Its 4-30 am (3-30 to us!).
It's 750 miles to Monte Carlo (120 to Paris)
We have six bikes. A full van of energy drinks. It is dark. We are wearing sunglasses.
Welcome to Day 3.
It has to be said that after three hours sleep in the Cabin on board the ferry the atmosphore inside the fun bus this morning was a little fractious. Perhaps conscious of the long distance we had to travel all senses of humour had installed a by pass.
Finding an unfamiliar place in a new town, in the dark with a pea soup fog thrown into the mix was never going to be easy. Add in three hours sleep and no breakfast and it was a doomed mission from the start.
It does remind me how quickly we have all bonded on this trip. This may sound like a bizarre thing to say given the above but we all know everyone is trying their best, we all know that we are tired, hungry, aching and therefore we all know the odd tense moment is inevitable. Like all good friendships though they are soon forgotten as more pressing needs come to hand and the smiles and laughter resume. ( I still haven't forgiven you Richard for that incident with the bungee rope but that is an aside :-))
Welcome to France.
Speaking briefly of the start, this was the view that greeted us as we exited the van into the chilly cold French air. Amazingly it was accompanied by the sound of a cockerel in full voice albeit he was a bit late for our taste. It was soon joined by the sound of Taylor Swift as my alarm clock went off much to the confusion of some who had never heard of her.
Ready to roll and at 6am after all of the kit had been sorted, bikes cleaned and the vanishing muffins finally found we set off. Remembering to ride on the right side and make sure I was left back at the van as was becoming traditional we became highly aware just how quiet it was.
The roads in Northern France are amazing. At a steady pace we rolled amazed at the scenery and the quietness of these roads. The only cars that passed us went onto the other lane of traffic almost causing us to ride off the road into the ditch through sheer surprise or lack of concentration. One of the two.
As with yesterday there were multiple Garmin Head Bob moments and I in particular had one when I saw this sign as I started with 120 to go. Once I did the kilometre to mile conversion and safe in the knowledge that following the signs to Paris could only send us so far wrong I relaxed and started really enjoying the view.
Pain au Chocolate and Poppy
Now this isn't a health kick fad or the latest flavour of Walkers crisps but something that will stay with me for a long time. Having scouted ahead brilliantly to bring the team breakfast (still around 8-30 despite having ridden 30 miles) Bob and Barry had parked in a layby where another expanse of
Farmland maginicenctly dominated the landscape.
In amongst the greenery of the main field behind the van stood a solitary poppy.
Given the symbolism of the poppy in the UK this was a very poignant reminder of where we were.
After our brief stop at a panorama to admire the view over Notthern
France resulted in another pedal incident and a panto exchange ("it's behind you") we reverted back to our steady progress to today's destination just outside of Paris.
One village even prepared some bunting and fete materials for our arrival although it sadly clashed with church meaning nobody was able to attend.
Much like yesterday the temperature and spirits began to rise in the afternoon even with a couple of short sharp hills thrown in. Steve attacked on one after hearing it was a strava segment but then validly justified his actions by using his go pro camera to film the rest of the team.
The last 30 miles
Here is the good news. The commonly held belief on events like this is that your body adapts as you go along.
By day four you should be getting used to the consistent demands you are placing on your body day in and day out. Like that pair of slippers the elastic is finally giving and the bit under the toes is wearing but they are just so comfortable.
Therefore if Day4 is when you start riding in, Day 3 must be when you feel the worst. You know it is bad when a team member can't get their phone to work and then realises the numbers on the screen are the calculator app!
I know this was true for me when I did a similar thing before. It was as much that both your body and mind adjusted and you now knew your strengths and limitations far better because in the course of three days you had tried just about everything to ride quicker. This is a good thing and I hope that the team has the same experience tomorrow to last it through.
PS
As I write, this I am struggling to stay awake in a hotel room in Paris as my physical part of this particular adventure has taken a different route. However, as with everyone who reads this, I am still proud to be a part of this team and will keep supporting them right to the end.
Merci et Bon Voyage.
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