Jill took part with her friend Colin, both from Lincolnshire
We made it!! We arrived home safely after 21 of us successfully completed our challenge to cycle from London to Paris raising in excess of £60,000 for the charity to date.
Day 1 was a shock to me as I thought that the Lincolnshire Wolds were hilly – believe me, they are nothing to what we faced from London to Dover! We still managed to make it to the docks with enough time to ‘carb up’ before boarding the ferry for the crossing. On docking in Calais, we then had another 7 miles to go to the hotel so it was on to the bikes again – ouch!
We saddled up at 7.30am on day 2 and I succumbed to a cold which had been threatening for a few days. Added to that, the woods were not what I would call first class facilities so decided that a rural chocolate factory would be a better option! Handmade chocolates don’t come cheap and it was the most expensive ‘pit’ stop of the whole journey! We saw some really beautiful countryside and rural villages with the sun finally making a welcome appearance at the end of the day as we cycled in to Abbeville.
I was feeling a bit sore and sorry for myself on day 3 and was really pleased when Colin agreed to take on the ‘Carbon Tarts’ up front! I’m not really sure if he met his match or not but I can tell you that there were some serious cyclists with us and he certainly kept them on their toes. I don’t know what we were given at the lunch stop, but I found a burst of energy and caught up with the Iron Lady of our group who was really surprised to see me! In celebration the pub seemed a good place to head for!
Day 4 and we were all looking forward to Paris. Early on we faced a hill a mile and a half long. We then had a long straight ride on a busy road with a headwind and yet more hills. The front runners found a cafe just before our lunch stop and several of us stopped off for a delicious hot chocolate! A picnic by the river seemed such a good idea, but without sunshine we struggled to keep warm, so we were soon on our way again and into the Paris suburbs. The French came into their own, cheering encouragement and creating an atmosphere almost on a par with the Tour de France. The Eiffel Tower loomed ahead and as a bride elegantly alighted from her stretch limo, 21 of us whooped, whistled and wobbled over the cobbles past her and on to the finish – I offer my profuse apologies to this lovely lady for stealing her thunder and appreciate her big-heartedness in sharing our excitement!
The whole experience was absolutely fantastic, from the organisation of Beating Bowel Cancer and Discover Adventure to the other participants who ranged from 3 young people from Birmingham who lost their father to the cancer in February of this year to the professionals in the group who understood firsthand what can be achieved by supporting such a worthwhile cause.
If Colin and I have inspired you to take on a challenge – go for it and, remember, 'Pain is temporary; failure is permanent' and 'Pain is only weakness leaving the body'. No wonder I made it with these words ringing in my ears!