London to Paris Bike Ride - Day Four Reflections

Our last day today, 69 miles from Compiegne to Paris. The route today was very good with only two major hills which came early on. We started off with a really nice run out throught the Forest of Compiegne. We had our only rain of the ride this morning with a shower for the first half hour as were going through the forest after which the weather cleared up and was quite hot by the afternoon.

Some nice villages again today and a couple of stunning chateaus including the one above. The run into Paris was relatively flat and fast. We formed up into two groups about 12 miles from Paris and came in behind one of the support vehicles. What was really nice was that as we rode through Paris lots of people at the roadside applauded and cheered us. So then it was across the Place de la Concorde, up the Champs Elysees, round the Arc de Triomphe and down Avenue Kleber to the Jardins du Trocadero overlooking the Eiffel Tower where we finished. Riding up the Champs Elysees in the group was a fantastic thrill although I must say that crossing the Place de la Concorde and going around the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe were two of the scariest things that I have ever done in my life.

So we made it, all 73 of us! After four days, 16,000 feet of climbing, no punctures, 20+ energy bars, 15 litres of energy drink and countless bananas I was sipping champagne with Mrs Claudius in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. I am proud to say that I rode all the route and made it up all of the hills without having to walk up any of them. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I had the privilige of sharing it with a team of 73 wonderful people. That evening we had a fantastic celebration dinner and the following day we watched the Tour de France come into town before heading home.

So well done to everyone in the team Thanks to Alison, Amanda and Hannah from the Christian Aid events team who arranged it all for us. Thanks also to Pete, Brian and the team from Global Adventures who looked after us superbly throughout the event. Thanks most of all to my fellow riders, we did it together folks!

And the best bit of all is that together we raised over £100,00 for some of the poorest people in the world.

Index to Photos (click on the photo for a larger image)

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• A Chateau
• Me at the finish
• The Team at the finish
• The Tour de France comes to town

London to Paris Bike Ride - Day Three Reflections

Today we did 79 miles from Arras to Compiegne and I am relieved to say that it was a much easier day than yesterday. There were just two main climbs and they were not too tough. We also had a fantastic fast descent after the last climb which went on for about 4 miles, it felt like manna from heaven!

We've been riding through the Somme valley today which has been very poignant. We have passed lots of memorials and cemetaries from World War One including the very striking memorial to Scottish soldiers above. We also passed a German cemetary, I had never seen a German war cemetary before. This one was the last resting place of over 22,000 soldiers, it was very moving.

We had a great spot for our lunch stop today by a lovely lake. The girls served up some fantastic smoked mackerel for lunch and followed it with what have to be the best chocolate brownies in the world.

Some lovely scenery again today with some nice towns and villages and some beautiful chateaus. What I don't understand is why don't the French ever paint their houses? You see absolutely beautiful houses which are spoiled by shabby and peeling paintwork. Surely Monsieur it must be worth getting the Dulux out at least once every hundred years! Best detour of the day was by some of our riders who missed a direction arrow and ending up cycling an extra 16 miles including a hill which was worse than any of the other hills on the route.

The drama of the day for me came as I was coming in to Compiegne when I fell off my bike! I tried to go up a high kerb onto a cycle path (the French don't seem to believe in drop kerbs) and the bike failed to negotiate the kerb and went down taking me with it. Fortunately both the bike and me were ok with the only thing hurt being my pride. The main casualty was the tube of sun cream in the back pocket of my jersey which split in the impact covering my jersey with sun cream which I suspect will not wash out.

I thought I had missed the hotel because I passed a sign saying that I was leaving Compiegne but then I saw the hotel across the road. The hotel was right on the edge of Compiegne which was a shame as it meant that I wasn't able to explore the city. Strange meal tonight consisting of a piece of meat with spaghetti and pasta sauce! I was rooming with Dorin again tonight.

Index to Photos (click on the photo for a bigger image)

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• Lunch by the lake


• Poppies in the Somme valley


• Memorial to Scottish soldiers


• German war cemetary


• (far left) My room mate Dorin

London to Paris Bike Ride - Day Two Reflections

Day two was the longest and toughest day of the ride covering 80 miles from Calais to Arras. We had another early start with 6.30am breakfast and an 8am start. The morning was one of the toughest sessions of cycling I think I have ever had. Our ride manager Brian described today's route as undulating which has to go down as one of the great euphemisms of all time. It was rather like when your dentist tells you that you will just feel a little scratch and then pushes a huge needle into your gum. After a fairly gentle roll out from Calais the hills started coming thick and fast. The hills were not particularly steep but some of them seemed to go on forever. We had every type of road surface going as well. We thought we were on the Paris Roubaix race when we went over a cobbled section coming through one of the villages. Some of the roads were very hard to ride on, the worst was an uphill section of about 5 miles on loose chippings. For some reason the worst road surfaces in France usually seem to be on hills making them doubly difficulty to climb. The countryside was very open this morning so you could see the full glory of the hills ahead of you. To add insult to injury there was a strong headwind for much of the morning making the hills even harder going. I really was running on empty by the time I made it to the lunch halt after 40 miles and wasn't sure how I would cope if the afternoon was as tough as the morning.

Fortunately the afternoon was less hilly and I managed to slog my way to the finish. It was blisteringly hot though and I kept having to stop every five miles to find a bit of shade so that I could cool down. I tried a new tactic today of wearing my cap under my helmet which was really effective at keeping the sun off my head. The scenery was stunning today. Rolling hills of wheat fields and sugar beet. It was harvest time and the combine harvesters were out in the fields. There was also lots of calves in the fields and I met 6 lovely white horses this morning who were very friendly. There have been some interesting monuments along the way including the one above to 3 American airman who were killed during World War 2. Some lovely little roadside Christian shrines and chapels as well.

We stayed at a nice hotel in the centre of Arras. My room mate tonight was Dorin who is from London. Arras is a lovely town and I had a nice walk around and stopped for a beer in the main square. We all went to a local restaurant tonight for a very good dinner of chicken supreme before collapsing in bed for a very well earned sleep.

Index to Photos (click on the photos for larger images)

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• A Roadside Chapel


• Memorial to 3 American airman killed in WW2


• Friendly horses


• Wind turbines on the road to Arras


• The old square in Arras