DAYS 2,3 & PARIS!!!!!!

The Holiday Inn was very comfortable in Calais where we had ended up on the first night to be woken up by sunshine for a while!! A few hills before lunch and the odd shower but nothing as depressing as Day one!!!!

Day 2

A little bit weary this morning so I didn't stop to take any photos along the way but we passed through some pretty villages such as Ferques, Le Wast, Desvres, Inxent, Montreuil to Lunch which was in a field outside Campagne (with a handy barn in case the heavens opened) where we had a relaxing lie down in the long grass - although Graham wasn't so lucky and managed to take on board a passenger in the form of a tick - very nasty he was obviously very tasty!!

After lunch it was on through Saulchoy, Crecy-en-Ponthieu to the water stop at Domvast where there were more types of tracker bar than I could ever have imagined existed!! After water it was the last leg to the hotel which went through Drucat, St Riguier and into Abberville only a mere 76 miles! When we arrived eventually at the Ibis hotel (after going twice round a very busy roundabout in rushour!) we were greeted with claps & cheers & Beers! Great arrival!

Dinner that night was with all of us in the restaurant which was very pleasant then a quick Doctor check on the leg and crashed into bed!

DAY 3

Woke up to glorious sunshine what a lovely change so things suddenly didn't seem too bad. Although breakfast was a disaster as they only had one drinks machine for 120 people - you can imagine the congestion this caused as we all queued up for that very important first coffee of the day!! Felt fine until I got to the first hill and then my knee decided it had had enough and was agony - so after popping ibropofen & paracetamal like smarties I decided I would stop at every pharmacist until I found a knee support! This proved impossible as either all the French people have very skinny knees as they only had small size or my knee was incredibly swollen! After one very entertaining conversation with a pharmacist who spoke no English and I don't speak much French I eventually came out with some Arnica Gel which proved to be amazing - it was like magic cream suddenly either the pain vanished or I had realized that the lunch stop wasn't far!!
I found my new holiday home on the way to Lunch!! Sometimes it would seem that you were cycling by yourself with noone in front of you and no one behind!

Lunch was a gorgeous village green in Sarcus - very picturesque!

After bugging the Doctor again! I managed to get a tubigrip for my knee which was a lifesaver for the next set of hills after lunch! I teamed up with a super chap called Graham who was my hero and kept me going with stories and jokes through Rothois, Pisseleu, Juvignies and eventually Beauvais where we spent the night in a very basic hotel on an industrial Estate!! Having laughed each night as the twin beds got closer together - Ailsa and I were not surprised to find the beds completely together and looked at each other to say "I like you but not that much!" After a wee bit of funiture removing in a room where you couldn't swing a cat we got sorted!! Dinner that night was split into two hotels as there were too many of us and we had a good laugh! Alysia decided to do her Elephant Man impression!!!

DAY 4 - LAST DAY TO PARIS!!!!!!

Had another early start 6.30 again - I was starting to look forward to a lie in now!!! Had a very quiet breakfast as there were only 20 of us in our motel which was rather relaxing - we had just put the luggage in the truck when the heavens opened and it didn't stop raining until after lunch! Didn't take many photos along the way as it was just too wet! We arrived at the first water stop in Amblainville, after going through Troussecourt, Ressons-d'Abbaye, Corbeil- Cerf and Meru where we were told to go and find a cafe as lunch was only 10miles away! Again I teamed up with Graham and we followed the arrows although the one on the chimney was a bit odd!!

We found a cafe along with some others in Auvers-s-Oise after riding through Labbeville and Herouville. By this stage we were all soaking wet with feet like swimming pools and desparate for hot chocolate! Three rounds later we felt much better!

Not quite knowing where we were as none of us had bothered to consult the map, we thought we had better head onto the lunch stop at about midday - little did we realize that it was 3oo yrds down the road just outside the town (we could have stayed drier for longer!). Lunch was a rather wet affair with only 2 gazebos for 120 people and food tables - yes a bit of a disaster really! Luckily they had hot drinks! Doctor Freya handed out the London - Paris T-shirts for us all to wear on the ride into Paris - great a dry piece of clothing!!!

Suddenly with the end in sight the last few miles from the lunch stop through Mery, St Leu-la Foret, Enghien & St Denis until we all congregated in a Park on the outskirts of Paris all the pain had disappeared and emotions were taking over!!!! We were almost there!!!! What a moment when we all realized what we had achieved it was awesome!

Very, Very happy people!!!!!!! We hadn't even got to the tower yet!!

We all set off for the Eiffel Tower in one big mass of bikes - what an awesome and emotional experience - very hard to put into words! I have to admit to absolutley being terrified at going round the Arc de Triompe - I had to be guided round by Alysia, Pauline & husband! Then we turned down the Champs Elysee where I have to admit to blubbering all the way down as all the flags were out and people were clapping - it was incredible - not quite the Tour de France but not far off!!! Just 40 km an hour slower!!!! Round the Concorde and to the Tower what a moment when we saw that - almost there!!!

When we approached the end I eventually saw Johnnie - what a sight for sore legs!!!!
After lots of tears, hugs, photos and a glass of champagne it was back on the bike for the 20 minute cycle to the hotel - Johnnie had to get the bus!! Arrived at the hotel where our bikes were taken off us and loaded into the truck to go back to the UK that night - great no more sore bott!! The hotel was out of this world very posh indeed! Unfortunately for you no photos as I was a wee bit exhausted by then!! Had a lovely celebration dinner with all 240 of us as Route 2 joined us for that and then went to the pub down the road to celebrate as the hotel charged 10 euros for a beer!!! (only 98 euros for a glass of champagne though!!!) Fabulous night's sleep and spent Sunday wandering round Paris with Johnnie's Sister Alison and her 3 girls and met up with an old friend Axel who lives in Paris for lunch - how wonderful! Then we all boarded the Eurostar at 5.30 pm and back to the UK to reality and bikes!!!

All safely back in London we collected our bikes said goodbye and went home!!! Poor Johnnie who also hadn't had much sleep on the Sat night then had to drive us back to Devon where a wonderful banner was waiting for me and some champagne but at 11 pm I really just wanted to go to sleep!!! Thanks anyway Hans & Liz we did enjoy it on Tuesday though didn't we!!!

Blackheath - Calais - Day 1

Robin very kindly drove me up to Blackheath to the Clarendon Hotel what a star!! We arrived in very good time so I checked in and had a wander round which included a delicious pistachio milkshake!!! Went back to the hotel where I bumped into Ray, Kay & Val whom I had met on the information day so it was great to see some friendly faces! We then decided the hotel menu wasn't up to much so went off to the pub for a beer then onto a restaurant where we all fuelled up on pasta ready for the morning!!!!

Met my room mate for the trip after supper a super lady from Bideford called Ailsa - during our initial get to know you conversation she asked my what my average speed was - so I said oh between 12 & 14 mph depending on the terrain - she then said oh mine is between 15 & 18 mph (so I soon realized I wouldn't be riding with my new roommate!!)

Wednesday 2nd July we were woken up at 5.30 am bounced out of bed (realistically crawled) and rushed down to breakfast as we only had an hour!
Registration was opposite on the Heath where we had to sign on the dotted line our lives away and receive our tags with which hotels we were staying in over the trip and most importantly the map directing us the way to go!!

Just about to start and guess what the rain started as well! Well it is England and it is July!!!

"Charlies Angels", Ailsa, Kay & Val - Cracking good company and me all ready for the off - only very slightly nervous!! It took us 11 miles to reach some fields on the outskirts of London! At least I didn't get off and walk the first hill or even manage to get lost unlike quite a number of the earlier/faster group who apparently missed the first water stop altogether - which was most distressing as the rest of us had a horrible hill to get to the water!!! We went out of London on the A207 to Crayford around Dartford then took the B260 out to Hartley, then onto the first water stop 20 miles down outside Harvel. Joe the Mechanic looking very bored as he had no bikes to fix - just you wait Joe we will soon keep you busy!!

Ray very happy to get to the water stop and we even had a cow on the trip - free milk anyone? It was after the water stop where things went horribly wrong for Kay & I - we were just coming up to a left turn when we saw a girl going straight over in the wrong direction so rather than concentrating on turning we were shouting to her to turn round - when I turned into the junction I didn't realize that Kay had stopped and crashed straight into her - knocking her off her bike where she unforunately hit her face on some cobbles and I landed on top of her bike with my bike on top of me. It wasn't until a very nice man called Paul came to the rescue and lifted us up and said "oh dear look at your leg!" that I realized the gear coggs had sliced my left leg up in 8 very decorative cuts! Then the shock set in and the pain!!!!! Kay had scraped her face and was going to have a great shiner in a few days and very sportingly accused me of ruining her modelling career! We walked for a bit to recover from the shock then managed to mount up and ride to the lunch stop in Doddington Village Hall another 20 miles away - including a very nasty hill worse than Mamhead! I went straight to Freya the "Doctor" who mentioned the words stitches & hospital - I said no and got bandaged up to carry on after lunch! Then the rain came down and down and down!!!! All the way to Dover! Don't ask me where we went as I just had my head down and looked for the orange arrows! But we did go via Canterbury, the next water stop was at Barham then we carried on the A260 to Dover.

This sign was the best sight in the whole world as we were very tired and very bedraggled by then after 83 miles down!!

Waiting for the ferry in the cold dismal English Summer!!!

Departure Day!!!! July 1st 2008

All packed & ready for the off - am very excited - woke up at 5.15 am this morning and couldn't go back to sleep so ended up taking the dogs for a walk at 6 am and doing my last minute blog!!

I think I am mentally & physically ready if not - bad luck!!

Apparently it will rain tomorrow in Kent so that will be a shame but you never know the sun does shine on the righteous!!!!

Great news I have raised an awesome £5,000 to split between the MS Trust & MS Society not bad Eh! Talk about amazing! Everyone has been so generous so thankyou to everyone who has sponsored and supported me along the way -
THANK YOU!
Keep posted I will update you when I am back on my adventures!!!

Devon Delight Audax 29th June

Well I made it down to Dawlish to meet up with Pete & Jean in their van to help stamp the cards for the Devon Delight Audax by the skin of my teeth!! Just as I arrived Pippa & Jeremy were leaving! But they were the early birds doing the 200km ride!

We had a major rush about 10.00 then the riders came in drifts!

Great fun seeing everyone - thankyou for the cake & coffee Pete & Jean and see you when I'm back!

New Career!!!

I think I forgot to mention that I now have a job - very exciting I am working for Sustrans the Sustainable transport company who have started a Travelsmart Project in Exeter to encourage people (like me) out of their cars and onto bikes, buses, trains or walking! I work as a packer (packing up the information for residents such as cycling, walking maps, bus timetables etc) and then deliver them on my bike with a trailer attached! This was incredibly hard at first as we were doing an unmentionably horrible hilly area called Farm Hill and Gloucester Road in Exwick but now it isn't so bad as it has flattened out somewhat!!!

We have a great team run by Andy who is younger than me - he must be the first boss I have had who is younger than me it really makes me feel old - but then I am nearly 40 and I have more hair than he does!!! Talking about hair I think Peter & Alan ought to grow theirs as they haven't got the pony tails that Ryan & I have!!! Its a fun place to work as we even have food parcels sent down from head office in Bristol - keep them coming Francine & Lizzie - Please!!!

Well done boys!!

Need I say anything!!

Well done Mike & Phil for completing your ride and still being able to lift your bikes up!! I may try but I think I will fall over if I do that next weekend.

Johnnie & I met up with Mike, Phil and their families at the Double Locks on Wed and I quizzed them to death about the ride - and I think I will be fine after the stories they told but I won't bore you with all that as I will bore you with my own stories soon enough!!!! Only 3 days to go!!!

Phil the one on the left is already planning to ride to Cuba next year - is he mad or what!! I sadly declined as I think my family would kill me!!!

Maybe Lands End to John a Groats boys!!!