by Alexa Dizon, Head of Fundraising & Events
Last week I wrote about the Jurassic Coast Challenge being one of the toughest challenges I’d taken on for the DSA…I lied!!
Here is the story of my London to Paris 2018…
Meet the team
When I met up with my fellow DSA riders on the Tuesday night we were all excited and looking forward to the four days that lay ahead. Although my legs were still pretty tired I knew that I’d be OK once I got on the bike and we got started.
My team mates were Stuart (who cycled across Europe and New Zealand for us) and his colleague Marko; Steve (whose challenges on two wheels have, to date, always involved motorbikes) and Richard who has completed most of Global Adventure Challenges calendar of events on our behalf over the years. Together, they have raised well over £100,000 for the DSA!
Day 1 – London (Croydon) to Calais 90+ miles
The day was set to be warm so at 7am we set off covered in sun tan lotion and loaded up with water. We had been warned it was going to be the toughest day hill wise and we were on a deadline…we had to get to Dover (86 miles) by 3.30pm to catch our ferry. It would not wait for us!
We thought we were making pretty good time until we reached the last water stop. They told us that we’d missed the cut off and would have to up the pace to make it to Dover in time. What we didn’t realise was how hilly the last section to Dover was. Within 15 minutes of heading out, our little group somehow become separated from each other.
At 4.15pm, alone and still six miles out of Dover, I began to panic a little. I rang Martin (our Event Manager) and he told me just to get to the port as quickly as I could. As I put the phone down and went to cycle off I came crashing off my bike.
I was tired, hot and emotional and the thought of missing the boat and letting the team down made me burst into tears. At that moment, the enormity of the two challenges I was undertaking in such a short space of time finally hit me and I was convinced I wasn’t going to be able to do it.
I moped for about a minute. Then I remembered why I was doing what I was doing and why my team mates were riding and I got on my bike and pedalled like mad to reach the port.
I made it! Everyone had got lost as some helpful person had been messing with our yellow arrows but our team was reunited shortly before 5pm and we got on to the ferry.
Team 21 at Dover waiting for the ferry
After a smooth crossing we rolled off the boat and cycled onto the hotel (another 7 miles further on) and finally arrived at 11.30pm!
Day 2 – Calais to Arras 84 miles – Possibly the most brutal day I’ve ever experienced on a bike!
We set off slightly later than planned due to some mechanical hiccups. Although we’d been warned that there was a heatwave hitting the UK I hadn’t really taken much notice of the forecast for France and had not realised we would be suffering the same fate!
A stop for pop!
Having taken part in the London to Paris challenge three years previously, I knew a large part of the route was through the OPEN French countryside. The only way I can explain cycling in the heat is like riding into a hairdryer blowing on its hottest setting! It was incredibly tough. The hills became an almost welcome relief from the open road and unbearable heat.
I’ve never been one to drink fizzy drinks. My mum always told me they’d rot my teeth. That all changed at about 2pm on Thursday. Our group had got separated again but Stuart and I found a Patisserie and I found that ice cold cans of Fanta and Coke were my new best friend!
The guys from Global were incredible driving backwards and forwards topping up our water but there was nothing they could do to keep it cold. The warm water was pretty gross but nothing like the horrendous taste of the electrolyte drinks boiling away in our plastic bottles!
We rolled into the beautiful town of Arras just after 7pm. We’d spent 9 hours in the saddle, 39 degrees was the top temperature recorded, and I had taken numerous fizzy pop stops!
Day 3 – Arras to Compiegne 77 miles
We set off slightly earlier on Day 3 to get some miles under our belt before the heat set in. We were going to be riding through the Somme region. We were struck by the sheer number of headstones and how dramatically different the German cemeteries were from those fighting for the Commonwealth. It was a sobering sight. We made the time to stop where we could and pay our respects.
A Commonwealth cemetery and a German cemetery
We reached our lunch stop in good time. We were warned not to hang around too long as the next 20 miles were going to be very exposed and it was going to be hot…and wow was it HOT!
Within five miles we’d had to stop for cold drinks. The next section was the worst of the whole trip – a three mile stretch of open road with no shelter. It was a case of head down and pedal. It was hard enough cycling into the hot headwind but then, halfway down the road, the tarmac had begun to melt and it was like cycling through treacle. We all had to stop at the first patch of shade just to recover for five minutes. None of us was quite able to string a sentence together so we simply nodded to each other and then off we went again.
Riding into a hairdryer blowing on its hottest setting
The final stretch of the day was hilly but shaded. Some cloud had started to come in as well offering us a little bit of respite. We rode into the hotel at 5.30pm, tired but proud of what we’d achieved.
Day 4 – Compiegne to PARIS 68 miles
The last day! Stuart and Marko had arranged to come back on the Saturday evening so they could get back to London to take part in RideLondon the following day (MAD!).
Not wanting to break up our team, we all agreed we’d cycle on to Paris together so we mounted our trusty two wheeled friends just as the sun was rising at 6am and off we went!
With the lower temperature, cycling was a joy. We were finally able to enjoy some of the stunning French countryside and the pretty villages that we’d managed to miss over the previous two days.
A pretty French village…and the first sign for Paris!
Coffee and pastries gave us the energy we needed to get us to Paris well ahead of time. Together we all cycled up the cobbled Champs Elysee towards the busy Arc de Triomph roundabout where we took our lives in our own hands (there are NO rules!) and then onto the Eiffel Tower.
We’d been lucky enough to have had no real mechanical issues or accidents throughout the four days of the challenge but unfortunately just as we crossed the bridge towards the Eiffel Tower I got a puncture! I didn’t want the team to miss out on their final ride in so pulled over and said I’d walk the last bit and meet them there. My Team21 colleagues were having none of it and all stopped and wheeled their bikes the final stretch with me.
The obligatory bike over head shots were taken and Stuart and Marko shot off to get their train and then that was it! Our 4 day London to Paris adventure was over!
I’ve spent 14 years of my life working for the DSA and have been lucky enough to meet some truly amazing people. All of them have left their mark and have helped to make my job so rewarding.
Stuart, Steve, Richard and Marko…I cannot thank you enough, not only for your continued support for the DSA but also for getting me through four of the toughest days of my life ever.
You guys were there through the tears of laughter and pain, the effing and jeffing up the hills and the numerous pop stops. These four days will stay with me for a very long time.
I’m honoured to have been able to cycle with you and represent our incredible charity – Thank you.
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