Day 1, June 2-2012
Sidcup Place to Dover 84 miles
8:30 Saturday morning at Sidcup Place, the weather was damp and
miserable but It was soon forgotten by the warmth and feeling of all
those family, friends and club members that turned up to wave a 'Bon
voyage' to the L2P-15, actually 16 if we count Pooke the Driver of the
team backup van. What a great send off but it also gave a real gravity
of expectation to the trip, many were doing it for a charity close to
their hearts and the 5 who rode in aid of the Freddie Farmer Trust were
humbled to have him and his family there to wave them off too. We set
off at 9:00 on a route that was changed last minute due to worries about
safety and over climbing, the safety aspect was changeable but you just
couldn't remove the hills, only the gradients, but this meant extra
mileage. The group stayed together until 1st stop 16m at Dino's mums
for a Jubilee tea and bacon sarnies also taking on board lunch and of
course 'the bread pudding'. There was already something of a flapjack
competition brewing but the bread pudding was in a class of its own and
lunch was eagerly being anticipated! 7 mile lane, Kent and we had our
1st incident, riding single file the group were overtaken by a car
pulling a trailer that pulled in and hit Sean, who in turn hit Jo and
wiped her out. Luckily for Jo there was a wet grass verge and the only
damage done was a few scratches, it could have been a whole lot worse.
After 30m the route became fairly flat and the weather started to
improve as we broke for lunch at 43 miles. Everyone was looking and
feeling good and lunch at the support van was a welcome chance to
refuel, bottles and chat about how it was all going also the possibility
of ever, seeing Kevin again, Kev had taken a wrong turn somewhere and
with no map, garmin route or battery in his phone had unbeknown to us
set off on his own tour of Kent and had suffered the 1st P. of the tour.
Sean's flapjacks came out top in the early round and set a high bar for
those to follow....
The group rode on through Hythe and at 70m Danny suffered the 2nd P. of
the day, unfortunately when this was changed it added nothing to his
speed, at 1st we thought this was completely normal, Danny's racing
pigeon frame means that speed is not part of his armoury... When It was
noticed that he was taking a nap while still moving on the bike it was
thought best that he take 5 in the van and check his blood sugar levels
as he is a diabetic. On through Sandgate, a lovely little town and
through Folkestone to the days 'big climb' Dover Hill. The air display
going on was nothing short of spectacular, as was the fantastic climbing
done by everyone up that last steep hill particularly so because it
came at the 75m mark. Special mention to Foxy and Dennis(The Legend)
here for pulling up bikes built for touring long before the price of
metal went through the roof up a Cat 4 climb...
Arriving in Dover we were still short of Kevin but now had Danny back in
the group, feeling better but still looking a bit peaky. As we were
about to board the ferry along came Kevin, haven ridden most of the day
alone and in search of a phone charger...
Upon disembarkation at Calais the Tarmac became smooth and the optimism
for day 2 grew with the confidence of an 84m ride well done. Dinner came
in the form of left over sandwiches, bread pudding and flapjacks as the
restaurants were all shut and bed was calling. Special mention to Colin
and Rich, as ever looking out for the back markers and going the extra
mile to help others.
Day 2
Calais to Arras 75 miles
A few weary faces at breakfast, some due to the ride others to the new knowledge that their 'roomie' snores like a bear!
9:00 depart (will Jo ever remember that!) and a wet, murky morning temp.
around 10C, meant it was pretty chilly and waterproofs were de rigour.
Dennis set the warm up pace as we followed a lovely canal route out
through fields and cobbled villages to our 1st big climb of the day,
reminding the legs of the distance covered the previous day. The group
had split before this point and Phil, Danny, Ed, Lee and Kevin went on
their own little adventure due to a re routing setting on the garmin
they were following. When they rejoined the main pack at the hotel they
had tales of street parties, dancing, I'll fitting wigs and homemade
pate, they also had 5 more miles clocked up over the main group. They
looked like different people to the ones who had left Calais that
morning, and in reality we all were, we had grown as riders and our
confidence was high. We had all ridden to places both geographically and
physically, changing who we were, giving us confidence and desire to
want more of this tough but mind blowing journey. A stop before Arras at
a commonwealth WWII cemetery brought a deep reflection and respect from
the group, thoughts turned to home and with the Queens jubilee
celebrations going on there, a sense of what being British and willing
to die for what that means was given a meaning to fit the words. The
group had done 4300 ft of climbing today and that had taken its toll.
Danny had overcome his sugar level problem and was back to his old self
and he even met with his parents-inlaw for a drink in Arras before a
well scouted restaurant by Jo and Lucy provided the evenings meal, with
Rich constantly in communication with his insurer, trying to locate his
missing wallet and secure funds for his expensive cigarette habit!
Special mention to Pooke, who drove and communicated and renavigated
nonstop between 2 groups on 2 routes and kept us fed, watered and
feeling like we were never more than a phone call away from rescue
should a problem occur.
Day 3
Arras to Compiegne 74miles
A wet start to the day proved to be the toughest conditions we had to
endure. Rich had a P. at under a mile and got through 3 tubes trying to
change it, another few miles on and Foxy picked up one on his knobblys,
he had got caught up in the moment and pushed his tyre pressure to a
massive 65psi, blowing the valve! the pressure was now on Rich (the new
tyre man now it seemed) as Foxy only brought 1tube with him and nobody
else had one the same size. A headwind and driving rain meant the 2
groups had to work hard taking turns at the front to make any distance.
Foxy took a tumble when a sudden stop caught the group out, but he
soldiered on until a tea stop at Longueval, site of many WWII
cemeteries. Another 20 miles on and a delicious lunch was provided by
Pooke, and Foxy explained what was in his Hash cake flapjacks! The
group were really flying now, probably due in part to the flapjacks as
we hit one of the highlight roads of the tour, Tarmac as smooth as silk
and a road that just kept on going. The wind at our backs giving an easy
23mph on the flat left us buzzing when we finally stopped and regrouped
at 61m. Group 1 set of and had to reroute due to a dirt track. They
turned down a dead end and were chased by gypsy dogs, Sean was at the
back and got bitten on his shoe! Now realising it was a dead end they
had to scale a hill and managed to get onto another road rather than
face the big fat gypsy dog that was waiting for them to return. Group 2
meanwhile crossed the river into Compiegne via a d road that was more
like a motorway, heart stopping stuff but both stories adding to the
days tales and bar banter that evening. Foxy had, had a 2nd blow out
forcing him use one of the spare road bikes for the day until we could
repair it. Also that night we enjoyed a quiz, organised by Lucy and Jo,
Team Garmin Cerveza, taking the prize by playing the joker Gel on the
music round.
Day 4
Compiegne to Paris 60 miles
The final day and some mixed emotions, sad to see this great ride come
to an end but exited to see Paris and realise a dream. The weather was
perfect and the scenery spectacular. A big climb after 10 miles and on
to our 1st break at 29m Auberge du petit. A wonderful patisserie seemed
rude not to, refuelled and off again when John had a major mechanical, a
snapped rear dérailleur! Luckily Pooke was a few minutes away and
carrying a spare bike for John to jump on and finish his ride into
Paris. A quick lunch stop and regroup for the final ride all together
to Paris, traffic and roads were busy and the sun was really making it a
day to remember. Paris, like London is a huge metropolis and it took an
age to reach the Place de la Concorde, which seemed surreal as we had
all seen it on the TV at every tour finale. Sweeping right at the
Concorde we saw the amazing sight we had imagined since leaving London,
the Arc de la Triumph. Smiles and handshakes were exchanged as we took
our time to reach the roundabout and the bit we were all nervous about,
getting across to the middle of the Arc. We all made it across and I
hadn't even got off the bike when I was told by the police to leave...!
We took a quick few photos and risked our lives again to take the 9th
exit off the roundabout to our rendezvous with Pooke at the Eiffel
Tower, we all made it by luck and to be honest sheer recklessness, not
something you would normally do on any club ride but when in Paris...
A regroup under the tower and the obligatory hold your bike aloft photos
done we met up with Pooke to pop some champagne and toasts all round.
There was one last ride in Paris for some, along the Seine and up to
Garé du Nord to put the bikes onto the train for the journey home. Those
that rode it, all remarked on what a buzz it was, as the roads had
dedicated lanes for bikes that weaved in and out of paths and traffic
during a crazy Paris rush hour. Bikes safely hung from their meat hooks
at the baggage depo, a final beer was enjoyed by all, before boarding
the Eurostar home. One last ride from St Pancras to Charing Cross after a
P. change to Ed's bike! then home to bed.
Conclusion:
The ride was planned 9 months before and came from an idea by Phil.
Without his support financially we would not have realised the trip, so a
big thanks goes to him on behalf of everyone for giving us all the
chance to realise a dream and in turn help raise a lot of money for some
very worthy causes.
The devil is in the detail so they say and I am pleased to say that this
time it all worked out. It only takes a small thing to change the plans
of the day and change the way things happen, the Internet is a great
tool for research but there is also nothing like experience and
hopefully now a few of us club members have that to help any further
trips. I want to say what a pleasure it was to have ridden with some
absolutely wonderful people to Paris which just enhanced the whole ride
and the wonderful places we saw. We shared something that only those
that endured, enjoyed and embraced would be able to understand, it was
more than London to Paris much more, I know I'm not the only one who
will take this ride with them for a long time, the training, the
planning, the sacrifices were huge but were dwarfed by the memories that
this has created.
Its not always good to single people out but on this trip so many made
it a good feel group, I will single everyone out and reasons why:
Phil Yardley: as we'll as the points above he was a great laugh, riding
mostly at the back he was always taking big turns on the front for the
team and leading them on, he found it tough but enjoyed every minute, I
was never in doubt that he was going to make it through from day when I
saw him come over Dover Hill. I hope he will come up with another great
idea for the next ride...
Mark Fox: Foxy has a bike that seems to defy the laws of physics, he
never once dropped off the pace, never complained, was always there with
his dry sense of humour and he made some great flapjacks, even if they
were full of ingredients that are illegal in some countries! Great guy
to have around on any tour.
Ed Walker: my bro in law Ed, I'm very proud of Ed as he embraced the
training, did everything he needed to, offered help throughout to me and
when he got on the bike was a natural. Ed loves a challenge and he made
this one look easy, he also raised a lot of money for Parkinson's
disease charity as his grandad suffers from it. If you think the hills
were tough at times remember Ed did it on 2 bigs front cogs!! Wiggo
watch out...
Richard Williams: Anyone who knows Rich knows he is a team player,
always looking out for others, putting other people in front of his own
goals if it calls on it, funny, jolly, interesting, I could go on and
on, a complete disaster at times too but these are things that make Rich
1st choice on any team I would have. On top of that, a bloody great
cyclist.
John Driscoll: John is funny, honest and another team player. I have
witnessed John going from strength to strength with his riding and it's
all down to his hard work and commitment, he is without a doubt one of
life's good guys, loves his riding as much as he loves his bikes,
another one I'd take on any trip anytime.
Lucy Manning: Lucy has a smile that lights the room and a great sense
of humour to go with it. She is an inspiration to the guys as well as
the girls with her riding, loves to lead the way and never moans or
struggles with anything, mainly down to her determination and hard work.
Raised lots for Freddies trust as She made the miles look effortless
and the climbs look like nothing, if there were any French strava
sections, I'm sure she is now the new QOM...
Kevin Parmenter: What can I say about Kevin? Where is he for a start!
There seemed to be 3 groups most of the time 2 groups and Kevin, however
he always arrived always had a joke and never complained, did really
well and got stronger each day. I do believe he is the 1st cyclist to
ride the wrong way around the arc de triumph!
Sean Wells: top bloke, always joking, always smiling, powerhouse engine
on him, always took his turn on the front and took one for the team.
Also raised some great money for the Freddie Farmer trust.
Joe Willis: my right hand man, Joe has youth on his side, great for
cycling, not so great for quiz questions! He did a great job with
helping me organise things and helping draw up maps and test routes
together. It's a shame he plays football during the winter because when
he is bike fit there is no one to touch him for speed and climbing,
apart from me on a good day with the right wind! He helped raise a lot
of money for Freddie's trust and was a true leader, riding up front with
some great pace setting.
Lee Loveridge: Lee to me was a great inspiration to have with us. He
wasn't a cyclist until a few months before the trip but he did it purely
because he wanted to raise money for Freddie's trust. What a great
cyclist he is now. He is a great laugh, got on with things and never
complained, apart from the sweat in his eyes! He did himself proud and
Freddie proud, and I'm glad to now call him a friend, I hope he keeps
the cycling up as he again is a natural who could go from strength to
strength.
Joanne Bradley: Jo is great to have on any ride, funny, witty, chatty,
and wont let you get away with anything! Very helpful and a great rider,
easy to see why she is the clubs social secretary as she keeps things
fun among the group, she is also very good in a crisis, calm and cool.
Dennis O'Callaghan: Dennis 'The Legend' I like to call him now. 65 years
young and riding a bike made of lead up hills and on the flat faster
than blokes half his age... A funny man, a helpful man, loved having
Dennis around for the conversation and jokes.
James Pooke: Pooke, what can I say we didn't say already about Pooke,
from start to finish he threw himself into his role and made it his own,
a really tough job to do and giving up family time to help a load of
crazy cyclists... Couldn't imagine doing another trip without the Pooke
there to help out.
Colin Sears: Colin is a huge help although very modest with it. Always
looking out for others, astute, calm and great at getting you out of any
situation. massive turns at the front and he made Paris look like an
easy Sunday ride, great company too.
Danny Catchesides: Danny boy! This is Danny's mention in dispatches,
something he would love being 'ex military'! After a couple of attempts
at doing events for Freddie's trust Danny has had a couple of setbacks
with his diabetes. When L2P came up yet again he was straight in to do
his bit for Freddie, even though this is a massive challenge to someone
without that condition. On day 1 after 70 miles he was 'in bits' sugar
levels too high and his body about to start shutting down, the next
thing could have been cardiac arrest. He shrugged it off as a flesh
wound and set out the next morning for more of the same. A fantastic
laugh to have around any group, his view on life is warped and spot on
at the same time. The man I saw on day 1 was a shadow of the man who
finished with us in Paris, I'm happy he has conquered his demons and I
look forward to much more cycling with him. He has the heart of a lion
and I am proud to have ridden side by side with him.
For me Paris was much more than I imagined it would be, I was inspired
and pushed to new levels, the scenery and sights are not achievable on
anything other than a bike, I enjoyed the banter and the laughs as much
as the country. What a great group of people who made it all possible
and made the tough bits bearable, I can't say enough about them all.
Paris for me was always the destination, it was the journey that tells
the story of London to Paris and its a journey I'd love to take again,
so where next?...
Dino.
