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

 

Macmillan Cancer Support improves the lives of people affected by cancer. They provide practical, medical, emotional and financial support and push for better cancer care. Cancer affects us all. We can all help.

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.