It was the final day of our London to Paris Cycle and guess who had come to join us? The sun!!!
It was a strange sensation layering up for the ride, up to this point we had been anticipating rain, cold and wind, however, this morning the word suncream was being discussed! We had 52 miles to cycle and the team were raring to get on with it. After a short briefing from Tom, the team set off.
The first section of the ride followed a traffic-free cycle lane along the river L’Oise. We passed fishermen, old boats and open corn fields, all to the soundtrack of birds cheeping. It really was rather idyllic and the perfect start to the day.
We left the cycle lane and headed through the small town of Verberie. Our first climb of the day loomed ahead of us as Danny took some photos of the group at its’ base.
The team by this stage were used to some significant hills and powered up, some even commented on how much they enjoyed it! Michael, Andrew and Ben couldn’t resist racing the final few metres as they popped out into the sun, whilst Frances and Debbie seemed to simply glide up effortlessly.
The following tree-lined roads were glorious to ride, with the team choosing to split into a number of pods or mini-peletons, each taking it in turn to ride at the front. A short while later we heard a sickening crunch as we ascended a small hill. Clive’s chain had come off and was refusing to change into gear. Luckily we were only a few metres (literally) from our lunch stop so we decided to have some food and think about it.
Clive’s bike had fallen over earlier in the day which had bent the rear derailleur towards the wheel. Having seen the disastrous consequences of the rear derailleur catching on the rear spokes before, Tom decided to make some adjustments to ensure this didn’t happen. ‘We’ve only got a few miles to Paris and I won’t need all of my gears I’m sure’, said Clive optimistically.
He was correct, the final few miles into Paris from lunch were relatively flat, the biggest issue impeding the group were the seemingly endless number of traffic lights as we approached the city.
All was going well, steady but well, but then
“Tssssssss”…then… “Puncture!!!” someone shouted.
The group pulled over and we assessed the damage, Heather had suffered a flat front tyre. Like a flash, a number of the team came together to fix the puncture. Tom flipped Heather’s bike whilst Clive brought over a spare tube, Michael provided the tyre levers whilst Nigel began tearing the tyre off the wheel. Within a minute or so the new tube was in and Michael was re-inflating the tyre with his impressive gas pump. It really was an incredible show of teamwork and cooperation, a display of how much the team had bonded over the past four days.
We soon reached the river Seine and cycled past new housing developments, luxurious riverboat restaurants and exclusive houses overlooking the water. Turning away from the river we joined the side road along the busy Charles de Gaulle highway. Tom lead the group to one side of the road and briefed them on how best to ride around the upcoming two roundabouts. Some nervous faces nodded in reply but at this point, we were confident that as a team we would be fine.
The team bunched together and forced their way onto the first roundabout at the Place de Porte-Maillot. The group split slightly on this roundabout but confidently gathered on the other side. Ahead loomed the imposing arch of the Arc de Triomphe from which a large French flag flapped in the wind. Forward we cycled, the infamous cobbles below forcing us to steady our approach.
The Arc de Triomphe is renowned for being one of the most hectic roundabouts in the world but the team stood firm and stuck together, not allowing any cars to break our impenetrable stronghold. As we left the roundabout and rode onto the Champs Elysees there were smiles of joy and relief…another show of impressive teamwork had brought the group together once more.
Turning off the Champs Elysees, the group rejoined the river then caught our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower as we crossed the sparkling Seine as tourists tussled for the perfect Parisian selfie.
They’d done it! Over four days the team had cycled 270 miles through England and France, battling the cold and the rain, aches and pains, and a number of significant hills along the way. There’d been blankets and bumps, Haribo and brie, the odd glass of wine and plenty of smiles…
We took photos and had a glass of bubbly to celebrate.
It had been an epic few days and the team had a great deal to be proud about. It seemed like a long time we were stood on Blackheath Common waiting for Paul, Nigel and Michael to finish their Eggs Benedict, since we cycled through a vertical river of rain, boarded the ferry and bought Guiness socks, and since we arrived at our first hotel in Calais. But we were here, we’d made it and now had an evening to relax, unwind, reminisce and enjoy, Parisian-style.
A massive well done to everyone from the More Adventure team and we do hope to see you all soon!
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