How small we've made the world

Travelling at 180mph in comfort with our luggage, with the Eurostar making a mockery of our efforts, I'm struck by how big the world really is.

I guess part of the luxury of doing rides like this is the time you get to spend with your thoughts and contemplating things. I remember last time being constantly reminded of our place in nature. We spend so little time in our surroundings that we are entirely divorced from them.

When you are on your bike and on a multi day journey with only whatever you have brought with you to hand, your exposure to the elements and your awareness of the landscape (climbing hill after hill does that to you!) start to connect you to nature a little bit more. Now clearly, I'm still stating this from a perspective where every night we had a lovely warm, dry hotel room to check in to. A hot shower and comfortable beds to sleep in. So it's hardly a position of real hardship. More the ramblings of a very lucky human.

On our walk back to the hotel last night we passed dozens and dozens of homeless people, living in tents under an underpass. As well as the luxuries already stated, we had a fair amount of security in knowing that we had the pick of our choice when it came to what and where we wanted to eat. This morning I didn't have to worry IF I was going to eat today, I chose exactly what I wanted.

I'm returning home to my very lovely wife and my four healthy and adorable kids and we all live in comfort. What incredible luck!!

So here I am travelling at 180mph home. The thought that hits me his time is how small we've made this world. When it takes an hour to travel what took us 3 days to cycle, it's hard to miss the comparison. It really wasn't that long ago that travelling even at the pace we just spent the last 4 days doing was pretty much your only option. It limits what you can carry and it limits where you go.

Has the pace of life increased with our ability to travel fast, to get information instantaneously in almost any location?

How are these two thoughts linked? I think our modern conveniences are simply incredible, I'm not advocating somehow turning back time. But we all need to find the time to slow down, to think more. I wish that more people had  what I have. I mean that on a global level, the gap between my level of security and comfort compared with billions of others is not right. I mean it on a very local level too, you don't need to look outside of your local community to find others who aren't as lucky as you. We can help both.

Deep thoughts for a light-hearted blog!

The miles have taken their toll on poor Tom

It is done!!

Wow!!! It has finally came to an end. I would be lying if I said I'm pain free. "My Knee, My Knee" is all Adam heard today. It was hurting from start to finish, my whole body was saying  Why?? Not another day of punishment. But when we made it to Paris all the pain was over shadowed by a sense of achievement. It has been a great experience never yo be forgotten. We have loads of videos and photos to look at to remind us of the fun times and hard times. A massive thanks to Adam for his help and I hope who ever has been following has enjoyed our experience and perhaps if you haven't already done so make a donation to Adams charity link. 

Thanks 

Tom

We made it!!!!!

We are here! I just had a go around the Arc d'Triumph, which is always crazy and let's you know you are alive!!

Just about to head down Champs Élysées to Place de la Concord then on to the Eifel Tower, then we're DONE!

The first baguette!

Been waiting a long time for this, but boy was it worth it!

The house of Vincent Van Gogh?

Stopped for a little rest

Tom's knee is aching a bit and he won't stop going on about it. Yesterday the saddle needed to come down, this morning it needed to go up a bit! If he asks for us to drop it again...!

So to placate him we've stopped for a banana and a pain au chocolat in a shady little bench by the side of the road.

Sorry for not posting the location sooner, the brain isn't firing on all cylinders - I'm quite tired.

Not long to Paris now...only another 50km or so!

Nice views!

Hi ho! Hi ho! It's off to work you go!

As you head off to work or school this morning, spare a thought for the two of us aching in places you forgot you had places, a little sunburned and more than a little tired. Whilst we procrastinate, in a while we will be getting back on the bikes in spite of the protestations our bodies will make, putting our backpacks on to sore shoulders and heading off to Paris, climbing close to 1000m in total over 50 miles.

Now almost on any other day, if you asked me if I fancied a quick 50 mile ride to Paris, I'd have bitten your arm off! But today lying here aching, tired and sore...I'd rather just go back to bed and sleep!

So I'm sure you might be thinking "Oh its alright for them! Swanning off on a nice cycling 'holiday', getting to hang out around Paris..." But you'd only be half right! :-)

Sleepless to Paris

https://youtu.be/VmNMyVcoUw0

Day 4 - Beauvais to Paris

View this route in more detail on plotaroute.com

Click here for a more detailed overview of the nasty bits (the hills!)

Who am I kidding?

Day 3 over and done. Well what can I say but it's hard work. Even if I wasn't sick at all I know I would have struggled. The hill!! What a battle, I feel I got a bit stronger on them as we went along but I will always hate them. It was great having Adam leading the way and giving advice. I wouldn't have even dream of a London 2 Paris without someone who hasn't don't it. If you were to ask me would I do it again right now I'll say "No ways!!" Because of the pain my ass and legs are in, but give it a week and I'll know I'll probably say yes. Tomorrow is going to be great as its a shorter ride but still going to be painful, but getting to the finish line will be FANTASTIC!!  Followed by a slap up dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in Paris. (Adams treat) he so good!!!

Some shopping for family then train home the next day. Well done Ads for a great trip so far and all your help and support. Cheers. 

Day 3...done!

Today was a grand day out. Compared to yesterday where it was cold, wet, windy and I thought Tom was going to die in a French hospital (or a taxi) then having to complete the majority on my lonesome - today was warm, sunny and full of great companionship!

We started later than all other days (10am) in reasonably warm weather. Neither of us really fancied anything big for breakfast so we set off with a couple of chocolate chip brioche in our bellies.

The cycling was good from the off. I couldn't really remember much of this day from 2009, but having reviewed our blog posts it seemed that after the previous day's cycling we decided to try and stick to main roads...well what a mistake that was! The ride today was fantastic. Beautiful scenery, quite roads and a great combination of challenging climbs rewarded with some nice downhills. I think even Tom enjoyed it!

We tried to stop in Grandvilliers for a baguette, but the only shops open were patisserie so we pressed on with the food we had on us and it sufficed us both.

After my attempts to cheer up Tom and take his mind off his abdominal pains yesterday by singing New New York and the Theme from Annie ("The sun'll come out tomorrow!") accompanied by Spotify, we continued with the background music in a couple of places today and had a good sing along!

It's amazing how much easier cycling these sorts of distances is with good companionship, the kilometres melted away today. In some ways it's a shame that the adventure ends tomorrow. Although my body will thank me. This morning I could have perfectly happily laid in bed all day. So whilst today was some of the best cycling this year, it took tremendous effort to get back on my bike and put the straps for my bag back on my shoulders (oh for a support rider!!).

Tonight I looked on Trip advisor for somewhere to eat and came up with nothing. There looked to be a very nice restaurant down the road, but two problems - I don't think they'd have accepted us in wearing my polka dot tshirt and shorts and more immediately it was closed! So we ended up at KFC!

Tomorrow is shaping up to be a warm one. On reflection, we should have used some sun screen today and we'll definitely need it tomorrow. My quads took a full hit today and as you might have seen in an earlier post are looking a little red, but I'm keeping to "the rules" specifically we've done very well with the first 10:

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

What did get on my nerves no end today was that I appear to have picked up a slow puncture. After repairing it on Day 1, we had to pump it up at the start of Day 2 - I put that down to having used CO2 which generally leaks quicker than air. Thankfully it got me to Abbeville, I couldn't have contemplated doing what I did today in the grim weather yesterday.

Just as we set off this morning I noticed it was more or less flat! Well that wasn't the first time it needed pumping up, I had to pump it up 5 times in total. If we had a track pump that wouldn't have been an issue, but using a mini pump where you need about 300 pumps (yes I counted!) to get it to a reasonable level, it got boring and tiring very quickly.

Paris tomorrow and with great weather too - I'm excited! Hope you can all keep following and supporting from afar.

Top gear!!

As I'm cycling along I can't stop thinking of my boys who's obsessed with Top Gear. They've even decided who's who. Well I'm taken it away from them for these reasons 1 I look like Clarkson (big belly) 2 Hammond (short) and 3 May (Captain Slow up hills) Sorry kids!!!!

Sunny today!

Got to Beauvais

This will be home for the night, a little cost but it has all the creature comforts. It's like a motel.

A good ride today!

What's the French for leak?

We stopped at a Carrefour to adjust Tom's saddle. This guy was filling up his car. Suddenly I spotted that he seemed to have a massive leak!

Tom starts shouting "Monsieur! Monsieur!" then turns to me asking "What's the French for leak?" Well we were about to find out. As Tom runs over he sees the guy, pump in one hand hose in the other...taking a leak!

Gorgeous day!!

Today is perfect, lovely sunshine and a cool breeze. The route is taking us through some beautiful rolling countryside with great views and just the sound of birds and Tom's constant panting every time we hit a hill!

What!!!!

I'm sure Adam keep choosing the hilliest way to go!! I know he likes a challenge, but London to Paris is a massive challenge for the old - short legged - fat boy!!!😆

Bring it on, last hard day. (So he tells me)

Day 3

What a difference in the weather. Sun is shinning and it's going to be warm. I'm ready to go mentally but my body is saying STAY IN BED!!! 

Not getting enough sleep Adams snoring, now I know how Jo feels!! Mind you he was woken early this morning by a slight rumble. 

Road to Abbeville or: How I learned to stop worrying and learned to love the Metric system

As I left Tom behind yesterday (conveniently before all the hills by the way, just saying! 😀), and once I'd stopped worrying about if I'd done the right thing by entrusting him to a French taxi driver, my mind turned back to 2009 to try to recollect the ride that lay out before me. I remember hills, lots of hills. I remember Rich cruising up then in his granny gear and then filming generally Neal and Spencer (I was WAY behind pushing the bike up). I remember a hilly forest and I remembered the climb out of Desvres when I thought I'd knackered my (at the time) dodgy knee. The gentle downhill slope through a valley and then stopping for some food finally in a small town where Rich got mollested in his Lycra by an inebriated old man.

I also recalled the joy of deciding to start taking the D roads and not having to keep stopping to check the paper maps. I recall thinking Neal may have ended up taking the motorway to Abbeville by accident after he zipped off, of not being able to reach him on his mobile for what felt like ages.

But most of all it was on the road to Abbeville where I learned to love the kilometre! Seeing the km melt away as we chased the sunlight to our hotel, it was ace. It was at this point that I started measuring my rides in Kilometres and I realised that we in the UK really should just dive in to the metric system with both feet rather than faffing between imperial and metric.

This time round, whilst my overal speed was higher when I left Tom behind, doing those sorts of distances solo is never as much fun as when you are with someone else. You get an understanding why these solo breakaway riders in the grand tours so rarely make it before the peloton or chasing group catch them up.

Without any places that were either open or accepted cards yesterday, I struggled when I hit the 80km mark (35km to go) I hit a wall and started to really struggle. With 15km to go, I had nothing left I was barely spinning the pedals. I had drank the last dregs from my bottles, and was creeping along at about 16kmh.

The Carrefour Conect that appeared like a mirage then was a minor miracle. I stopped for some of the ripest and tastiest strawberries, a couple of bananas and a couple of chocolate chip brioche. I topped up one of my bottles and I headed on. The figurative expression of having nothing left in the tank is very apt. After the stop and "refuelling" I could cycle again, sure my backside muscles were sore (and still are) and my quads were tight, but I was flying again and the km dropped away a lot quicker than the previous 15. I flew through Abbeville and up the hill to the hotel.

Tom wasn't feeling any better, so I took a 40 minute shower, got changed and went and called Hannah. I went and got Tom some mess which helped him tremendously. We went out to the Buffalo Grill as we did back in 2009 and stuffed ourselves with cheap greasy food and slumped into our beds exhausted.

Day 3 - Abbeville to Beauvais

View this route in more detail on plotaroute.com

Click here for a more detailed overview of the nasty bits (the hills!)

It turned out nice

Got here, Tom is in bed. He's not in good shape! I'm going to leave him to rest and will write an extended post from the lobby.

Tom's sick

Despite battling on hard, Tom is really not well. So we've stopped at a very posh hotel to book him a taxi to Abbeville.

Grim

Ask yourself these questions:

Would I want to cycle 77 miles today?

Would I want to cycle in the cold and wet today?

Would I want to cycle 77 miles in the cold and wet today?

If you answer "No!" to any of them, please consider donating on the Just Giving link on the blog.

It's GRIM!!!

Spoke too soon about the weather!

Forgot that I repaired he flat with CO2 and had to pump it by hand this morning. Just in time for it to start to rain!

Send us your pity!!

Tom off his breakfast (Explicit content warning)

Tom seemed off his dinner last night and again this morning was off his breakfast. I've been pondering this and I can only assume the timing of him seeing this and his loss of appetite is NOT coincidental....so apologies if you've not had your breakfast!

Breakfast

In true Amateur style, I've overdone it at breakfast in Calais!

Tom seems keen to get back on the bike, I could quite happily go back to bed. The good news appears to be that the forecast rain appears to have held off. Tom's just dropping the kids off at the pool and then we'll go.

Time to put the smelly Lycra back on!

Day 2 - Calais to Abbeville

View this route in more detail on plotaroute.com

Click here for a more detailed overview of the nasty bits (the hills!)

Day 1...done

In many ways that was totally different to the last time I did it in 2009. Firstly we got to Dover in much better time. Spen asked me to what I put that down to. Was it using a GPS rather than paper maps? Almost certainly. An earlier start, well not really, yes it was 30 minutes or so earlier, but I also had a puncture this time. We started a little closer to Greenwich, having stayed overnight in Docklands. Fitter? Well that didn't hurt, but that really just meant I wasn't utterly and devastatingly knackered finishing. Not having a burger, chips and a pint half way at Bearstead? Also a HUGE factor. In hindsight, stopping for an hour to consume a large and filling meal in 2009 was a bad choice.

Going on the exact route as opposed to Spen's best interpretation of it, was a huge boon. Not getting lost at Ditton, not over shooting our turning and heading up a steep hill when pooped was helpful.

We did give poor old Spen some grief when we went past the signs for Dover (A2), but he was right to! It WAS the route. However overshooting the turning in Barham was a painful mistake back in 2009.

As you can probably gather, it's been and will probably remain impossible not to draw comparisons between this and the last ride. I think half of the reason I got upset (in my head) with that bloke in Bridge for suggesting going HIS way was that I really wanted to see again the route I did with my brothers. It was surprising therefore that much of it was so unfamiliar. Even some of the stand out points (eg. Hollingbourne Hill) weren't quite as I recall. It helped massively that my climbing ability is 10x what it was!

For me the worst comparison to 2009 was the weather. It was miserably cold today. I wish if paid more attention to the temperature before setting out. I was freezing cold this morning, before I put my windproof jacket on, even then it was cold all day, with only brief spells of warmth.

For tea tonight we went to the Café de la Tour (which I subsequently found out wasn't as apt to our little bike ride as if have liked - thanks Nigel!! 😔). I ordered a cheeky Belgian Blond along with a passable Chicken and chips which came with a very respectable salad. Tom ordered...well it didn't matter, he's been off his food ALL day, so he hardly touch the Steak Frites. I hope he's feeling better tomorrow!

Speaking of tomorrow, I'm a little apprehensive of the weather...it's looking grim!

Anyhoo, I need my recovery sleep. Good night!!

First on the ferry!

One of the benefits of going by bike, you get the choice of seats!

We made it (to Dover)!

A Bridge too far

We have reached Bridge. Both of us are exhausted, that's what 7 hours in the saddle with do!

Just had some guy asking what route we are doing. Got the whole British sucking through teeth "Ooh I wouldn't go that way!" speech followed by a detailed list of directions that we'd never be able to follow.

Regardless of the hills, we're following my route which my GPS will kindly direct us using.

To Dover!!

Tire fairies caught me up

The tire fairies caught me up, we're both cold and struggling. Only 45km to go though!

Either my memory is worse than I thought or else we are on roads we didn't go down in 2009. Tom may disagree, but I swear Spenny took us up more hills!

Will Tom get a pass?

We're at Hollingbourne Hill and the road is closed!

This may be the only hill Tom beats me up as he's getting a lift in the lorry!

The workmen are letting me pass!

Didn't take a wrong turn this time

The last time I was at this point, I stopped for a quick picture seeing as it's such a lovely scene, my brothers and Rich headed on without me and just around the corner I took a left whereas everyone else went right. No such problems this time and even nicer weather (well the sun is out at least!).

I'm posting this from where I finally caught up with the rest of the guys as I wait for Tom to climb the hill. He's passed me now so I should head off!

Out of the city

These were taken earlier (didn't post). We took a right and were very suddenly in the country!

Day 1 - London to Dover

View this route in more detail on plotaroute.com

Click here for a more detailed overview of the nasty bits (the hills!)

Dover here we come!

We're off!!

What a night!! Not much sleep - feeling nervous - haven't got much confidence after seeing Spencer's reply. I think the lack of sleep is because we had three beds to sleep in and I found Ads in my bed spooning.  Now I know what it may feel like in prison!!! 

First hiccup

Just got kicked off the Jubilee by the driver, no bikes allowed. Slight reroute required!

It's a bit nippy too in shorts and a tshirt.

Last lazy day!!

Oh boy it's nice just laying here looking out of the window feeling full of energy. I know I won't feel like this after tomorrow. Feeling worried-sick-nervous-apprehensive. GLAD Adam knows what he's doing!!! Lol

It's the final countdown

Tonight I've been putting the final touches to the route we'll be following on our trusty GPS. I was getting excited just plotting the route in to Paris! We'll be taking in the home of Van Gogh along the way, up the same road that will take us around the Arc d'Triumph, down the Champs-Élysées around Place de la Concorde and then along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. This will round off the roughly 300 miles we will have cycled in some style.

I have a few nerves, mostly due to the fact that Tom is relying on my entirely to guide us through France and ensuring that all the hotels and travel have been booked. However nerves are turning to excitement as Friday draws near.

I went for a little spin with the "Logicalis Roadies" tonight, just to keep the legs warm! Used Strava's Fly-By feature for the first time and it's quite fun...

If you click here you can see that in full-screen. On the first lap, I was just trying to keep up with Dan. On the 2nd lap I got stuck in traffic along the A4, but you'll see me chasing down Allan and Andy, then overtake and attempt to chase down Dan. Andy goes with me and we fight it out back to the finish.

Also tested out the GoPro and handlebar mount on tonight's ride - the results were good enough although slightly jerky. Hopefully YouTube can smooth that out! I'll show off some of the highlights, although I'm sure that's mostly only interesting the Logicalis Roadie group! :)

I hope we get some followers to the blog to cheer us along like we had in 2009. I'd really welcome your questions and comments along the way. We'll do our best to answer as we go!

But even if that's not the case, I'm looking forward to be heading on a cycling adventure with my mate.

Allez!

Á Paris!

	Not long now until Tom Barron (honourary Amateur) and I head to Paris. I'm hoping he'll put some words "to paper" both before and during the ride. Hannah has suggested we should do it for charity again and I think she may be right. I don't like the feeling like I'm pushing people in to donating and I think plenty of people are burned out with their friends and colleagues doing sporting events for charity. So I may set up a link and just send a quick email to point people at it. For me I'm excited about the ride, I'm in great shape and have many fewer nerves knowing what's to come and now regularly riding similar distances. However watching the videos of the Paris ride from 2009 and the 4-in-4, I'm reminded that it's one thing doing a big ride on one day and quite another to do four back to back!

My first post!

Less than two weeks to go, I'm getting excited - no children (except Adam) for 4 days!!