My phone switched itself off in Paris so I lost my Endomondo journey for this last day, which was a bit gutting!
Ready to leave for our final day on two wheels
Our final day of cycling had arrived. We set off at 08:30 with the promise of heavy rain to come. Oh joy. Despite the weather, this was my favourite day of the trip. I was riding a bike that was SO comfortable and, because I wasn't in so much discomfort, I could keep up with Holly and co, and I was whizzing along. Yayyy!!
I must give a special mention to Geoff's wife, Julie, who came along on the trip to join Marni and Helen as support crew. She was there at every water and lunch stop greeting us with a big smile. While waiting for us to arrive she'd sit and knit gloves. I've no idea how many pairs she made on the trip in total. It's a shame they weren't waterproof ones as we could've done with them!
When the forecast said rain, they certainly weren't kidding! It was torrential. At one point, the rain was so heavy that I had to keep squeezing my eyes shut and re-opening them just to be able to see, because the rain was running down my face! The roads had turned into rivers and we even had a few rolls of thunder. But did it dampen our spirits? Course not! On we pedaled ...
Holly and I make use of a nearby tree to prop our bikes against before tucking into a fab lunch
There's always time for a selfie with Stu in front of the Seine!
Lunch on the banks of the Seine in the rain!
We munched our lunch and tried to keep warm, which wasn't easy. As soon as everyone was ready, we got back on our bikes and pedaled into the Paris suburbs.
Nearly there!
With big cities come traffic lights. Loads of them! Some of the more experienced cyclists of the group were able to whip out their camera and take photos while we waited for traffic lights to change!
Cycling in Paris was fab; the complete opposite of cycling in London. Most roads have cycle lanes and other road users are polite and considerate, giving cyclists space and time to manoeuver.
We reached Park Monceau and met the 360 support team who were waiting there. The plan was to go in convoy on our final 4 miles to the Eiffel Tower.
While waiting for the second group to arrive there was just time for a quick icecream selfie!
And then, we were off ...
Cycling up the Paris cobbles with the Arc de Triomphe ahead was exciting and nerve-wracking all at the same time.
But not as nerve-wracking as it was actually cycling around the Arc de Triomphe. It has to be the most in-Seine (sorry, couldn't resist) road junction in the world! We stayed together in one big block, like a 'bike-bus' and I actually loved every second of it. It was excitingly scary having vehicles approaching you from both sides!!
And then, there it was, the Eiffel Tower. I felt quite emotional when I saw it in the distance. I had done it, with the help of Frankenbike and the team!
Holly was asked if she'd take a photo of Stu and Steve. Sure, just as soon as we've taken a quick selfie!
Team Peru had made it!
Ollie and Pete were my cycling and chilling buddies.
And here is the whole awesome team, minus Geoff's wife Julie who took the photo.
Although you can't tell from these photos, the sky suddenly turned very black, the wind got up and it started to rain. We quickly pulled on our raincoats, jumped on our bikes and headed for the hotel.
This photo of us was taken from the van. It was pouring! Hard to believe it was only about 10 minutes after my previous photo in the fabulous sunshine. We loved going round the Arc de Triomple so much that we did it again, in the pouring rain on slippery wet cobbles. Did we care? Nope. I enjoyed it almost as much as I had the first time around.
It didn't take us long before we were saying goodbye to our bikes and checking into the Hotel Ibis, Berthier, Paris. We left our bikes in the underground car park so they could be loaded into the van ready to travel back to Cornwall. I've decided that I really like Ibis hotels because their beds are the best!! They all have thick mattress toppers making them oh-so-comfy.
Kirsten's family had come to Paris to greet her at the Eiffel Tower so as soon as she had showered she went to join her husband and children. As we had about 3 hours to kill before heading off for our celebration meal at a local restaurant, Ollie and I paid 5 euros each to use the hotel's spa facilities. Chilling in the pool, steam, sauna and Jacuzzi was just what we needed. We were the only people using it except for one French chap (who strangely was wearing ear-plugs and ear defenders whilst in the sauna?) and then we were joined by 3 other guys from our group. It was just what le docteur ordered for our tired muscles!
At our celebration meal Steve and Stu (both Air Ambulance Paramedics) stood up to say a few words and also to hand out our Air Ambulance medals. It was a mix of good food (I've discovered that I like mushrooms, well, done however the French do them anyway), good company and ...
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