An excellent breakfast set us up for the final push to Paris. We were eating as soon as the restaurant opened at 7:00 and we packed and ready to set off by just after 8:00.
The first 15 miles out of Amiens were along the main road. It's started with a gentle climb onto the plain. The traffic thinned as we left the town and the traffic that past us was very courteous leaving us lots of room.
We had planned the first stop at 20 miles but changed it to 25 miles to give the van a chance to catch up. Tom and Elizabeth had gone to the supermarket for provisions in Amiens and were still loading up when I called them at the 15 mile point.
After 15 miles we were away from the main roads and continued to the outskirts of Paris mainly on minor roads and tarmac tracks.
We had carefully checked the route using a satellite images and Google maps to ensure the software had not routed us on unmetaled surfaces or "imaginary" paths. The checking paid off and apart from a couple of places where we needed to make a small division the route was excellent.
The next stop with the van was at 43 miles but we did see Lyn and Louise drives past before then. They arrived at Hermes the 25 mile stop just after we set off cycling again.
They had taken the 8:15 saving from Dover and had spent the night in a hotel in Calais.
After a little debate it was decided to have lunch after the last climb of the day. The profile showed it as a climb of 600 feet spread over 4 miles. In practice most of the ascent was done in a couple of steep climbs. We meet the van after 73 miles of cycling in the village of Moisselles.
Another excellent lunch. I had planned the route into Paris to take some minor roads into St Dennis and around the back of the Stade De France. We realised before we set off the the mapping software had routed us some one way roads the wrong way. The last section was navigated using Jame's iPhone.
After a few diversions and a little traffic we finally saw the Eiffel tower.
A visit by President Putin meant that half the bridges accross the Seine had been closed to traffic and pedestrians. We crossed on a footbridge and joined Elizabeth,. Tom, Lyn and Louise on the grass behind the Eiffel tower. Photos were taken and a couple of Asian tourists and had a picture take with us on one of the bikes !
The hotel was a short distance away. The cyclists cycled arriving in time for a refreshing beer before the van arrived with the luggage. We had strugled to find a car park in Paris that we could put the van in overnight becouse of its height and length. We eventually located one about a "20 minute" drive away. When Tom arrived we found a space outside the hotel with unrestricted parking from 20:00 to 09:00. 2 euros paid for the extra 30 minutes we required.
Lyn and Louise took longer to get to the hotel. At 19:13 the sat nav showed them 11 minutes away but the were traveling at 2 miles per hour. Plenty of time for a second beer. They eventually arrived just before 20:00. After a quick shower we went out for a meal in a restaurant round the corner from the hotel with the rest of the group. A good end to an excellent trip.
The first 15 miles out of Amiens were along the main road. It's started with a gentle climb onto the plain. The traffic thinned as we left the town and the traffic that past us was very courteous leaving us lots of room.
We had planned the first stop at 20 miles but changed it to 25 miles to give the van a chance to catch up. Tom and Elizabeth had gone to the supermarket for provisions in Amiens and were still loading up when I called them at the 15 mile point.
After 15 miles we were away from the main roads and continued to the outskirts of Paris mainly on minor roads and tarmac tracks.
We had carefully checked the route using a satellite images and Google maps to ensure the software had not routed us on unmetaled surfaces or "imaginary" paths. The checking paid off and apart from a couple of places where we needed to make a small division the route was excellent.
The next stop with the van was at 43 miles but we did see Lyn and Louise drives past before then. They arrived at Hermes the 25 mile stop just after we set off cycling again.
They had taken the 8:15 saving from Dover and had spent the night in a hotel in Calais.
After a little debate it was decided to have lunch after the last climb of the day. The profile showed it as a climb of 600 feet spread over 4 miles. In practice most of the ascent was done in a couple of steep climbs. We meet the van after 73 miles of cycling in the village of Moisselles.
Another excellent lunch. I had planned the route into Paris to take some minor roads into St Dennis and around the back of the Stade De France. We realised before we set off the the mapping software had routed us some one way roads the wrong way. The last section was navigated using Jame's iPhone.
After a few diversions and a little traffic we finally saw the Eiffel tower.
A visit by President Putin meant that half the bridges accross the Seine had been closed to traffic and pedestrians. We crossed on a footbridge and joined Elizabeth,. Tom, Lyn and Louise on the grass behind the Eiffel tower. Photos were taken and a couple of Asian tourists and had a picture take with us on one of the bikes !
The hotel was a short distance away. The cyclists cycled arriving in time for a refreshing beer before the van arrived with the luggage. We had strugled to find a car park in Paris that we could put the van in overnight becouse of its height and length. We eventually located one about a "20 minute" drive away. When Tom arrived we found a space outside the hotel with unrestricted parking from 20:00 to 09:00. 2 euros paid for the extra 30 minutes we required.
Lyn and Louise took longer to get to the hotel. At 19:13 the sat nav showed them 11 minutes away but the were traveling at 2 miles per hour. Plenty of time for a second beer. They eventually arrived just before 20:00. After a quick shower we went out for a meal in a restaurant round the corner from the hotel with the rest of the group. A good end to an excellent trip.
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