It has been a fun, eventful, hot, sweaty, energy sapping and emotional Day One today - and that is just being part of the crew. For the riders the day started really early as the meet up was at St Pancras station at 6am. For some like our wonderful tandem riders it meant rolling out of bed at 3am although I am not sure if that is total dedication or complete madness J
On arriving at Gard de Nord the Eurostar was met by a handsome beaming crew member (that will be me) and an equally lovely Laurence who had organised the coach to be ready. All the cyclists thought that we were off on a little jaunt to Versailles but after some last minute re-routing (due mainly to the fact that a few rather steep and long hill climbs must have been built since the route was researched back in Radlett) the coach headed off to the Squire Sanders office in the centre of Paris. What none of us on the coach realised was that this appeared to be the first time that the coach driver had driven in Paris as he proceeded to drive around in circles. This did include a wonderful scenic tour of every side of Gard de Nord station.
Finally we found the offices and after a quick change a slap up lunch (well baguettes, crisps and a few drinks) it was time for a few speeches about what lay ahead. Perry then reminded us of the three most important things to remember on the day – any one forgotten??? Hydration, Hydration, Hydration – see Perry I was listening.
At this point it would only be right to extend a massive thank you to Valerie in the Squires Sanders office. When she turned up for work in the morning she definitely wasn’t expecting to receive an email from Bern saying that 40 riders plus crew would be on her door step in about 1 hours’ time.
And so the ride set up weaving its way through the Paris traffic leading by the irrepressible Scott in his van with Perry at the front and Bern bringing up the rear. Once the Paris traffic was negotiated the ride could gain momentum and rest stops were reached and enjoyed by everyone. Phil and Andy deserve a big mention at this point. Their beautifully decorated stop won the award for design of the day -mainly because no one else could be bothered to compete. They also won the prize for best negotiation with the police. Having stopped right outside the local town hall they were greeted by police asking if they had permission to be there. Whilst Phil tried to find the closest lamppost to hide behind Andy showed the calmness befitting a man known as The Vicar and proceeded to explain that Valerie had sorted the permissions and showed the proof. A potential Anglo- French conflict was avoided.
As the day wore on so the muscles started to ache a little more. The ride stretched out although Adam Seres & Andy Katz obviously either needed to get to the loo quickly or decided to do the ride in record time whilst others took a more leisurely ride. I am delighted to report that every rest stop was met and the day passed without any dramas – just the way we like it. A few riders had interesting stretching techniques, some of which we might examine a little more on day two.
The last riders finally cycled in around 8.15pm and after a shower and change and a quick beer dinner was served. There was great camaraderie in the room although it was easy to see whose heads were falling in to their desserts. The main event of the night was the announcement that this ride had broken through £60,000 – what an outstanding achievement.
After a few speeches, a raffle and logistics update by The Vicar it was time for bed which is exactly where I am heading now.
Tomorrow is a much easier ride and should end with a bit of time for R & R on the beach in Dieppe. I will report more from there.
Till tomorrow
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