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!!!