After 3.5 days of hills, some spills and the odd knife-wielding Albanian (I'll save that for another time), I'm pleased to report that we made it!  The London-to-Paris 2010 cycle tour was a great success.  Each member of the team gave it their all, and in the process we raised over £15,000 for our respective charities.  

Highlights included:

1.  Getting lost within the first 1000 meters of setting off.  Forget Paris, at one point it wasn't clear that we were going to reach Kent.  Fortunately, we discovered a wonderful tool known as a 'map.'  After getting the hang of one of these 'maps', we were quickly on our way.

2.  The Medway Towns of Kent.  If you are from this charming part of the country, then please forgive me.  Potholes as big as swimming pools, traffic lights every 50 meters and road congestion which makes Oxford Street feel like a country lane.  

3.  The North Downs.  Whoever said the route from London to Dover was flat was grossly misinformed.  Of course by motorway, it looks pretty flat and don't get me started about the Eurostar. These cheeky little hills 60 miles into our first day's ride were responsible for leg cramps so profound, at one point I thought I was having an out-of-body experience.  

4.  Northern France.  Sarcasm aside, the French countryside is simply breathtaking.  If you haven't spent much time there, I can't urge you enough to go and explore.  Beautiful tree-lined roads with glorious fields on either side, rolling hills and sweet, fresh air.  Of particular note is the care and attention the French have paid to the memories of British, French and German soldiers during the wars.  Most humbling.

5.  Feeling like an 8-year old again.  Cycling is a wonderful sport for girls and boys of all ages, but mostly it's for boys (controversial perhaps, but hear me out).  It involves tons of expensive gadgets (check), ridiculously unfashionable clothes (check), occasional travel at high speeds (always faster in the stories, of course - check), and basically connecting with your surroundings and people in a different way.  No need to say very much, just a common understanding of why this is so brilliant (check).  

6.  The finish in Paris.  Beautiful place with potholes as big as swimming holes, traffic lights every 50 meters and congestion which makes Oxford Street look like a country lane.  Eiffel Tower gathering point was perfect.

7.  Support from Across-the-Divide.  If you want an adventure organised by a caring, deeply supportive and well-organised group of people, I cannot recommend them enough.  They made the experience memorable for all of us.

8.  People.  An adventure without the right group of people is merely a trip.  I may be slightly biased but our team was the very best in the world....ever.  We met some wonderful people as well, who quickly became part of our team and made it even better.  

9.  Planning our next trip.  London to Edinburgh?  Calais to Cannes?  New York to Moscow?  Watch this space.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without your support so a very warm thank you for being so generous. There is an outstanding commitment of £350 which will bring total sponsorship to approximately £2850 (not including Gift Aid).  This is a wonderful contribution to ARK and you all will be making a real difference to the lives of children.

I can't say this is the last trip I'll be doing so you may hear from me again in the future.  But for now, a very warm 'thanks' for your generosity.

My very best wishes,

Chris