Day 1: London – Newhaven

Before we’d met as a group or taken our first pedal together the group received their first of many surprises; an incredible welcome pack awaited us in our London accommodation courtesy of Clare Farrow who had single-handily organised the entire London to Paris challenge for all 13 riders. It was a brisk but dry morning as our bleary-eyed group left the hotel lobby for the start point; Marble Arch.

Already there were the support car of Mr & Mrs Farrow, who literally drove onto Marble Arch and also the Campbell parents who had also braved the early hour to give us a send off. To Clare’s relief, all cyclists were present and correct, and after a brief photoshoot the cyclists took to their bikes and disappeared through Hyde Park. We only got as far as Clapham Common before encountering our first puncture, but thankfully Jacs and Freya were on hand to offer a speedy repair. Staying as a group we manoeuvred our way through London traffic and began to spread out as we escaped the city, minus one pair of sunglasses!

Still inside the M25 our first major incident occurred; leaving his bike on a pavement while checking a map, Yusef could only watch as a truck drove over his bike and then sped off without so much as a glance in the rear-view mirror. Consequently, our first call to the support car requested the collection of one (mercifully unharmed) cyclist be collected. Yusef wasn’t gone for long, and soon rejoined the group with his shiny new bike,

The weather held out the entire first day and 12 smiling cyclists greeted Brighton to a very yellow arrival, courtesy of our t-shirts. The lairy colour and a photo call on the Pier attracted enough attention for an elderly couple to very kindly donate £1.05. Even this was not without mishap, as our support crew driver fell from a set of stairs and sustained a leg injury. As the Farrows went off to A&E in Brighton the cyclists continued down the coast, with a few more hills and rugged terrain to reach our destination for day 1: Newhaven. An exhausted but elated group were dutifully cared for by the lovely B&B and most felt better after a shower. The team were also delighted to welcome additional support crew to our cycle with Jo and Sophie meeting us in Newhaven and would be with us until Paris.

Day 2: Newhaven – Dieppe – Forges Les Eaux

After a hearty breakfast supplied by the B&B, a stretch of the weary legs and a quick re-pack of the bags, the group were off to the ferry port for the early crossing complete with a superhero, a sailor and a few controversial French ladies. Awaiting the ferry our second surprise of the trip materialised in the form of Yusef aka Mona Lisa! The fancy dress soon attracted attention and we raised almost £60 to add to our fundraising tally.

The 13 cyclists have been dutifully fundraising for a number of months for 5 charities including Dream Flights, Alder Hay Hospital, Alzheimer’s, McMillan Cancer Research and the main charity, Friend of EduSport. But a few of our group had to work a little harder for their pounds. Thanks to one supporter offering a £100 donation for a cycling smurf, Jacs and Freya took on the challenge and we witnessed the transformation of two of our cycle team into Smurfs with a lot of help of a lot of blue paint. All the hilarity of the Smurfs also attracted further attention to our cause and a lovely couple donated a further £10 to our fundraising total. We even got an announcement and a picture with the Captain!

After getting lost coming out the port we found ourselves on a dual carriageway with heavy traffic but with the help of a trusty iPhone we were soon(ish) on the right road and found the Avenue Verte, a traffic free cycle path we would follow for the rest of the day. A few more punctures followed on our 2nd day but morale within the team was high as cyclists were able to soak in the scenic French countryside and cycle side by side and get acquainted.

The group naturally split into 3 groups based on speed, with most of us following the blue paint of the Smurfs at the front! While the countryside was beautiful and the cycling surface smooth it did leave us rather struggling on the refuelling front with not so much as a bakery or shop to be found. After 40km the group were nearing the end of their reserves and not even Lou’s singing could hide the noise of our rumbling stomachs. Arriving into Forges les Eaux the group were quick to order steak, chips and a well earned beer all round!

Day 3: Forges les Eaux – Pontoise

The group by now was bonding well; with the majority of cyclists not having met before our departure new friendships were being formed as we clocked up the miles. Day 3 was to be our only day we saw rain, a timely hot chocolate stop meant we missed the worst of the wet weather and an impromptu lunch in a church garden fed the hungry cyclists on crisp baguettes. Lunch was however quickly terminated when a groom arrived at the church, thankfully we managed to set off before the bride had to see us sprawled out in the church grounds!

However another of wedding guests was to come to our rescue, a friendly doctor’s timing couldn’t have had better timing as Vicky’s knee gave way and required some treatment roadside. Still smiling through the tears, Vicky was not to be stopped by her injury and after a rest she was back on the bike for the final stretch. By this time the miles were taking their toll on a number of knees, Steve and Kelly were both heavily strapped and pushing through the pain with every hill….and there were a lot of hills on day 3! The support crews lifted morale at the top of every hill and even provided one of the biggest laughs of the day when Mrs Farrow appeared out of the car in a head-to-toe dalmation outfit!

Day 3 was proving a tough day in the saddle for most. The team showed incredible mental determination as we ticked off the miles. Steve had Kelly in tears at one of his Dream Flight stories and Lou called upon local hospitality more than once! Without a doubt the highlight of the day came when we were in our last 5km of the day, as the Eiffel Tower was spotted in the distance standing out above the city skyline. It was at this point “a few of us realised we were going to make it, we really were going to get to the finish line. Also knowing that having got this far, Kelly’s determination would get her through despite the pain she was suffering” (Clare Farrow).

Support crews, it truly wouldn’t have been possible without you. A heartfelt thank you to Mr & Mrs Farrow for your endless encouragement and being true team players. To Sophie and Jo in what must be one of the longest driving lessons ever, your massages and banter kept us going more than you realise. To all our supporters, Black Pig Sweets & Maximuscle for the gifts. Lou for organising the t-shirt printing.

Our final few words must celebrate Clare Farrow, who made it all possible. From organisation of travel, accommodation to route finding and responsibility for us all. A remarkable achievement and our success as a team is really down to her.

And finally, to the cyclists ourselves: at the end of 230 miles, 13 cyclists had managed to raise over £3000 for 5 very special charities. Friend of EduSport has raised over £1500 towards a sustainable future for over 200 children as our dream of building Chawama Sport and Educational school takes another big step forward