There were some groans of aches and pains as we gathered outside the hotel in Arras on Day 3 of our London to Paris Cycle. The two previous days were beginning to take its’ toll on everyone’s body as Tom briefed the group on the day’s ride ahead. Yesterday had been ‘undulation day’ (now renamed ‘What goes down, has to go…’), today was a ‘varied ride with a relatively flat and open morning then the hill in the afternoon’. This description didn’t go down too well and seemed to play on the minds of the group for the whole morning.
We cycled south from Arras towards the town of Bapaume through open farmland. There really was no-one around, we really don’t know where the French are, but they’re definitely not in the Picardie region of France. As Chris pointed out, there probably wouldn’t be the same level of objection if a high-speed railway was proposed through the area. Just as he said this, the Eurostar that would take the group home in a couple of days whizzed by…
It suddenly became extremely cold and we were totally exposed with very little shelter. For the first time in however many years of riding a bicycle, leader Tom put on a fleece from the van (shock horror!). The team stopped at a British World War I War Cemetery around 22 miles into the ride.
It is difficult not to be moved by these cemeteries, the young lives of so many lost through the wars was a real reality check as we stood looking over this vast area that has been through so much over the years.
We stopped at the pretty market town of Peronne for coffee…we had made no promises about anything being open (this being France after all), but the town bustled with life on a Saturday. Coffee really makes a ride.
Our lunch spot was a short ride after coffee. It was dry but Danny had still put out the itchy blankets as extra cushioning. This was very well received by the riders at this stage.
After lunch we rode along very flat and open roads. The riders were working excellently in small teams to combat the effects of the wind. That said, it was clear that the wind was taking its’ toll and we definitely had a post-lunch lull in energy reserves!
Danny met us at the beginning of the last flat section with a very welcoming bag of bright red Haribo. There were no artificial colours apparently.
The inevitable was upon us. The dreaded hill began just the other side of Lassigny. A few raced to the top (there were Strava segments to contend with!), whilst others sensibly took their time and ‘enjoyed’ the final hill of the day! Adamant that he was going to walk up the hill, Dennis decided to ride up it after all. It was a huge achievement by the whole team.
After a steep downhill, the team pedalled their way to Compiegne, our overnight stop. It had been a long day and a bed was needed by the whole team. Tomorrow – Paris!!!
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