London to Paris completed

 

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 There's no denying that the prospect of cycling from London to Paris had filled me with some dread given that I had only ever cycled with one of the guys on the tour but I needn't have worried.
Far frm being a testosterone-fuelled bunch of Alpha males they were the nicest bunch of people I could hoped to have cycled with. This three day, 300 mile, cross channel tour was going to be a blast.
As a local on this tour I had the advantage of a short hop to the start, a luxury not afforded to my East Anglian-based cycling buddies. Having arrived at 7.45, I had a bit of a wait as the main group was stuck on the M25 and we didn't get moving until 10ish. This offered the advantage of not having too much traffic to struggle through but the clock was ticking.
The UK part of the ride was pretty uneventful other than a monster climb into Groombridge, mid-afternoon in the heat of the day. It was made all the harder by the weight of traffic and a couple of agressive and impatient drivers. Once in the village a welcome, if very late, lunch stop beckoned. Time was beginning to move on and the delayed start and the slow progress was  making us pretty late for the ferry. Once the coast at Folkstone was reached the bikes were loaded in the failing light and the wait began for the crossing. Unfortunately the ferries were also suffering delays. Once on board the team made a beeline for the restaurant to refuel. Despite the short crossing it was close to 2.00am before we got to France, that's 3.00am their time.
 The Ibis Style hotel was mercifully close and surprisingly good.The night's sleep was welcome but short.
The second day started with the presentation of the jerseys from the previous days ride. Modesty permits me from revealing the results. I had said I wouldn't compete in the sprints and the King of the Mountain stages but when it came to it I just couldn't help myself.

The start out from Calais really felt like the start of the ride proper but before we were out of the town Steve fell when his wheel got caught in a rail track. We then realised that the Garmin was picking out tracks instead of roads forcing a few recalculations and quite a few stops. A few U turns and scratching of heads followed but the leaders were on to things pretty quick. I must admit it felt as if progress was going to be very slow but things started to improve quickly.

 By the middle of the day the countryside had opened up, the sun was out and the roads had emptied of traffic. Some fantastic riding followed with groups forming and breaking away from one another in an afternoon of spirited riding.
Another highlight was a stop at Agincourt for a rendition of Henry V's rousing speech. Although we didn't make it to the St Swithen's Day part but we had a bit of a laugh as did a couple of Dutch tourists who also just happened to be there at the time.

 The group had great discipline and the back of the pack riders were never left alone for too long. Better still most people took a turn to ride towards the back of the group between sprints, KoM stages and some just-for-fun draughting giving the whole peloton a good vibe.
As the light began to take an orange hue we found ourselves in Amiens and a well equipped Mercure hotel for the night. The town was full so a modest meal and a couple of beers were enjoyed before we retired to bed in readiness for day three.
Day three started with another presentation ceremony and the riders looking forward to where we had left off the day before. We were not disappointed. The roads were fine and progress good. A stop was made at the WWI Namps Au Val cemetery to lay a wreath. A poignant minute of silence followed as the group contemplated the contrast between the enjoyable time we were spending compared to the sad loss of life men our ages had suffered in the same spot less than 100 years before.
More food was followed by the lure of more fast riding and the first glimpses of the Paris skyline. As the journey restarted we were less lucky with the roads as a rash of punctures was suffered on a flinty track and some muddy rural roads the Garmin had directed us down. In all four peple punctured over the space of a couple of hours.This soon passed and the speedy riding we had enjoyed the previous afternoon resumed.
As we neared Paris we met up for the fianl time with the support vehicle. The driver had decided a drive right to the Arc de Triomphe the day before Bastille Day probably wasn't a good idea, last supplies were taken on board . The cyclists would ride to the Arc and the bus would make for the hotel.
There is no denying that the ride on the outer outskirts of Paris was a bit of a nightmare. A series of diversions sent us round and round in circles. A more direct solution was sought so up on the pavement we went to link back to the main road.Driving attitudes in Paris were much more like those in the UK and were were glad to get off the suburban rat runs. Our route used a road that ran alongside the Seine for sometime so we avoided the really heavy traffic until the last few miles.As we were a big, experienced group this didn't pose too much a problem and before long we were at the Arc.

 Once at the Arc an obligatory bottle of Champagne was opened and sprayed, rather too successfully, around, photos taken and the curiosity of passers by sated. To top off the arrivee I donned my Vision Aid Overseas shirt once more ( I wore all day on the first day) for photos to prove the ride had been a success.

So far the just giving page has recieved £1400 in donations from individuals, Specsavers, Rodenstock, Maui Jim, Charmant and  Luxottica ( one of whose staff also cycled with me). Hoya made a cash donation and provided of some super-padded shorts to soak up all the rough rods and cobbles ( thankfully few) along the way.
If anyone would like to make a donation please go to http://www.justgiving.com/opticianawards. Videos of the ride and presentationsare also available for viewing.