Day Four

Start: Chateau Thierry   Finish: Troyes  

Distance: 78 miles   Climb: 2,300ft  Moving Time: 5:40   Average Speed: 14mph     Max Speed: 43mph

Totally exhausted!

After an early start (well, 9:30) – with a new tactic of picking up breakfast en-route after a couple of hours – we dealt with the early climbs pretty well. As expected, the first was particularly brutal – and despite me guaranteeing Albert that it was all flat from here on out – a fair few smaller climbs seemed to appear out of nowhere. We spent the first 15 miles of so on main roads – where despite it being reasonably busy and constantly undulating, the quality of the surface meant we kept up a really good pace and I hit a tour-best of 43mph.

A decent breakfast and visit to a bike shop in Montmaill left us feeling confident we could smash out the rest without a break. Fools. I had a real post-food lull and was really beginning to lag behind – my legs felt ok but I just couldn’t generate any speed. It was only after Albert slowed down to let me catch up that he pointed out I had a flat tire…

A first puncture! After 1,400miles of cycling – my back tire finally gave way. Obviously, I was not prepared at all. All the gear, but no idea. Albert to the rescue – and with the help of a snazzy compressed gas canister – I was up and running again in less than 15 minutes.

The route still allowed a bit of venturing off the beaten track – probably adding an extra 7 or 8 miles – but it is just so much more enjoyable! Quiet villages, odd farmers, crazy dogs, nice churches – and massive ugly war memorials – photos below.

Finally, the promised descent arrived, and it was a great cruise in to the town of Sezanne through sunflower fields and with great views out over the valley. We then hit the first bit of flat for ages – and, perhaps a little over excited – spent about 45mins averaging around 22mph. We stopped in Angleur for coffee and realised we still had 30miles to go – and both of us felt like falling asleep there and then. It was here that I realised that 50miles in a day is about right for a cycling – leaving you enough time to explore and not being too onerous on the legs. This however, is not a holiday, so we had to drag ourselves away from the comfort of the café and plough through a pretty dull 2 hours of flat cycling into the pretty uninspiring city of Troye.

As mentioned yesterday – it’s M&D’s anniversary today. They spent the morning on Champagne tours in Epernay and Albert and I treated them to a gorgeous meal on the Lac D’Orient this evening. 5 courses and champagne: definitely an indulgent approach to carb loading!

Today I reached the half-way point in terms of distance covered. And I can really feel it. Legs are ridiculously heavy, knee is still causing some issues and for some reason my left little finger has gone completely numb (actually quite annoying when typing!) – but it’s been awesome so far and we’ve been really lucky with the conditions.

From here on out though – it gets pretty serious. A hilly 60miler tomorrow, followed by a 95 miler on Friday in preparation for two huge days in the mountains. Nerves, excitement, dread, fear – all very much present! Its going to be a huge couple of days on the legs – and I can’t wait to hit Chamonix to get a day off before the acclimitastion work starts!

Sleep is calling!

Sam.

….

Albert says:

About 2 hours in, Sam was lagging pretty badly. I mean, really struggling, way behind me.

After a little while, feeling smug and not wanting to humiliate him too much, I slowed, agreed that it was extremely hard going, feigned discomfort and let him pass, enjoying the unbelievably slow pace and my obviously superior level of fitness.

Unfortunately, at this point, I noticed that Sam had a flat rear tyre. It seemed only fair to let him struggle a few more miles before telling him….

.......

Photos from the last day or two (click to enlarge)

 Start of Day 4

 Clueless

 Lac D'Orient

 Carb Loading

Broken on Day 3

Day Three

Start: Peronne   Finish: Chateau Thierry   

Distance: 85miles   Climb: 3,700ft   Moving Time: 6:38   Average Speed: 13mph     Max Speed: 40mph

Wow. I wasn’t expecting that one. Both Albert and I are totally broken!

Great nights sleep in the ever-accommodating Ibis, followed by a huge breakfast, and we set off on our way to Chateau Thierry. We’d planned our route over breakfast – and knew what faced us – 35 miles of fast, flat country roads followed by 35 miles peppered with a number of big climbs.

Whilst our route planning, and my Garmin sat nav, has been pretty good so far – at some points our desire to be on quiet country lanes has meant that we’ve come across some farm tracks that have meant we’ve had to pick up our bikes and carry them! Only about 300m today – but it certainly disrupts the rhythm!

The flat first 35 miles flew by at a good pace – with beautiful quiet roads under a burning sun. At one point – a road closure meant that we really did own the road for a good 3 mile stretch. Most of which downhill, and spent perfecting our handsfree cycling.

We continue to fly through quaint villages, with classic architecture and beautiful churches – and today came across the ruins of a huge abbey, tucked away in the middle of nowhere.

I’m still struggling with timings in France – and am yet to make it to café or restaurant before they stop serving lunch – so we picked up some items from a supermarket and headed for a nearby river. It turned out the river was right next to a huge industrial plant, and so we actually ended up relaxing on the goal line of the town’s football stadium.

When we hit the hills – it got REALLY tough. I hit a real low point around 55 miles and have been struggling with some knee pain, but it’s amazing what a 5 minute break and a banana can do! I’ve been ridiculously impressed with Albert’s efforts. From zero training to an 85 mile ride is no mean feat – and having him with me has really helped pick me up when tired.

I’ve learned a big lesson today though. Up to now, we’ve been planning routes to maximize time on quiet roads and nice views. This is definitely the way forward for the mornings and first 50 miles or so – and makes it a lot more enjoyable. BUT – once you start to get tired, all you want to do is reach the finish point, and really don’t have time for the views! Today’s ride ended up being 10 miles longer than planned – and that really hurt when coming in to the last hour and a few extra ‘bonus’ hills!

The descent into Chateau Thierry though – was brilliant. About 2 miles of downhill, averaging over 25mph. But boy was I ready to put the bike away! Day finished off with an incredible Moroccan tagine and (hopefully) and early night.

Tomorrow – we head to Troyes. Its 70 miles (hopefully!) with a killer climb first thing. I can see the hill and vineyards out of the hotel window – it looks pretty terrifying – but after the initial climb we should have quite a pleasant cruise in. It’s my Mum and Dad’s (read: Support Team) anniversary tomorrow – so I’m pretty keen to get to Troyes in good time so that we can find a great restaurant to celebrate in.

I’ll now pass over to Albert – for an undoubted slating!

Albert:

If any of you out there have ever sat on a very small ergonomically-shaped bicycle seat for 6.5 hours, you will forgive me for spending the best part of the last hour today cursing Sam. It was not enjoyable.

Luckily for him, we parted ways after about 120km, Sam choosing the hilly country lanes that led him in a northerly (wrong) direction, whilst I chose what can only be described as a busy motorway, complete with speeding trucks driven by maniacs and angry Frenchmen at the wheels of unwieldy and unpredictable Citroens. Nightmare.

Apart from the minor setbacks, it was a very pleasant day, cruising through beautiful villages, past white stone Chateaux and across glorious farmland. A very pleasant but long and gruelling ride. Thank you Sam…

Day Two

Start: Saint Omer   Finish: Peronne   

Distance: 75miles   Climb: 3,900ft  Moving Time: 5:30   Average Speed: 14mph     Max Speed: 41mph

Woke up after a solid eight hours and felt pretty good. A huge breakfast (a tonnes of nutella) later and it was time to go. I’d planned a 10am departure to make my way to Arras to meet Albert – but it turned out I had a slow puncture overnight -  and that both of our bike pumps were broken! A bit of frantic internet research and some broken French led us Decathlon (the world’s greatest shop). Where – as well as buying some new racing slick tyres – we picked up a new pump and I got on my way.

The first 40miles to Arras flew by. After some initial navigation out of Saint Omer – I hit an old Roman road – 30 miles of straight road. Demoralisingly long and 'bumpy', but with incredible scenery, no cars and glorious sunshine I was happy cruising along. The cyclist tan lines are coming on a treat.

After a brief lunch near the train station – Albert rolled into town about 3pm and we planned the next 35miles into Peronne. Now Albert was a late call up to this trip – heroically stepping up to the plate to keep me company when Jam found out he couldn’t join the full trip – and arrives straight from a holiday in NY and having done very little training. I was pretty nervous about the first day – hoping that the route provided a good intro for him so that he wouldn’t regret the decision.

The first 5 miles out of Arras turned out to be pretty terrible! We headed down the Route Nationale to get quick access to the countryside – but it wasn’t a fun couple of miles, with a dodgy road surface and heavy traffic. It wasn’t long though, until the side roads I was hoping for came along – and we had a really pleasant 20 miles of single lane riding with no cars – allowing us to cycle side by side and have a good catch up. We’re travelling through the Somme – and most of the small sleepy villages we passed through have memorials and small graveyards.

This is Albert’s first cycle trip – and I’d sold it as hard work, followed by relaxed evenings at rustic guesthouses in rural villages. However – today we find ourselves in a Travelodge next to a motorway outside of Asseville. After a beautiful afternoon of cycling – we find ourselves staying in an awful place! 

However – the nearest town to our hotel is named Albert – so we headed in for a nice dinner and photo opportunity before retiring back to the hotel, absolutely shattered! Day 3 – another 75miler to Chateaux Thierry - coming up!    

The maps (and stats) of rides can be viewed through the Strava website - links to our most recent rides are on the right of this post ->

I told you these would probably get shorter and shorter...

Day One

Start: London   Finish: Saint Omer  

Distance: 111miles Climb: 5,200ft  Moving Time: 7:30  Average Speed: 14mph  Max Speed: 36mph

Daily extras: Punctures: 2 Embarrassing stationary falls: 1 Coconut shy’s found: 1 Coconuts won: 1

IF CARLSBERG MADE FIRST DAYS!

Wow. What a day. That went better than I could have ever hoped for. I was thinking I’d probably be too lazy to write these bogs (this is day one - so may well come true) but today was so eventful I couldn't wait to write a quick note.

After being kept awake most of the night by a mixture of nerves and the sound of rain hammering down outside, I woke up this morning with a real buzz. The weather was awful – but a good breakfast and last minute checks with Jas left meant I was good to go.

I was leaving early – 8:30 from the Riverside pub (where this challenge was conceived) and so myself, James and Adam were to be sent on our way by Jas, my parents, sister and brother in law, auntie and uncle. Then – just when getting ready to set off – I spotted my housemate Ali. Very obviously on the walk-of-shame, but also coming to say bye. Next thing I knew, Sam, Rich, Ffi and Cas turned up. Thanks a lot guys – meant a lot!

Five miles or so of tourist sights and then we tried to blast out through the south east of London and get on to the country roads as soon as possible. It was pretty bleak riding in the rain, but we made good headway and as we crossed the M25 the sun came out.

We’d decide to avoid the quicker but busier A20 and head down some quiet single track lanes so we could ride next to each other. This added about 15 miles or so, seemed to search out the biggest hills in the area – and had some pretty major pluses and minuses.

Firstly – the surface certainly wasn't smooth, and James got a rear puncture about 20 miles in. Adam and I carried on, but heard later that James had a second puncture – and it looked like his day was over. We continued on – keeping up a decent pace despite some pretty nasty hills, and enjoyed some great sights. Then – as if by magic – and for the second time in my short cycling career, we stumbled across a village fete. I’m a sucker for coconut shy – and we cycled straight over and managed to bring home some bounty (happy with that pun!). It was only about 15 miles or so later when struggling up a hill that I realized that people spend thousands trying to trim weight off their bike, so carrying a coconut in my drinks holder was probably a bit stupid, so it had to go.

Today is the only day that I had time pressure (to get our train) and it was looking tight. Real adrenalin kicked in – and we needed to average 19mph for the last 11 miles to make it. Then we came across some huge hills. No chance. BUT – then a text message from Mum said ‘train delayed 30mins’ – lucky boy.

85 or so miles later and we reach the barriers to the Euro Tunnel – where we are met by Security. It turns out James had fixed his bike and gunned down the direct A20, reached the tunnel 10mins before us and tried to find us to say goodbye. He was then apprehended by security and escorted off the estate, and threatened with a journey to the police station for trying to jump the border!

When we arrived – the same humourless chaps were waiting for us. After a lot of Hot Fuzz-esc radio conversation – they let me put my bike on the back of my parents car, and Adam too, was escorted off the property by the elite Eurotunnel swat team. All a bit ridiculous – but we got on the right train and I spent most of the journey eating, drinking, stretching and typing some of this.

First experience of French roads has been pretty love/hate. The first 10 miles or so were completely flat, sun was shining, roads were smooth, about 3 cars. However – my sat nav completely failed, and then a series of rolling hills emerged from nowhere. Some real steep climbs and impossible to get my rhythm.

Anyway – I arrived in Saint Omer at around 9:30pm. A very long day! A nice meal with my parents and now about to hit the hay. Legs feeling good now – but I’m pretty terrified about the prospect of getting out of bed tomorrow!

Thanks for reading – and thanks for your support. If you are reading this – and haven’t yet sponsored - sort it out!!

Sam  

Pilgrim'sWay

 Couldn't say no

Victory 

 Sat Nav troubles

First day: DONE

12 Hours to go

Have just finalised tomorrow's route. 80 miles to Folkestone and then 30 miles to Saint Omer. Getting really quite nervous!

One large advantage is that today's match at the Oval was a complete washout - and so we didn't even head down to the ground - meaning I avoided the inevitable temptation to have a few final beers!

Instead - I have eaten, and eaten, and eaten.

I'm ready to go!

5 days to go!

It's getting very close and it's been an eventful couple of days!

First few rides since crash went well - with final spin to Swain's Lane and a hungover 60 miles of laps around Richmond Park have left me feeling good to go and pretty confident for the first couple of days of cruising. Day 1 will exceed the 100mile mark and will be a baptism of fire.

I even managed to beat some of James Gilbert's (joining me for Day 1) PB times on his home turf while he was away climbing the Matterhorn. A huge victory in my eyes.

But who knows how the body will react when I hit the Alps after 6 days of riding. The big day of climbing in to the Jura mountains and into Geneva is certainly on my mind!

Unfortunately though - i didn't come out of the crash as unscathed as first thought. Turns out the impact on my shoulder has exacerbated an old rugby injury - and after an MRI scan yesterday it turns out I need of 3 or 4 pins inserted. The (great) Doctor has given me a steroid injection to keep the disruption of the next couple of weeks to a minimum and then I'll get it all sorted when I return - and so this will have absolutely not impact on trip or challenge (at least that's what I've told my Mum!).

Sponsorship has really started flowing in these last few days and I'm hugely grateful to everyone for their support. Can't believe that this stupid idea dreamed up over a few beers 12 months a go is actually going ahead! Two more days in the office, and two days at the Ashes, and then off I go!

Awesome. 

Good Week/Bad Week

This week started very well.

I got a call on Monday afternoon from Tim Webb of The Times - who wanted a quick chat about this trip. The next morning I woke up to the following article online and in print - great stuff! Thanks go to Tim Webb and Phillip Ranger of Yellow Jersey PR for making the connection - and welcome to anyone who was brought here by The Times article.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/columnists/article3835057.ece

My friend from Cambridge, Albert - who now lives in Nice, France - gave me a call on Sunday to let me know he's going to be meeting me in Calais and cycling down to Chamonix with me. Fantastic news.

I've also been having some good luck with the guys at Waboba - who are going to be providing some toys for the journey and a raffle prize (event tba). For those of you who are clueless as to who Waboba are, what Waboba do - check out their website here: wwww.waboba.com

I would estimate I spent around 4 hours a day throwing a Waboba ball during my gap year in 08/09 - and ended up distributing them all over Africa to kids I met on my travels.

Then things took a turn for the worse and I became another London traffic statistic. A bit of reckless driving nearly ruined all my plans as I was cut up on Wednesday evening by a driver who claims not to have seen me. I was sent flying over his bonnet to land on my face in the middle of the road. Thankfully the bike survived, and I only suffered slight cuts and bruises - but sufficiently hurt to mean I'm not going to be able to cycle for about a week or so (I am heading to South Wales this evening for what was supposed to be a final push at endurance training). I guess it was going to happen sooner or later - and it could have been a lot worse! So gym training for the next week or so until my shoulder recovers.

Onwards and upwards!