Day 3 - 5th September

Day 3: 69 miles, 4hours 50 mins cycling time, 9000+ ft of hill climbs



And so on to Paris. A chilly start, just as I like it, bit a bit too chilly for most. The rolling countryside continued so although the climb total was bigger than the first day, most of it was much easier. There were only half a dozen hills which really counted. It was agreed that we would start at the back and see how far we could get up through the group to the first break and we were 100% successful, Clare having her usual result about 2 minutes after Alex and I arrived. The next break was on a village green next to the village church. As the third break was to be at a small cafe, there was a definite premium in being among the first to arrive (2 loos between 60 people who have cycled about 35 miles is not good news). With lunch beckoning, the next stage called us to press on. There was some bonus mileage resulting from a wrong sign, but that added to the camaraderie. Another superb lunch and suddenly, there was only about 25 miles to go.

By now we were in the Paris suburbs and there was traffic and traffic lights to contend with. Gideon was now cycling with us and it occurred to me that, as he knew the way, the best plan would be to stick with him. A number of people had that idea. So on to the last real stop. Guess who was first lady to arrive. And then real urban cycling. Again, a good group followed Gideon although it got a bit strung out with having to stop at lights etc. Then there was the first glimpse of the Eiffel tower, about 10 miles away.

The final regouping was about 3 miles from the tower and this last little stretch was the most frustrating part. All of Paris was trying to get along the road that we needed to go along and these 3 miles took nearly an hour (so not included in the timings). Across the Seine for the last time and then round the back of the Eiffel Tower for the photos. I was not the only one to feel a bit emotional about. It had been a wonderful experience. There was some very testing cycling and some exhilarating moments and the whole experience was something that I had enjoyed beyond all I had imagined. The preparation had been worthwhile and the whole trip is something I will certainly remember.