Thursday 11th July 2024.
Personally, I awoke after the best nights sleep of the whole trip and actually enjoyed breakfast. For some of us this was to be the last day of cycling, rolling into Paris had been the aim of the whole trip and today was the day that hopefully we would all complete that goal. First though we still had 60 miles to cycle and the outskirts of Paris to negotiate. We set off slightly earlier than we had done on previous days, hoping to get into Paris as soon as we could to maximise our time there. We had a quick stop at a shop in Lacroix-Saint-Ouen to buy snacks and for me to buy cigarettes, I had run out the night before and I needed a fix!
We cycled through Verberie and onto a 2 mile climb out of the village with a maximum grade of 6.2%, this tarmac had recently been relaid and this was the nicest surface we had ridden on so far during our trip, even if it was uphill. More small villages were passed and we approached Montépilloy and we were soon riding on a short cobbled section. Our first taste of real cobbles and all of of us were left wondering how the Pro-riders manage it and make it look so easy. After all our combined miles so far, our legs, arms, backs and bums did not react very well to this new sensation.
After 25 miles we entered the village of Plailly, which we had earmarked as our coffee stop for the day. As we had found previously on this trip, we managed to find a café serving coffee and beer, but no food. So we had to head over the road to a bakery after having our coffee, to get a sandwich (baguette) and a slice of cake. It was at this point Alex noted that he had a puncture and Stephen once again stepped in as mechanic extroardinaire, and helped Alex change the inner tube. They found that Alex's tyre had not only punctured, but had ripped, only a small hole, but enough to make the tyre too dangerous to ride on. Luckily, Stephen had brought a spare folded tyre with him, just in case, and at that point Alex was very grateful that he had.
As we cycled on, the roads were getting noticeably busier and we knew we were not far from the outer suburbs of Paris as we passed through Fosses, Marly-la-Ville and Fontenay-en-Parisis. A dedicated cycle path started on the opposite side of the road and we decided to stop to have a 5 min break and get onto the cycle path rather than the road. It was here we got our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. It was not long before we were approaching the Saint-Denis area and we saw the River Seine for the first time. Cycling along the river, we suddenly found our route was blocked. The road had been closed to allow for construction of a fan park, for the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games to be held in Paris, just a few short weeks after our visit to the city. A quick U-turn and navigation around the blockage and we were once again cycling along the Seine and onwards to Monceau Park. We had marked this as a rendezvous point in case any of us got detatched from the group or held up in traffic.
If you have ever cycled in Paris, you will know what a crazy place it is to ride your bike. The car drivers are actually very respectful and give you plenty of room and time, it's other cyclists you need to be wary of. We are still unsure what the protocol is for cycling in Paris and who has right of way. As Stephen said on our way into the city, if you see a gap, just go for it!
A quick loo stop and re-fill of our water bottles and we were off again, next stop the Arc de Triomphe. There are 12 roads that lead onto the Arc, which is basically a huge roundabout, and any cars already on the Arc are supposed to give way to traffic entering from any of these 12 roads. We entered the Arc as a team of 6 and stayed that way until Andrew, who was leading us, signalled for us to start pulling over back to the outside so that we could stop and get some pictures. Next we cycled down the Champs-Élysées heading towards the Place de la Concorde, before turning right past the Grand Palais and over the Pont Alexandre III, crossing The Seine and heading towards the Eiffel Tower. The iconic structure looms large over the city and although it may obscured at times by buildings, it is unmissable. The Tower marked the end point of our route from London to Paris, six of us had made the journey and we had all completed the mission to reach Paris on our bikes. For me, this ride had been on my bucket list ever since I had started road cycling in 2017 and there we were stood at the base of the one the most famous land marks in the world. I'm not ashamed to admit I felt quite emotional. We took pictures, we hugged and we congratulated each others achievements. We had ridden approx 320 miles in four days, from the outskirts of the capital of England to the capital of France. Not bad for a club that was less than two years old.
Next on the agenda was food, and a bit more sightseeing on the way to our hotel. We found a charming little place, Bistro Saint Dominique and proceeded to eat our weight in steak, plus a very welcome beer or coke for the non-drinkers. We chatted for a while, but we still had some places to visit before we got to our hotel, so we got back on our bicycles and headed to The Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral for more photographs to be taken. The ride to the hotel was even more chaotic than our earlier ride into Paris. The cycle lanes were full and it took all our concentration to negotiate the city as we headed North again towards Porte de la Chapelle. A quick shower and another beer in the hotel reception, then the six of us were heading to the Metro to go and visit the Pigalle Quarter and The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre. Joanna was our tour leader for the evening, and promised us a spectacular view of the city from Montmartre, she was not wrong. Hunger seemed to have gripped us and after a light, late evening salad and another round of drinks, we headed back to our hotel.
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