London to Paris Part 2

We finally managed to get our trip to Paris wrapped up on Saturday 21/8/2010 after a two month delay and I think all of Team Aspen bar John would agree not enough training in the interim!!.

It was hot for a couple of days and for one particular day very windy.  The official total distance was 315 miles and to date we have raised an amazing £20,620 (which includes £2,045 gift aid) for MacMillan Cancer Support.

 

Day 0: Blackheath Village

Our first challenge was getting bikes to the hotel ready for a 6.30 start next morning.  All achieved successfully followed by a dodgy Italian and a couple of beers to set us up for the trip.

 

Day 1: 79 miles - Blackheath to Calais via the wonderful hills of Kent

After a very early morning call and the panic of organising ourselves for our first day we finally got on our way at 7:15am.  The briefing consisted of the holding up of an orange triangle in three different directions, left, right and pointing up – these we were told would become our best friends by the end of the trip. 

We had a swift trip down to Dover with Mike W and Mark racing ahead collecting prizes for first on the first three stages.  Stops for drinks and lunch were very welcome and a good opportunity to regroup and share tales of hills completed and falls taken! 

We reached Dover at about 4pm and a after a light liquid refreshment proceeded through the port where Des managed to pick up two punctures that were fixed by our very able mechanic Marco.  However, this was not the end of Des’s friendship with Marco and on the boarding of the ferry Des’s rear gearing system snapped off and that was the end of his bike!  We had a pleasant dinner on the ferry and Des unfortunately had a mile ride in the van to the hotel accompanied by the cries of cheat from the group!  The plan was to have the biked fixed the next day at a bike shop close to our first stop.

 

Day 2: 79 miles - Calais to Arras

Second day we had a lay in and were off on our bikes by 8am!  Des was on his hire bike and was not enjoying the experience but was hopeful that the bike would be fixed later that day!  This was not to be as the bike shop was closed for the month of August and Des looked forward to getting used to his new bike!!  The day was pretty much up and down all day – each village was at the bottom of a valley and after a pleasant ride into each we knew that a hill would follow.  This continued all day, however, there was a pleasant ride into Arras where we arrived at about 4pm. 

We all had dinner in a restaurant close to the hotel and buoyed by a successful day and the anticipation of a pleasant ride on the third day (reasonably flat according to John – his best day!) we got stuck into some well deserved beers.  This was the first time the group had sat down together and it was very an emotional evening for some sharing their reasons for completing this trip.

 

Day 3: 82 miles - Arras to Compiegne

We knew that this was not going to be a good day when we were rudely woken by a 6.15 fire alarm.  Although this was not much earlier than the official call the evacuation out of the hotel was not pleasant.

Today was hot and windy and although there were less hills it was even tough pushing the bike down the hills through the head winds throughout the day.  Today took us through the World War I cemeteries around the town of Cléry-sur-Somme.  This was the reality check that we needed and our achievement paled into insignificance against what had happened during 1914-18.

Des was now getting use to the bike and we were enjoying the company of our fellow cyclists as we all moved up and down the field at various stages of the day.  We had a good ride into Arras and I personally was keen to just get off the bike and relax and once at the hotel collapsed on the grass for what seemed like forever. 

Today, was Mike W’s birthday and probably not a day he would like to remember.  His present for the day was some fine pink handlebar tassels that flew well in the wind all day!  He received a card and cake but the bar closed at 10 so an early night for all in readiness for the final day and the ride into Paris.

 

Day 4: 75 miles - Compiègne to Paris

An early start this morning as the plan was to reach the outskirts of Paris by 2.30 so we had an early breakfast and set off at 7am.  Today was a good day the sun was out and it was warming up nicely, the only downside of the day was that we were told we had to do another six miles due to  a ‘deviation’ on our route.

We had lunch after 45 miles and it was only 11.30, we had all done well and reached the lunch stop before the food was on the trestle tables!!  The next stop was in 22 miles where we were to meet in a park for regrouping and the final ride to the Eiffel Tower.

After a pleasant ride through the outskirts of Paris that took the most indirect route possible we arrived at the park, regrouped, then travelled in convoy to the finish line.  We all had Macmillan shirts on and made lots of noise as we passed the Arc de Triomphe and along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and the many restaurants and tourists we passed added to the noise an excitement of this final leg.

We arrived at the Eiffel Tower at 3.45 together and celebrated our achievement with warm Kronenburg at €4 per small bottle.  Mark managed to negotiate 4 for €10 only on the basis that everyone else had long gone to their hotels.  I am happy to announce that Team Aspen were the last cyclists at the Eiffel Tower!!

We then had a two mile ride to the hotel to continue our celebration and am not too sure whether it was the Kronenburg but Mike B’s only fall of the whole trip was within 10 yards of the hotel door!! 

That evening we had a light meal (not through choice!) a few more beers and travelled home on the Sunday via Eurostar taking just 2hrs 15mins from Paris back to London.  It had taken us 4 long days to travel the same distance but we all felt very proud of ourselves and are very pleased to have raised so much for Macmillan.

 

Thank you all very much from all of us including John the pathfinder and the rest of the team – Des Shiels, Mark Hawken, Mike Bartlett, Mike Walker and David Lewsey.

 

PART 1! 

John Young has completed the London to Paris bike Ride 23-27 June 2010

Due to unforseen circumstances Des Shiels, Mark Hawken and David Lewsey from Aspen Healthcare and Michael Walker and Michael Bartlett have had to defer their ride until 18 -22 August.  We will continue to ride for Macmillan and in fact will be joining the Macmillan 2010 cycle ride to Paris.  I would like to say that we are all looking forward to another 7 weeks of training but we in fact are all very jealous of John completing this feat of endurance knowing that he can hang his bike up for the Summer!!!

John has pulled together a daily blog of his ride which I am sure you will agree it shows how much of a fantastic achievement this is..............

 

Day 0: Blackheath Village

Mandy came over to London to offer moral support and to wave me off.  While we were at the hotel, I met some great guys who soon became good friends and invited me to join their team!

Day 1: 86 miles - Blackheath, London to Coquelles (8 miles SW of Calais)

We set off at 8:00am, there was a mix of excitement and apprehension about the challenge which lay ahead of us........

Although, there was a brilliant system of orange dots and arrows spray painted on the roads for us to follow - we hadn't got used to them yet. As a result, within the first mile, 25 of the 40 starters were lost as the leading riders missed a turning (and yes I was in that 25!).  After a 2 mile detour (which almost took us almost on to the A2 - which is not for cyclists); we were underway to Dover.....

As we cycled out of London, the groups settled down and we covered 55 undulating miles then we hit the North Downs..... West and South of Canterbury, there was a series of dips then some vicious climbs which proved really challenging.  However, by mile 70 the pain was temporarily over and we enjoyed a fast 20mph+ descent into Dover.

At 3.30pm and after 78 miles, local school kids kept us up to date on the England score by shouting out news bulletins - so we knew Jermaine Defoe had put us 1:0 up.  As you may expect, we quickly found a bar showing the World Cup and over a cool beer (or two), we watched the rest of the England match.

Then we head-off to the ferry terminal for the 7.00pm departure to Calais.   Chicken and chips en route helped boost the day's carbohydrate quota and helped us make the 8 mile trip to the hotel outside Calais.

Sadly, our bags were on the subsequent ferry and finally arrived at 11:00pm!  There was one upside from the rest of the Aspen teams no show; I had my own room so it was off for a hot shower and a good sleep!

Day 2: 71 miles - Coquelles to Arras

A very tough day! Whoever said Northern France was flat has never cycled there!  The hills were relentless and ensured we didn't enjoy the descents because we knew the next climb was around the next corner!

Guidance notes indicated we climbed 2,250ft today - it felt like much more!

The lunch stop had a somber mood as we prepared ourselves for one of the day's biggest hills and it didn't disappoint.  At each turn, we prayed we would see the apex, but time and again hope was crushed as the climb went on.  The mantra was to focus on the tarmac in front and keep pushing.

Mid afternoon saw us tackling a 5 mile stretch of continual uphill, culminating in a series of hairpin bends from the village of Houdain.

Reward finally came though, with a 15 mile gradual decline into Arras, passing an amazing ruined cathedral at 20-23 mph.

When we reached Arras, we settled in at a very pleasant bistro and over a few cleansing beers, we enjoyed the afternoons hustle and bustle of Arras.

Dinner was a little a quite as everyone reflected on two days cycle and wondered about the two days which still lay ahead....

Day 3: 79 miles - Arras to Compiegne

A truly great day!

It took about 5 miles to warm up the muscles after which we were ready to push on.

A double espresso and enormous pain au raisin in Péronne, provided a welcome change from some truly awful energy bars. 

Rolling poppy lined fields punctuated by all too brief and sombre stops at the World War I cemeteries around the town of Cléry-sur-Somme.  The rest of the countryside was amazing and was a backdrop to some of the best riding we'd ever experienced.

The group stayed together despite the pace (16.1mph average for the day, noted at the afternoon drink stop) as we mastered drafting - using the slip stream of a rider in front, changing the lead at regular intervals.

Not even the big climb at Mareuil-la-Motte, 15 miles from Compiègne, could dampen spirits.

The Ibis Hotel in Compiègne is not one to recommend. Although upon arrival, we were possibly not the most attractive looking (or smelling) bunch of hotel guests.

The conversation over dinner was lively and fun. We had 3 days behind us and the final day lay ahead...

Day 4: 63 miles - Compiègne to Paris

Spirits were high. The group stayed together through the village of Senlis and soon after we were rewarded by the stunning backdrop of The Château de Chantilly where we stopped for some group photographs and stealing an unofficial rest!

Lunch was at 34 miles, but the subsequent 10 miles including 2 tough climbs made going somewhat difficult.  The pre-arranged muster point was cruelly positioned at the top of the second hill!

After waiting for an hour or more for the rest of the L2P group to arrive, came the moment we'd all been building up too!  The 17 mile run into Paris. A long fast descent, traffic, heat, people, excitement and perhaps a tiny competitive edge made it literally a breathtaking finish at the La Tour Eiffel.

Champagne corks flew and we all hugged each other - we had cycled from London to Paris.... !

It was wonderful to see Mandy, Sophie and Andrew at the finish line.  We had cold drinks , ice-creams and tried hard to avoid the many vendors selling miniature metal versions of the Eiffel Tower. Andrew told me the best deal was 5 ET’s for €1!

After a long hot shower we met up for our 'celebration dinner'. Inevitably, over dinner conversation strayed to "the next challenge"...........Suffice to say.  My bike is not for sale on ebay and yes, l am planning to cycle again........

Your generosity coupled with the knowledge that MacMillan Cancer Support will now receive £19,000 kept my mind focussed during 6 months of tough training and some hard moments on the L2P ride itself!  For anyone who is tempted to do the L2P (or any similar charity event), I encourage you to go ahead and do it – it’s a fantastic experience!

Thank you all very much...... from a slightly tired but a very, very happy John......!

 

p.s. a link for some photo’s is:- http://www.the-mplc.com/john_l2p.php

 

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