Then there is the London-Paris challenge. Three days, 250 miles. Just you, the bike, and ride, ache, chafe, ride.
5 forty-something men, pooling varying talents of logistics and technology and varying degrees of fitness, but sharing boundless enthusiasm.
The training period involved 4 or 5 rides of 50 - 70 miles from and around London. Key for me was the confidence that I could cycle for more than 30 minutes (the length of my commute) without suffering injury or mechanical failure. A ride from North London to Northampton almost entirely along the A5 and with a stretch around Milton Keynes that felt in almost every way like the M1 was a useful base line in tedium.
Kit (such a small word hardly does it justice) was also a big issue in the days before the ride. How many pairs of wicking underwear were needed; how many pairs of cycling shorts: indeed how many pairs of padded cycling undershorts (no kidding)?
Then there was the issue of panniers and how much to take.
Like packing a hiking rucksack every item had to tip the gain/pain balance to justify inclusion, so airplane toothbrush Yes, shampoo No. Microtowel Yes, shoes No.
- Happily, cycle lanes are more common than I thought (at least in MK, London and Paris)
-Sunny only really gets sweaty when you stop.
-English countryside the best (Normandy a close second).
-Mates' ability to navigate in motion using iPhones and Map My Ride and battery packs = invaluable.
-Thrice round Portsmouth docks clocks a neat 100 miles for the day on GPS.
- Having a head-tail wind gives a swing of +/- 25 miles over a day
-Caen-Evreux involves some long, dull and windy stretches, a la A5
- Many cafe stops make for a longer but more enjoyable day
- No punctures/accidents = very good fortune
- One pair each of wicky pants and cycling shorts are sufficient
- A full day in Paris afterwards is not strictly necessary
- Peletons actually work in wind, with a little practice
-Cycling along the outside lane of the Seine embankment is frowned upon by French motorists
-For the price of a little muscle soreness, London- Paris is a brilliant and inexpensive way to combine adventure, exercise and friendship.
Now need to work on the next trip.....
