0:00:07 > 0:00:10We're on a ten week journey,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12cycling 3,500 kilometres
0:00:12 > 0:00:16on the trail of the great Carthaginian warrior, Hannibal.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23Over 2000 years ago, Hannibal marched his army from the south of Spain,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26across the Alps, and into Italy.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30He launched a spectacular assault on the heart of Roman power.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Hannibal's brothers, Hasdrubal and Mago, were his generals.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42I'm Danny Wood. I'm a journalist, and, like Hannibal,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45I'm travelling with my brothers.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Ben, a computer expert, and Sam, an archaeologist.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56Hannibal marched with over 100,000 soldiers, armed with swords, spears
0:00:56 > 0:00:59and 37 elephants.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03We're armed with three bikes.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05- three tents.- And a bike-cam.
0:01:05 > 0:01:11So far, we've cycled from the south of Spain, over the Pyrenees and through France.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19We're well into the journey. But we still have to take on Hannibal's greatest challenge.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Crossing the Alps.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Day 21 of our journey, and we're cycling through Provence.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46We're all thinking about the great test ahead.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Hannibal knew the Alps were now only a few days' march away.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59The ancient Greek historian, Polybius, says he sent scouts ahead
0:01:59 > 0:02:03to find a place to camp and prepare for the big climb.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Polybius says Hannibal set up camp in a place he calls "the island",
0:02:09 > 0:02:12a stretch of incredibly fertile land between two rivers.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16This area, around the beautiful town of Vaison la Romaine,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18appears to fit Polybius's description.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Here, Hannibal's men could rest, and their horses and elephants
0:02:21 > 0:02:24could forage in preparation for the hard days ahead.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31The Roman historian, Livy, suggests that Hannibal's troops felt daunted
0:02:31 > 0:02:34by the next step of the journey.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Hannibal gave a morale-boosting speech to urge them on to Rome.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42"When finally you have the Alps in sight, at the very
0:02:42 > 0:02:47"gateway of the enemy's country, you come to a halt, exhausted."
0:02:47 > 0:02:48"What do you think the Alps are?
0:02:48 > 0:02:51"Are they anything worse than high mountains?
0:02:51 > 0:02:53"Why, even the Gauls once captured Rome.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56"And you despair of being able even to get near it."
0:02:56 > 0:02:59"Women and children have crossed these mountains.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02"Either confess you have less spirit than a people you've defeated again
0:03:02 > 0:03:08"and again, or steel your hearts and march forward to the Walls of Rome."
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Hannibal put food in their stomachs and hope in their hearts.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28But they would need more than that to survive the perilous journey ahead.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Hannibal soon found a way to secure the extra support he needed.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35He came across two brothers from a local Gallic tribe who were involved
0:03:35 > 0:03:40in a bitter struggle for control over this prosperous territory.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Hannibal stepped in to settle the dispute.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46He took the side of the elder brother, Brancus.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Of course, I'm all in favour of the eldest child coming out on top.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53But my younger brother, Ben, has other ideas.
0:03:53 > 0:03:59So do you refute the claim that the first born Carthaginian child was sacrificed?
0:03:59 > 0:04:01I think by the time of Hannibal it was a goat.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04It was a goat? Oh, that's quite good.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05What the first born was a goat?
0:04:05 > 0:04:07LAUGHTER
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Possibly. Possibly.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Confirmed as leader, Brancus now lavished Hannibal's army with food,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21warm clothes and an armed escort
0:04:21 > 0:04:23for the treacherous route into the mountains.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29We're back on the road, too.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39And we're getting a taste of just how punishing Hannibal's journey could be.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45You think about Hannibal and how he would have been reacting.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47These were serious mountains for those guys.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51They didn't have to just worry about getting up the altitude.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54They had to find food, protect themselves from their enemies.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56It's a different world.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00All we've got to worry about is getting up the next hill.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04We're heading up to the Gorge des Gas. It's a beautiful valley.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07And it's just unbelievable.
0:05:07 > 0:05:08It's October and it's like summer.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14We're coming to the foothills of the Alps.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17This is where Hannibal's army was most vulnerable to attack.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24As his army marched towards this narrow pass, Hannibal received intelligence
0:05:24 > 0:05:30that warriors from a local tribe, the Allobroges, were following him high in the rocks above.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40Hannibal had no choice but to press on. He had to get through the ravine and over the pass.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Hannibal sent scouts ahead.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54They came back with the information that the Allobroges held positions
0:05:54 > 0:05:57high in the cliff tops to guard the pass by day.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02But every night they returned to their village.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Hannibal came up with a plan to trick the Allobroges.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12The first stage was to make an elaborate show of settling
0:06:12 > 0:06:16his army down for the night just beneath the enemy's positions.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20It's funny when you start to think about Hannibal and his army camping.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25They were mostly mercenaries, so I'm sure they slept in very different ways.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30I imagine some people were in tents and some people slept under the stars.
0:06:30 > 0:06:36Hannibal successfully created the impression that the entire army was sleeping.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40The Allobroges fell for it and returned to their villages as usual.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Hannibal now sent some of his most reliable infantry
0:06:46 > 0:06:49up into the cliffs to seize the Allobroges vantage points.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06At first light, the rest of Hannibal's men struck camp.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10They started to make their way along the narrow ledge of the valley.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19We're really getting a sense of how vulnerable Hannibal
0:07:19 > 0:07:22and his army must have felt walking up this ravine.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30Then the local tribesmen returned to find their vantage points occupied.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36The Allobroges were furious, and started to hurl down rocks
0:07:36 > 0:07:39and missiles on Hannibal's army in the ravine below.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49There was no place to shelter from the falling rocks.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51And the army was soon at breaking point.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Hannibal launched a counter-attack with the men he'd sent to the top of the cliff.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01It must have been chaos. Horses and elephants going crazy.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Men being crushed and falling into the ravine.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09Hannibal eventually managed to overwhelm the Allobroges.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12And as they retreated, Hannibal's men stormed into their village.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22They then looted enough supplies to last for the next three days.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Like Hannibal, we're hoping for a trouble-free day.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38No punctures, no loss of provisions and no hostile locals.
0:08:45 > 0:08:52After the shock of the ambush, Hannibal realised that his vast food supplies were a tempting target.
0:08:52 > 0:08:58He moved them towards the front of the convoy with armed protection and positioned himself at the rear.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09It's said the route took the army through this beautiful valley, the Combe du Queyras.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14Hannibal encountered more local tribesmen here.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20These days, the magnificent 13th century Chateau Queyras
0:09:20 > 0:09:22is the valley's striking landmark.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30But in Hannibal's day, this would have been a huge dome of bare rock.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35We're coming down to Chateau Queyras now.
0:09:35 > 0:09:42And this is where local tribes approached Hannibal's men with gifts and offerings and he accepted them,
0:09:42 > 0:09:48but he was pretty suspicious of them because of the experience he'd had with the previous tribes.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55As Hannibal and his men started moving through the narrow valley,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57the local warriors launched an ambush.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Hannibal's army scattered.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06In the confusion, a large section became separated from their leader.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11When Hannibal was split from the rest of his army, he was said to spend
0:10:11 > 0:10:14a night under a bald rock, or a white rock.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Now, scholars have tried to locate this place and there are many variations.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21But one of them is Chateau Queyras.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25That night, cut off from half his army, Hannibal
0:10:25 > 0:10:30must have felt his whole plan to invade Rome was doomed to failure.
0:10:34 > 0:10:41But the next morning, the rest of Hannibal's army staggered out of the gorge, amazed to be alive.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43The enemy had retreated.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Now the march on Rome could continue.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57After this second ambush, Hannibal and his men had a relatively
0:10:57 > 0:11:01peaceful approach into the mountains, but the physical strain began to weigh heavily.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03We're certainly finding it tougher.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06And bouncier.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Progress is slow and cold.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20No-one's sure which route Hannibal took through the Alps.
0:11:20 > 0:11:26All we have to go on are ancient descriptions of the terrain Hannibal crossed on his journey.
0:11:28 > 0:11:34We're going to split up and test out three of the possible passes, known in French as "Cols".
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Col du Clapier.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Col de la Traversette.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42And Col de Montgenevre.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50We're going to find out which one best matches the ancient sources.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57We're suddenly very aware of why Hannibal wanted to get this crossing
0:11:57 > 0:11:59out of the way before winter set in.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05I'm just doing a warm-up.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07It's suddenly got very cold.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Well, we're truly in the Alps now.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14We're at 2000 metres up.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16It's not that high but pretty high.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19So I'm going to turn left here and go over this mountain.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Danny and Sam need to head towards their passes.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26So we're having a tearful farewell
0:12:26 > 0:12:29and we meet again in a couple of days.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31See you, guys.
0:12:33 > 0:12:34I'm cold.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39- Good luck.- Same to you.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Sam and I will ride together for nearly 30 kilometres
0:12:52 > 0:12:56before we, too, go our separate ways.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Ben's heading for the most northerly pass, Col du Clapier.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03It's around 2,500 hundred metres high.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10I've just said goodbye to my brothers.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Whilst it's great to have your brothers around to share
0:13:17 > 0:13:22the load, for a bit of company, it's also nice to get a break...
0:13:22 > 0:13:24have a bit of time by yourself.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Just wonder what it was like in Hannibal's army.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29There was just no opportunity ever to be...
0:13:29 > 0:13:32sort of, have a bit of quiet time by yourself...
0:13:32 > 0:13:34for any of them.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49It's a bit lonely, really, actually.
0:13:49 > 0:13:56When you come besides to miss your brothers being around, you come to realise what you rely on them for.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00As I came out of the town below, I actually had to have a look at a map which was a bit painful.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Ben's the expert with them and...
0:14:03 > 0:14:06yeah, we've really come to rely on him for that.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14Sam's making his way further south towards the Col de la Traversette.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18At nearly 3,000 metres, it's one of the highest Alpine passes.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29My younger brothers have given me Montgenevre.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32It stands at a modest 1,860 metres.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42We're all looking forward to a good night's sleep before the climb.
0:14:50 > 0:14:51I always think
0:14:51 > 0:14:54that I'll be in a hot shower in 24 hours from now.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58And Hannibal's men had been going for months.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01If they were camping out in this sort of weather,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04they must have been either very, very tough or...
0:15:06 > 0:15:08er... pretty upset by now.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I'm climbing Traversette tomorrow.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12And should be brilliant.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17I mean, I'm not set on it as the one which Hannibal went across, but just to cross any pass over
0:15:17 > 0:15:23the Alps and think about him possibly being there before, and just the hardships he went through.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Yeah, I can't wait.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32Montgenevre is the easy one, so I'm looking forward to getting there and just seeing
0:15:32 > 0:15:37whether it is a real contender, at least from my humble perspective.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38So it'll be fun.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Fingers crossed for some decent weather tomorrow.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49Ben's prayers for good weather appear to have fallen on deaf ears.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53But Sam can't get over his luck when he sets off.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56It's stunning.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57The sun's coming over the mountains.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00It's going to be a great day climbing this mountain.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03As long as I can push my bike all over the top.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11You do start to think about Hannibal. You imagine it.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15You're in the middle of the Alps, in a country you've never been to,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17with men who've never been there either.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21You've lost men and animals by the thousand
0:16:21 > 0:16:25to cold, to ambushes, to desertion.
0:16:25 > 0:16:31You're on a mission you believe in, but are probably starting to doubt as you reach these mountains.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37I really feel for Hannibal. It must have been so hard.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- Bonjour, Nicolas.- Hello, Sam.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Thanks for guiding me today. Which way to Traversette?
0:16:42 > 0:16:43Traversette is over there.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- Great... lead on.- Let's go.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49It makes sense to have a guide in these mountains.
0:16:49 > 0:16:55The weather can suddenly change and the paths aren't always clear.
0:16:56 > 0:17:02Livy writes that Hannibal's army took the wrong route several times before reaching the pass.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06We're hoping our guides will be more reliable than Hannibal's.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Merci.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22So I've just left Gilbert, my guide, who's very nice.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26But the way at the moment looks pretty easy, actually.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30It's a fairly well-defined track.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33A bit bumpy at times.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36I'm sure I'll let him catch up a bit later
0:17:36 > 0:17:39just in case I'm not sure of the trail.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I don't really need a guide for my pass,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51and there's no real rush to get going.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55So before I set out from the ski resort of Briancon,
0:17:55 > 0:17:59I have time to speak to a Hannibal historian about the march through the mountains.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03The crossing of the Alps took 15 days,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06but is the most important of the journey.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Why is there such a dispute over
0:18:08 > 0:18:10which route Hannibal took over the Alps?
0:18:10 > 0:18:15Lots of specialists still not agree about the routes.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18There are a lot of possibilities.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20And we have a lot of sources,
0:18:20 > 0:18:25Polybius and Livy, but the authors are not clear.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30They didn't mention precise location, and chronology,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34so it's very difficult to choose clearly one path.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39My crossing's all by road, but the terrain on the other passes
0:18:39 > 0:18:44is making it tough for Sam and Ben to do any cycling at all.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52I've had to start walking my bike now. It's got a bit steep and rocky.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57But it is beautiful. Everywhere we've been in the Alps has been beautiful.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02I suppose I'm not sure if Hannibal and his army were appreciating the scenery so much.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10I know Traversette's going to get very hard at the top, so I've tried
0:19:10 > 0:19:13to get ahead of my guide, Nicolas, by doing a bit of cycling.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16But I'm pushing now because it's much too hard to ride.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19It's tough going but the weather's perfect.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21It's a beautiful day.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24And we know that Hannibal had terrible weather.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27There was snow and ice.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31And his animals and men were dying from the cold.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Some historians have suggested that Hannibal had little choice
0:19:42 > 0:19:45but to lead his army through these high passes.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Here, they would have been less exposed to attack.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Livy describes the terrible conditions
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Hannibal and his men faced as they began to climb.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06"The awful vision was now before their eyes.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11"The towering peaks, the snow-clad pinnacles soaring to the sky."
0:20:11 > 0:20:15"Beasts and cattle shrivelled and parched with cold, the locals with
0:20:15 > 0:20:21"their wild and ragged hair, everything stiff with frost."
0:20:21 > 0:20:25"All these horrifying sights gave a new edge to their fear."
0:20:29 > 0:20:33No remnants of Hannibal's army have ever been found.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38And with so many potential routes over such a vast territory,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41it's hard to know exactly where excavations might start.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02Until these mountains yield some real evidence about Hannibal's
0:21:02 > 0:21:06route, we're left with the clues given by Polybius and Livy.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12The first of these is an area near the summit,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15large enough for Hannibal's whole army to set up camp.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24This looks like the perfect place for a campsite.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27You can definitely imagine an army of thousands of men,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30a baggage train, horses and elephants camped here under the pass.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Traversette definitely does very well on the campsite test.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41So we're just below highest point of the pass.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44And we're in a huge area which is possibly where Hannibal
0:21:44 > 0:21:48and his army camped waiting for the stragglers to come up the valley.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51It's got a bit of forage and a nice big freshwater lake.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54So I'm sure they could have camped here quite comfortably.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09As I reach the summit at Montgenevre, it strikes
0:22:09 > 0:22:13me that there would be no shortage of places for a large army to stay.
0:22:25 > 0:22:32The next feature Polybius and Livy mention is that the previous year's snow still lay on the pass.
0:22:32 > 0:22:33Brilliant, thanks.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40I'm almost at the top and I've reached the snow line.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42It's such hard going.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46If Hannibal came this way, with elephants and an army, he did so well.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49I'm struggling enough even just with my bike.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54I can't believe I volunteered for Traversette!
0:22:57 > 0:23:03That small patch of white behind me is all that remains of last winter's snow.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08But it's very likely that when Hannibal and his army came through, there was plenty more of it.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18Well, as you can see, there's not even snow on this pass now, but I'm crossing Montgenevre a bit
0:23:18 > 0:23:23earlier than Hannibal would have, and it does snow here because you can see around me the ski pistes.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27It may not seem to match the descriptions in the history books,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31but Montgenevre does have its advocates.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35This is partly because it would have been so much easier for Hannibal
0:23:35 > 0:23:39to transport his army across here than over the more hazardous passes.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00The next clue we have is that there was said to be
0:24:00 > 0:24:05a dramatic view from the summit, over the Po Valley in Italy.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09Mmm. They told me there was an amazing view from here,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11but unfortunately today it's just clouds.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17I'd best take a photo to prove to Danny and Sam I've actually been here.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29That's Italy over there, but it's not exactly a spectacular view of the Po Valley.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40- Italy?- Italy!
0:24:40 > 0:24:45I couldn't have made it without you, Nicolas. Thank you, especially hauling my elephant bike.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- Do you think he came this way? - Yes, it's possible.
0:24:48 > 0:24:49I think all is possible.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Yeah, all is possible.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07It's a phenomenal view. Looking down this valley, it's stunning.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10You can see miles. I really wish my brothers were here to see it.
0:25:19 > 0:25:25Livy and Polybius both report that Hannibal chose this vantage point to give a stirring speech.
0:25:27 > 0:25:28"My men,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31"you are now crossing the very borders of Italy.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35"More than that, you're walking on the walls of Rome."
0:25:35 > 0:25:38"From now on, it'll be easy going.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40"No more mountains to climb."
0:25:40 > 0:25:45"After a battle or two, you will hold the capital of Italy,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49"the fortress of Rome, in the palm of your hands."
0:25:52 > 0:25:54There's one final clue.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58The descent from the summit is supposed to be extremely steep.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03And Ben's route over Clapier certainly seems to match this description.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08How do you think I'll go on my bike?
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Sam's also struggling to get down the other side of Traversette.
0:26:21 > 0:26:27Well, the descent definitely matches the descriptions of Livy and Polybius. It's so steep.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32I don't know how much chance I've got of getting my bike down here.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Hannibal probably wouldn't have had many problems crossing here,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42even before the invention of tarmac and roadside cafes.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44And why would he have chosen a steeper crossing,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48when this nice gentle route into Italy exists?
0:26:58 > 0:27:02One day, maybe an elephant bone or a shield will emerge
0:27:02 > 0:27:06as conclusive evidence of the route Hannibal took over the Alps.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Until then, no-one can be sure.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16We each like to believe it was our own passes, of course.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26But at the end of it all, it's just great to see each other again.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31Mine was easy-peasy. It was just basically like a zombie town ski resort.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34- Nice.- Yeah, mine was quite relaxing.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39- Really?- No, it was quite dark at the end.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41I'm still feeling it. I'm still very tired. It was hard.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44You look quite tired. I'm tireder than you.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Yee-hah, yippedy-do!
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Now comes the best bit!
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Freewheeling for miles into Italy.
0:27:58 > 0:27:59Hannibal had it much tougher.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03He lost thousands of men and animals in these mountains.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08And his exhausted army now had to go to war against Rome.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22In the next programme, we cycle across Italy.
0:28:22 > 0:28:28Hannibal and his army storm their way through battle after battle.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31And Rome is brought the brink of collapse.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:56 > 0:28:58E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk