Beauvais | @amjohnno

Excitement permeated every part of my being this morning.

This was it. The very last day of the trip. There was very little that could go wrong now. We were only 50 miles from the Eiffel Tower and I knew we had plenty of time to get there.

The plan was to cycle up to the Eiffel Tower between 3 and 5pm that afternoon, which gave us plenty of time in the morning to get the bulk of it out of the way. Once more, we were told we could leave any time between 7:30 and 8:30am, based upon how long we thought we would need to get there. Although I knew I wasn’t one of those likely to be at the back, just like yesterday I wanted to get a head start to make sure I got there without any mechanical issues. So I headed out just after 7:30 on the final leg of the journey.

There was very little to get excited about before the first water stop, except for an extremely steep road which was heavy in traffic and looped the side of quite a tall hill. My speed slowed to something of a crawl at that point, though I was very pleased to find myself making it all the way up without getting off the bike. It seemed that my body had begun to adapt to the pressures of long-distance cycling, though it did take a mile or so to recover on the other side. It was fairly up and down all the way to the first stop, though nothing which came close to what I’d already seen.

Taking a break over lunch

I was the first to arrived at the water stop, but was joined within moments by someone who had set out a good 45 minutes after I’d started that morning. His speed was clearly much greater than my own! I had plenty of time to relax and look at the horses in the adjacent field as I waited for the majority of other cyclists to arrive.

Eventually I was off again for another 20-odd miles towards Paris. The countryside turned into buildings after not too long, as I found myself entering the outskirts of the capital. No matter what happened at this point, I had technically made it from London to Paris under my own steam.

Large roads became winding, one-way and pot-holed side streets, with traffic galore weaving in and out of parked cars. I was now often travelling faster than some of the vehicles picking their way through, leading to many heart-in-mouth moments when I had to slam on the brakes to save from being taken out by errant Frenchman in Citroens.

After a few miles of this I once more found myself back on a major road, but now plagued by an endless series of red lights as well as beeping horns. The stop-start nature of the journey into Paris – especially after such a long trip prior to this – starts to play havoc on the knees and shoulders, as you constantly try to get back up to speed before being abruptly stopped once more. This section seemed to take forever, until eventually, completely shattered, I reached the Seine. This was it. I could definitely claim I’d made it into Paris now, although I was still a few miles from the centre.

A short turn off the main road and we were into a park where the caterers had started to set up for the very last time. I reached this point as one of the first 20 or so to arrive, meaning a long wait of around two hours before it was time to set off again. This left me with plenty of opportunity to take a few photos and to enjoy my pasta lunch. By this time the whole group was getting excited and I think most of us wanted to get on with the day by the time we eventually left the park.

The route started out quite pleasantly along a small road by the river, but this soon turned into a major one as we crossed the Seine once more, making sure we were on the correct side to reach the holding point. It was whilst crossing the river that we got our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower standing off in the distance, waiting for us to arrive. But first we had another few miles of traffic lights to get through and the holding point to reach. This didn’t take very long at all and we were soon in another park, waiting for everyone else to arrive so that we could all make the final push into the centre of Paris together.

This is where we all donned our “I cycled London to Paris 2011″ t-shirts and awaited our final briefing before hopping back on our bikes and heading out.

I imagine the short ride from the park to the Eiffel Tower will be one of those events which stays with me forever. A car at the front and a car at the back, with 137 cyclist in between taking over the cobbled streets of Paris. We hit a steady pace of around 5mph as we cheered, honked horns and rang bells to everyone we passed. The people cheered back and took photographs, welcoming us to Paris in a way that Londoners would never reciprocate.

Me at the Eiffel Tower

Soon we were cycling up Avenue Foch with the Arc de Triomphe up ahead of us. I must admit to a flutter of apprehension as I saw the landmark looming over us. I’ve been to Paris before and know full-well just what the traffic is like as it circles the arch. I needn’t have worried though. Just as we approached, the car from the back sped forward and out on to the roundabout before coming to a halt, allowing us all to enter without danger. Even the cars we were causing to stop were honking their horns in genuine celebration of our achievement.

We were off the roundabout after only a couple of junctions as we headed down Avenue d’Iéna. Flouting several traffic laws, we headed along Avenue des Nations Unites before the Tower final rose above us. As we cycled along the front of the Trocadéro, hundreds of tourists cheered us along, taking photographs and making our final journey into the heart of Paris all the more memorable. The cycle wasn’t quite over though as we left the Eiffel Tower briefly as we skirted around the block to the roundabout at Place Jacques Rueff, just on the other side. This was it.

The group made two celebratory laps of the roundabout in front of friends and family who had made the trip over to welcome people in. There were hugs, tears, photographs and, most importantly, Champagne awaiting us at the finish line. We had all made it to Paris, the majority under their own steam, a few not quite managing the whole trip. But nonetheless, we were all here having experienced something that most of us had never come close to before. Emotions were running very high at that point as cyclists began to realise what they had each accomplished. We had all done something amazing and raised thousands of pounds for charity in the process.

You’ll find the third part of this little adventure here.

Route Map

View Larger Map

The ride details from Day Four:

Started: 25 Jun 2011 07:29:47
Ride Time: 4:21:38
Stopped Time: 3:46:53
Distance: 52.46 miles
Average Speed: 12.03 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 39.64 miles/h
Ascent: 1451 feet
Descent: 1860 feet

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

View Larger Map

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

@amjohnno

bits and pieces from @amjohnno

Tag Archives: Beauvais

Diary of a London to Paris Cycle: Day Four – Beauvais to Paris

Diary of a London to Paris Cycle: Day Three – Abbeville to Beauvais