Thanks for visiting our fundraising page.

 

We made it in some form or another.

 

Firstly I'd like to thank everyone that has sponsored us and everyone that helped us with training, preparation and fundraising. I'd also like to thank everyone in the team that made it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

 

DAY 1 - 95 miles - Dover to Calais

After a 6 am start on Wednesday 8th September, we acclimatised to seeing one another in lycra and all was well for at least an hour. Then we had the first of several mishaps. Tim was clipped by another cyclist and the subsequent fall resulted in a broken finger, broken rib and a sore head.

 

Fortunately for Tim, but not the other cyclist she crashed about 400 metres further up meaning an ambulance and medical attention were already on their way. A short trip to hospital confirmed no serious injuries and Tim and his companion were transported to Dover so they could join up with the rest of the group when we eventually made it.

 

With Kamikaze Tim off the road it was time to get going. We were now about an hour behind schedule so needed to make up some time. Keith had been oblivious to the crash and after an hour or so we managed to catch him in time to help him mend his second puncture.

 

With all the interruptions we decided that we really had to go for it after the lunch break. We were so focused that we failed to notice that Bill never made it out of the car park due to a puncture. We took on the South Downs (I'd call it a draw at best) and eventually made it to Dover in time for the Ferry, or at least that was what we thought.

 

Chris and Penny had managed to take a wrong turn and despite realising their mistake the final support vehicle had passed them in the meantime. They eventually hit the port with 5 minutes to spare and after some heated exchanges with the P&O staff were allowed to board the ferry.

 

We met up with Tim, who to his great credit had decided not to return home to watch the England match but stay on and support the team and all the other riders.

 

DAY 2 - 80 miles - Calais to Arras

 

Everyone assumed Northern France was flat. Its not.

 

Tim's ambulance buddy managed to rejoin the cycling group with broken rib and sprained wrist and elbow. There was much to be admired in her determination (from a distance of course).

 

This was a long tough day but passed without major mishap, at least for our Quintet. However, one of our fellow riders did manage to get a little lost and was eventually rescued well into the evening. The search had meant that whilst we were all enjoying the rehydration facilities the hotel had to offer and a nice meal, Tim was still stranded at the water stop halfway up a hill in the middle of the French countryside.

 

He was eventually recovered and brought to the hotel where we took out additional insurance on him, had him electronically tagged and decided not to let him out of our sight.

 

DAY 3 - 82 miles - Arras to Compiegne

 

The terrain eased up a bit on day 3, which was just as well as the good luck we had enjoyed (with the exception of Tim obviously) the previous day ran out. The morning started with both Bill and I having punctures before we even set off. Bill's was terminal and we had to get a new tyre. With them repaired and the rest of the group already departed we cycled 30 metres before Bill had another puncture. When attempting to repair this another inner tube was destroyed and our carbon footprint was now escalating despite all the cycling.

 

We eventually got everything working and set off to enjoy the countryside, which we did hour after hour.

 

DAY 4 - 60 miles - Compiegne to Paris

 

A sense of achievement was starting to set in now, along with third degree chaffing. But we set of with confidence and sudocrem knowing that it was not far to Paris.

 

The first 40 miles were perhaps the most enjoyable of the trip. The sun was shining, we were riding with the main group for a change and we even stopped at the pub. However, in the final stretch things took a turn for the worse. We were all decending a long hill when a slight lapse in concentration (whilst playing tour guide) led to Bill clipping the curb and going flying over his handlebars. We were travelling at high speed and the accident had the potential to be quite serious, fortunately Bill had enough presence of mind to get out of the road before I hit him and fell off.

 

With Bill bruised and bleeding we called for medical attention, our in team dentist had confirmed no major oral injury so we called a real doctor. Despite being understandably shaken up, Bill managed to get back up on his bike once all the injuries had been tended to as he was determined to finish. This was even more remarkable when the injuries were finally confirmed upon return to the UK as a broken eye socket and cheekbone (which is being operated on today). Neither of which were aided by the allergic reaction to Ibuprofen.

 

We eventually limped into Paris to meet up with the group and commence the final ride to the Eiffel tower. Tim put aside the pain and joined us to cycle the final stretch. We negotiated the traffic and made it to be greeted by the adoring crowds (although some claimed they were just tourists there to see the tower.)

 

Christian kindly turned out to greet us and buy the much needed Champagne. It was nice to see a friendly face after 4 days staring at your colleagues lycra clad backsides.

 

It was a fantastic team effort and would have been much harder without the support of our sponsors, the rude jokes from colleagues and the true sense of camaraderie within the team. Many of the other cyclist commented on how great it was to have Tim supporting and offering a smile and encouragement at the water stops so I think he deserves special praise when he could have spent the whole time in the hotel bar. I've put some photos up for you to enjoy/scare the children with. I'll put some more up over the course of the next week.

 

The most important thing is of course the money raised, this site will remain active for some time so if you haven't got around to sponsoring us yet then please do so.

 

Thank you to our Paris office who have kindly donated £1,500 towards the cause. We should visit more often!

 

Thanks

 

Matt, Tim, Keith, Bill, Chris & Penny