What a day! Despite the 5.15 start we left the Portsmouth Travelodge in high spirits. Although the Tall Stories support van was given the full drugs and weapons search by customs officials, we managed to get on the ferry first and secure the best seats. Incredibly the ferry even left 10 minutes early and we had a quick a fairly smooth journey across the channel. Yes, it was going to be a good day.
The first 21 mile leg to lunch flew by as we raced across a reasonably flat section of the Normandy countryside. The aches and pains of the South Downs drifted away and the world seemed wonderful place as we passed through the open fields and quaint villages in warm sunshine.
Lunch, as ever, was a treat with the Tall Stories boys providing homemade baguettes and all sorts of other goodies. Graeme, the slower* group’s guide, gave a short masterclass on drafting and working as a team, which meant that the overall pace of the day was significantly higher.
*I’ve referred to them as the slow group but I can guarantee that they’ve been travelling at a pace far higher than most people can manage – it’s just that the so-called fast group are full of annoying Ironmen and women.
After lunch, we had to deal with two reasonably difficult hills and the girls of the fast group continued to show some of the boys how it was done. It probably doesn’t help that Ken continues to use lunch and rest stops for a cheeky cigarette break but he knows the consequences. Marcus has no excuse other than eating his own bodyweight in food each evening.
The final afternoon break took place in a beautiful restaurant garden and then we all set off on the 16 mile stretch to Bernay. This was one of the highlights of the trip so far, not only because it took in some wonderful scenery and French villages but also due to the fact that it was mostly downhill (this feels like heaven after two days of cycling).
You may have noticed that no mention has been made of punctures as yet. Well once again the dreaded ‘P’ word was to have the final say in the day’s bragging rights. The fast group had chased down their rivals after the last rest stop (the former tends to give the latter a bit of a head start) and were feeling pretty smug about things. But then, 4 miles out from Bernay, disaster struck and not 1, not 2, but 3 punctures occurred at once (an ambush perhaps?). The slower group duly sailed past with big smiles on their faces and won the day once again.
Everyone eventually arrived at the Lion d’Or hotel where we were greeted by none other than Miguel Indurain. It was quickly established that the man is not just a cycling god but also a fantastic bloke and great company, even if he was a little confused by Rebecca’s strange mix of French and Spanish. We very much look forward to riding with Miguel tomorrow.
Dinner was served at 7.30pm by our lovely and generous hosts at the hotel. As usual, a huge amount of food was eaten and this was followed by Tom Soper’s (self-proclaimed) excellent speech and prizegiving session.
100 miles to Paris tomorrow!
The day in pictures:
An early start
some had a snooze
others worked on their energy levels
but we all arrived smiling.
Time to get on with some serious cycling
and posing.
It's a hard life.
next stop, Bernay.
Rebecca on 28.09.2009 15:09
I can assure you Miguel was not in the least bit confused by my Sprench / Franglish – he’d clearly already heard of my ability to flit through 10 different topics in the space of one breath (particularly when climbing up a 15% hill!) The foundation team has come to expect nothing less
tomsoper on 30.09.2009 16:09
Bex – does that say FLIT or FLIRT? I think the latter might be more appropriate.
Ken on 01.10.2009 10:10
Haha, I never thought that it was possible, but BigMig did silence Bex a few times as she gazed into his eyes in awe