After three days and 220 miles of cycling we eventually made it to the Eiffel Tower. On the way we had some great fun and a breathtaking ride through northern France, though I must admit, I did have my doubts as we gathered in Windsor for the start of the ride. Looking around us, there were some very serious riders and very expensive (i.e. £5K+) bikes.
It was noticeable that the three of us seemed to be taking the whole thing a little less seriously than the others – at least judging by how we were treating our bikes.
After the van was loaded up with the luggage, and we were briefed about the first day’s riding, we set off as a group on the first leg of the 70 mile ride to Portsmouth to catch the ferry to Le Havre.
And just outside of Windsor we made our mark, with me, Lewis and Andrew the first riders to get lost. After just eight miles Andrew’s rear light fell off and, as we stopped to sort it out, the other riders went past. When we’d gathered up the broken pieces, we set off again and followed the last group of riders who were still just within sight ahead of us. Unfortunately, the group of riders that we followed weren’t on our ride (they were practicing for a triathlon) and we ended up going the wrong way. It took us a while to realise, but after a five mile detour we got back on track and, at the first rest stop, we managed to rejoin the group.
Towards the end of the first day’s riding the long hill on the run into Portsmouth was pretty testing, particularly as it came at the end of the 70 mile ride, and by the time we boarded the ferry to Le Havre at around 11pm we were all very pleased to get to our cabins for a shower and bed.
Tired as we were, sleeping on the overnight ferry wasn’t quite as easy as we’d hoped and, after only around three hours sleep we were up and getting ready for the morning ride out of Le Havre. Heavy rain made riding conditions difficult and caused many punctures meaning very slow progress as riders frequently stopped for repairs – myself and Lewis had three punctures between us within the first hour (as a group we had close to 20 punctures among 30 riders in less than two hours). Not a great start to the second day, but after the first rest stop the weather picked up and we went on to have a great day’s riding. The roads in northern France were perfect for cycling; the traffic was light, the landscape mainly flat and the road surface smooth. Riding through villages and the countryside of northern France it is amazing how much more you take in compared to being in a car.
After spending the second night in a town called Evreux we were up for breakfast at 6am for an early start on the third and final day. The great riding conditions continued, at least until we got to the outskirts of Paris. At one point a short section of road was being resurfaced and those with expensive racing bikes had to get off and walk. We, on the other hand, ploughed on through gaining a lead on the rest of the group. Not that it was a race of course.
Some urban riding, including plenty of weaving in and out of heavy traffic provided a change of gear and some more fun as we got closer to the city. Then, before we knew it, we were meeting in the Bois be Boulogne to regroup and ride the final 4 miles to the Eiffel Tower as a group.
As we arrived at the Eiffel Tower it was great to see the welcoming committee complete with champagne and waving flags.
At that evening’s celebratory meal it was revealed that, collectively, we’d raised £50K for the NAS. A tremendous achievement and one that is, of course, entirely down to the generous support we received from our sponsors.
In a surreal moment, as we staggered back to our hotel in the early hours of the morning, we ran into David Ginola as he was coming out of a bar. I can’t believe it, he’s gone grey (these days he’s almost got coarse, rebellious hair). Still, he shared our enthusiasm for our fund raising exploits. At least he was more enthusiastic about that than my suggestion that he should have played for Arsenal.