the riders from head to toe in cold water attempting to cool them down so they got some relief from the extreme heat!

I would never have been able to finish the final climb (Joux Plane) without Anna, the support of the crowds and fellow riders. After consuming all my supply of gels and energy bars plus the extra nutrition I had taken on at the stops, I found myself unable to take on any more with 5 km still to go – my stomach was in knots. The motivation and encouragement got us over finish line together in just over 11 hours. We finished in close succession with Tim, and although utterly exhausted, we all took the time to soak up the atmosphere and congratulate each other on our accomplishments.

It is human nature to make connections with people, particularly in times of adversity and challenge. We rely on cooperation to survive. This is just as important in our work pursuits, and I often draw on the support of my Saffery team (Tim included!) to achieve the best solutions for our clients.

The major things I learned from taking on this challenge were the ability to adapt and work with what you’re given. This is a lesson I have also learned over more than seven years in supporting clients and their families.

While wealth is the common denominator across our clients, this is where the similarity ends. From assets to goals, each client comes to us with their own unique set of circumstances, and it is up to us to work with the conditions presented to us.

When reflecting on L’Étape, it would be easy to think that because we all had the same start and end point and followed the same route between, that we all had the same journey. This could not be further from the truth.

Every cyclist had their own motivations for signing up and contended with their own physical and mental challenges. When it came to L’Étape, I researched the best training methods, I sought the advice of experienced friends, and, on the day, I leaned on those around me for support when things got tough. The highs and lows during any event like the Étape are vast.

This is incredibly reflective of family members on a wealth journey. Although they have the same starting point that they are beneficiaries to the familial wealth, they each have different journeys ahead of them and different goals for their lives and lifestyle. It is our role as trustees to support everyone on their individual journeys, while not losing sight of the collectively agreed finish line. This is what I needed to do to prepare myself to succeed, and my clients expect no less from me when it comes to protecting their family legacies.