Update:
Day 7
Well at 3pm we arrived at Place Bellecour, Lyon. Once the Forviere (the cathedral that sits above Lyon) was in sight all the aches and pains lifted as we rolled into the city cente. Rolling however was not first thing we did with a few steady hills to get us going, but from there on it was flat all the way for the first time in thewhoe trip and most welcome it was too and that was it really so no stories of weaving or gradients today.
So in summary a few thoughts about our trip; It seems I am actually capable of riding 570 miles, French roads are excellent bur their opening times are bizarre...but most importantly the total raised for the RHN has risen steadily throughout the week so hopefully these little updates have encouraged you to add to my total - so a big thank you to everyone who has donated or supported me!
Day 6
The end is in sight, although for a while today it didn't seem any closer as we battled over hill after hill only to be confronted at the end by... yes two more hills - which after 75 miles were almost a climb too far for me. The day had started like the previous had finished, climbing up a few busy roads, but after a temporary break to see some cattle hearded down an A road we got going over some rolling forest known as Morvan towards our stop off point of the very pretty town of Autun. Once we had bought water and sort pharmaceutical aid for my dodgy knee we set off again on a monster climb towards Mont St Vincent - yes, that's Mont -10 miles of pretty much pure ascent. Having survived this we headed off to our hotel in Cluny. The road seemed to desend forever; this was a mixed blessing however as at the bottom there two almighty hills and well you know the rest... Just the small matter of 55 miles to Lyon tomorrow.
Day 5
Following our fine dining in our 'auberge' of the evening before we started off today with a very good breakfast and hit the road for our first 20 miles. These were a bit of a struggle after yesterday's 90 miler still very much present in my tighs only in some very pleasant forest surroundings. Then we had 25 miles of mild up and downs culminating in us arriving in Chablis (some of you may recognise the name :)). After lunch in Chablis and with the faint waft of wine in the air we headed off into countryside again but now the midday sun had come out on force and for rest of the day was going to make our life quite difficult. As we headed to Avalon the temperature got up to 27 degrees, and that wasn't the only thing that went up with the gradient increasing also. And neither let up until the very end! The day ended in complete contrast to the night before with an evening meal at the local truckstop! But it wasn't bad and very welcome after a tough day!
Day 4 - still on the hunt for food!
Today was the longest day - 90.5 miles! The hunt for food the previous night had in the end proved fruitless so we settled for a cornershop concoction to see us through. After leaving Plailly this morning we continued our circumnavigation of Paris. Although twisty the hills were fine and we headed off to join some bigger roads. This proved to be quite hairy with every artic truck in France seemingly using them. However, it was a good opportunity to eat up some miles before getting back onto more sedate roads. The first 20 miles of the remaining 45 went well. The sun was beating down and the road seemed to go up and up - it turned out to be a tough end to the ride but we were greeted by the welcome sight of our hotel just before 6 pm with, most importantly, its own restaurant :-)
Day 3 - searching for food!
After our very welcome hearty Turkish meal last night in Flessells, we headed off at around 9 am into a slightly chilly haze with our first stop being Amiens. Having successfully negotiated the morning traffic, we pressed on through a number of small towns and villages. As we got closer to lunchtime, we sought the nearest Hypermarche but, although the many signs seemed to indicate there was one on every corner we just couldn't find one! In the end, we plumped for a pannini at a local boulangerie. Having refueled we set off again and the going was surprisingly good as we weaved our way to hotel just north of Paris. Just the small matter of negotiating some truck-filled main roads and the odd dual carriage way, which we did and w even managed to finally find a Hypermarche to stock up on energy giving sweets... Now sat in the B&B thinking about the culinary delights for tonight...
Day 2
A better day today, due in no smal part to the quality of French roads and slightly reduced distance. We left Boulogne at around 9 am after an eventful night of confused room bookings and a very relaxed approach to service. The majority of today's riding was fairly easy going although I can safely say that I could live without seeing another nothern French field having ridden through a good 30 miles of them - although I maybe wishing I was. Also we have not been having much luck with food places with France seemingly closed on a Sunday - did they not know we were coming? A welcome end to the day however, as our B&B has proved to be quite a nice place run by a very pleasant couple who were most welcoming, and crucially were able to point us in the direction of local Turkish restaurant where we stocked for tomorrow's slightly tougher 80 mile stint!
Day 1
Left Trafalgar Square at 9 am waved off by better halves, a good friend of mine Andy (much appreciated, Andy) and Uta from the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability. We weaved our way out of London via the Old Kent Road, which was interesting if not a little frustrating stopping for traffic lights every 500 meters! Once out of London we successfully navigated our way down to Faversham, this is when the pain started to kick in - well for me anyway - as we detoured onto some of Kent's finest country lanes. For every exhilarating downhill there was an equally testing uphill to negotiate. Anyway, I am writing this sat in a comfy lounge seat on the ferry - needless to say we made it in time. Just need to recover in time for tomorrow's first experience of French roads on route from Boulogne to Flessels (no I've not heard of it either).
On the 19th of September 2009 a friend and I will be cycling from London to Lyon, France. We will be doing an average of 80 miles per day over seven days to cover the 570 mile in order to arrive at Lyon's Belle Court on the evening of the 25th of September.
I am embarking upon this trip in aid of the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability (RHN) in Putney - a self supporting hospital that specialises in the assessment and treatment of individuals who have suffered damage to their brain or nervous system caused by accidents and illnesses.
I'd heard about the RHN's work through my wife. Her colleague, Patrick Goodacre, a keen cyclist like myself, was helped by the RHN on his way to recovery from serious head injury he sustained in October 2006 cycling in Richmond Park in London. He was hit by a car and sustained a severe brain injury. He remained in a coma at Charing Cross Hospital for a few months until he was transferred to the RHN to begin a programme of rehabilitation.
Patrick says that thanks to the efforts of the staff at the RHN his rehabilitation is going well, “The Royal Hospital at Putney is a very special place, not only for me but the many others who spend time there. Personally it began my rehabilitation following a severe brain injury. It is such an important period in the recovery of many of those injured. The amazing grounds are complemented by the superb staff who... help to rebuild lives, often with only a very basic set of building blocks. Although I am still on the long road of rehabilitation, I know that RHN helped me progress from a ‘low-awareness’ state, to a position where I could learn to take control of my life again in a rehabilitation unit. I cannot begin to thank everyone involved with the RHN, enough”.
Patrick is now on the way to lead a fulfilling and independent life but there are so many others who need your help and support.
Thanks,
Liam
