I had an overwhelming feeling this morning that everything was going to be fine.
Moments after waking up I realised that we were now over halfway to Paris. The bulk of what needed to be done was over with and the next two days promised to be much shorter and much easier rides than the first two had been. At least, that’s what everyone was saying. They were certainly right about today.
After a quick breakfast I shot outside to hand my bike over to the mechanic. We’d been told that we could leave whenever we wanted to today, so I decided to get out as early as possible in case I ran into difficulties and I had to stop for a while somewhere further down the line. But first I needed to get the mechanic to take a look at my brakes, which I’d been having issues with yesterday. This took longer than I would have hoped as it seems day three is the one in which everyone starts to break down.
It was half an hour before he’d got round to realigning them and ensuring the cables weren’t loose. But then I was away and heading towards the final stop before Paris; the town of Beauvais.
This was much, much better than the first two days. I set off with a friend who’d been staying in the same hotel as me (for this article I shall call him Stuart, as that was his name). It didn’t take too long to get out of Abbeville and we were pretty soon off the main road altogether. A fairly steep climb followed the junction off the major route, though this didn’t last too long. We soon came across what would be the key theme for the day; rolling hills of wheat, stunning scenery and beautiful little villages that you would blink and miss, even on a bike.
After not too long we came to one of the most challenging hills of the ride and I must admit that it was beyond me. Stuart managed a little further up the hill before coming to the same conclusion and walked the rest of the way. We stood at the top for a while, taking in the scenery and congratulating those following us who had made it without stopping. We were soon on our way again and it wasn’t long before Stuart pulled away and I began cycling the rest of the day as I’d done the previous one; at my own pace. The key is to make it to Paris, not to tire myself out before the last day.
War graves dot northern France.
The rest of the morning was filled with an amazingly quaint, French countryside, filled with ramshackle buildings, quiet roads and hills which rolled just enough for the downward momentum to carry you up the next. Without a shadow of a doubt, I’ve never cycled through anywhere as lovely as that countryside. It makes me want to hire a car so that I can visit once more, but next time see some of these places I rushed through.
I find not being able to stop more often a huge downside of cycling such distances through such scenery. The desire to carry on and not lose momentum is too great to consider pulling the bike over to the side of the road as much as I would have liked. I’m sure it’s a completely different situation for more seasoned cyclists, but for me it was a case of simply wanting to ensure I made it through to the end.
Lunch today was as good as it has been all week. This time it was situated on a village green, overlooked by a lovely old church and a manor house. This was the first lunch where I didn’t fear I might be rained on at any moment, as the sky continued to be as bright and blue as it had been all morning. It’s just a shame that my purple legs and arms weren’t enjoying the sun quite as much as I was!
I’d love to say the afternoon was as much fun as the morning had been, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. Whilst the glorious weather continued, the stunning scenery did not. The roads became much busier and the surroundings much more industrial the closer I got to the town of Beauvais. It wasn’t long before the tree-lined tracks turned into trunk roads and there wasn’t a single part of me that wanted to be out in it any longer than was necessary.
Fortunately, the afternoon’s ride was much shorter than the morning’s, so it wasn’t very late in the day before I approached the outskirts of Beauvais. There was a lot more traffic building up and turning left at junctions was becoming much more hazardous than it had been. A large hill and several major roads stood in my way, but I took them with the same determination that I’d taken the rest of the trip so far. Eventually I found myself at the hotel for the evening.
Our lunch stop on the third day.
The hotel was a little different to the Ibis in that it was laid out much more like an American motel, with all of the rooms leading straight outside. To my delight, I found a bath waiting for me when I finally left my bike with the organisers and collected my luggage. It was a little painful around the sunburnt areas, but it was so relaxing after three days of almost non-stop cycling.
Our main course of lasagne was a little bland, but the buffet starter was absolutely superb. Pastas, breads, cheeses, vegetables, meats, Parma ham, pate, anchovies; the list went on and on. Needless to say, I made it through two platefuls of starter before the lasagne arrived.
Once more I found I was far too tired to stay up any later than 10pm, so headed straight to bed after dinner. When I woke in the morning it was going to be the last day. Only one more day and I’d be in Paris. I’d no idea what to expect, but the nerves had come back in full force. Pretty soon I would be cycling through the mean streets of the French capital. Scary stuff!
You’ll find the second part of this little adventure here. Day Four can be found right here!
Route Map
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The ride details from Day Two:
- Started: 24 Jun 2011 08:33:19
- Ride Time: 5:01:43
- Stopped Time: 2:17:27
- Distance: 64.63 miles
- Average Speed: 12.85 miles/h
- Fastest Speed: 30.55 miles/h
- Ascent: 2360 feet
- Descent: 1392 feet
