Grumpies Survive Paris challenge, make it back to Bristol and raise over £1600 for Cancer Research (UK)

We made it! October UPDATE
  http://www.justgiving.com/michael-duffy6  - the link for donations for Cancer Research (UK). Itinerary and more photos, even video clips follow under read more - the HARD FACTS

We finally pedalled into Westbury Park at 8.30pm on Bank Holiday Monday evening, a little tired after an 82 mile cycle from Romsey on our last day, but elated nevertheless and still bosom pals. Di Bruce organised a welcoming party and the champagne (well Cava actually!) flowed whilst our tales of endurance, adventures and daring deeds on our 314 mile trip took on epic proportions.

We had a fantastic ride with no hitches, bar one slow puncture which was conveniently repaired in the comfort of our hotel conference room in Rouen. We never got really 'lost', just chose alternative routes at times.

We gather last Friday was a day of appalling weather in Bristol. But we are glad to report that, whilst storm clouds frequently brewed all around us, it was as if we had Moses in the saddlebag parting the seas before us, for we escaped with only a few light showers. Though of course, as every cyclist only knows too well, the wind was always against us!

We are hopeful that the saddle-sore and aching limbs will gradually ease. The conversation of a Thursday evening might turn to the topic of “next year’s ride” but for now we will probably concentrate on re-building our drinking-arm muscles.

Thank you so much for your support and kind donations, now over £1600. Please send our JustGiving page on to anyone else who might like to donate: http://www.justgiving.com/Michael-Duffy6

Many thanks again

The GrumpiesPublish Post

Roger Ayton, David Bruce, Ken Clarke, Michael Duffy and Nigel Seaman
We left Paris at 3pm on Thursday 25th August 2011; 314 miles on the clock saw us  back home in Westbury Park, Bristol just after night fall on Monday 29th.

£1620  (excluding any gift aid) has now been donated. For photos, even videos and more detail....

THE HARD FACTS

We set out on cycles from Westbury Park/Redland Bristol at 04h05 Thursday morning 25th August

04h47 on train with bikes at Temple Meads

06h45 in Paddington - Cycled to St Pancras - 07h45 registered cycles onto Eurostar - Breakfast

08h55 Eurostar train to Paris - 12h17 (French time) arrived Gare du Nord and collected cycles off the train.

 Then we cycled through heavy traffic across Paris and the Seine to the Eiffel Tower.

13h35 at Eiffel Tower (Ken’s photo of photo!).

A kind Chinese from Shanghai caught us all about to set off  (crossing the Seine a 2nd time)

We are here-where should we be?

We are here-where should we be?

15h00 after a light lunch we tried to follow a 'green route' into Paris from Pontoise in reverse to Pontoise where we had booked the night. Apart from 41 steps up not down to cross the Seine (3rd time), there were at least 41 chances to miss the way. We  explored most of them: sometimes fortuitously

as when baulked by these golden railings - the Palace of Versailles; less happily when confronted by myriad motorway slip roads.

Eventually 50 miles on (not 35 as in the published route) we reached our basic but comfortable hotel in the suburbs of Pontoise at about 9pm, too late for anything except the okay hotel restaurant for some dinner.We had crossed the Seine four times and the Oise twice.

Next morning after a terrific thunderstorm overnight, which Nigel slept straight through,  we went down into old Pontoise and found the only August open cafe across the Oise. With a large bag of croissants from the baker next door and varied coffees under our belts we headed off at about 10 am into rural France.

A well planned route through wooded valleys and hedgeless plateaus and some long exhausting hills, took us to Rouen 67 miles later, just before sunset but still dry and helped a bit by a 1904 Baedeker map, we found the motorway sliproad surrounded hotel. 

A wet evening, so the nearest but also good Moroccan Restaurant did us for dinner and gave us a great 'Chanson' singer as an extra.

DAY THREE was expected to be relatively short so we took the time to explore the wonderful cathedral, then at about 10 am we tried to escape from the city in the right direction for the coast.

 Despite being a 'CongloVelo' (literally a 'Conurbation for Cyclists), the Tourist Info's map of Rouen was little use and signposting almost non-existent: a number of hills later we reached a bypassed but still horrible 'Route National' and got to Barentin.  Apart from an increasingly vindictive headwind,  the minor roads down into Fecamp were good cycling and the simple lunch at a bakery in Yvetot, was great.

Our hotel in Fecamp was on Rue des Phares (Lighthouse Road). In fact it was the medieval lighthouse priory at the top of a truly medieval  hill!! after 55 miles at 7pm. A cold swim in the pool and a good dinner in the restaurant sorted us out for the night.

DAY FOUR: Early next morning Michael and David tried to brave la Manche (the English Channel)  but were beaten back by large waves.

A fine lunch - the worst on the Atlantic shelf!

After meeting up with the others for another croissant breakfast it was headwinds all the way to Le Havre (9.30-12.30 29 miles). The delayed 'fast' ferry took us to jolly Portsmouth and in the gathering gloom (and later pitch darkness on to food and the night in Romsey (by A27, 29 miles 6pm-9.30pm).

DAY FIVE: By our reckoning we had 80 miles to cover to Reach Westbury Park. Our English estimation proved better than our French so only 82 miles later we arrived! After a total of 299 miles we reached Bath

Champagne moment

and feeling every one of our 309 combined years we struggled on up to Westbury Park at the top of Bristol for Diana's welcome meal and bubbly having completed 314 miles in five days.

Were we thankful for the support of our families and all our generous donors to Charity Research (UK)? You bet! 




Only next day did Ken admit to having cycled the last three days with a torn hamstring! (ps. now fully recovered).