Monster day - started with alarm call at 0530 (0430 GMT) and set off @ 0700 (0600 GMT!)
We set off one by one in drizzle, all aprehensive about the long day ahead. I stopped to get cash then missed one of the little orange arrows....having to turn back after nearly a mile cursing my stupidity....with more than 110 miles ahead I bleeding get lost and add distance!!!
Soon the weather brightened and the first drink stop at XXX was a beautiful spot by a river in a pretty little village. A few locals waved from the windows "nous avons à Paris!!!" "Paris!!! Bon chance crazy Anglais etc" On we went, passing along a 15 mile 'roman road' stretch the latter part seeming to have the original roman surface!! Having lunch at Marners after 50 miles we were all feeling knackered but still with 68 much hillier miles ahead..... The sun was out and we sped on into the arable rich landscape (maize/barley/wheat/sunflowers - fields that seemed to stretch forever) Slowly the land became more lumpy and the climb into Belleme ('bell-end') was rewarded with a great large lager which certainly hit the spot.
Along through Noce, Fretigny, the next 30-40 miles up until a Water stop at Magny were some of the hardest hills encountered. On one steep hill Ed was ahead of me and 'CRACK!!' his chain snapped. A while ago I had dreamt that this would happen to me & have been carrying the link and tool to prepare the two ends - in a jiffy it was on but without pliers it was not possible to close the link properly - a call to Phil the multi-talented techo and I carried on my way. Ed was soon back on the road again and I finally got to the drink stop in bright sunshine and out of water. Suitably fuelled up we then tackled a few monster hills. Going up one Luke had his head down and ran off the road into the verge & a plastic piller!! No damage done we decided to try & find a bar - all through France so far we were all wondering where the French actually were - villages & roads all very quiet & not an open Bar for miles.
My sticky right cleet caught me out as I gently toppled to the right at the top of a particularily nasty hill...again no injury ensued but a laugh at my expense was had!
As we rode into Chartes the road became flatter & straighter and after 110 miles I gained some energy from somewhere as we sped into town.
As usual the Hotel was down then up through to the other side of town.
Tonight all 134 of us were together for a rather disappointing (after last nights meal) pasta & pork offering! We decided it might be rude not to have another beer and then off to bed, satisfied on a great days riding, with most of the route to Paris having been conquered.]
118m in 8h46m @14mph total so far
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