On Wednesday 27 July with my nephew, Alex McCreath, and brother-in-law, Graeme White, Iembarked on the challenge of cycling from London to Paris. Whilst by no means the first to embark on such a trip for the Rose Road Association, we were well aware of our own relative inexperience in road cycling. In the event we need not have worried and completed the 301 mile journey in the scheduled four days with 20 hours in the saddle.
The journey began inauspiciously under leaden skies with a departure from close to the transmitter tower at Crystal Palace at 7.00am. Fortunately the London streets were still relatively quite at that time as we settled into ou stride. Once over the Channel, however, glimpses of the sun could be seen and the spirits of the riders began to rise. Before long we were cruising through the delightful French countryside taking in the rural scenes – stopping off occasionally for refreshment – and feeling sufficiently strong for a short detour to visit the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery for Allied troops of the two world wars who fell at Abbeville.
The adventure culminated on Saturday 30 July in a procession into central Paris - in convoy with over 120 other riders who had made the journey from London - passing around the Arc de Triomphe amid a cacophony of car horns cheers and applause. The journey which had begun on a gloomy morning in London concluded by the Eiffel Tower in brilliant afternoon sunshine. For all of us, the ride had been an adventure never to be forgotten.
If you would still like to make a donation to the Rose Road Appeal it is still not too late so dig deep and donate now. Please!
