Day Four: Compiegne to Paris

4 September 2010
Compiègne to Paris


67 miles




I woke up in our boutique style, neon pink decorated hotel room in Compiègne so excited I couldn't wait to get down to breakfast. I remember being in a fantastic mood and wasn't going to let my knee get me down today. Due to the small numbers of the Discover Adventure gang staying at this hotel breakfast was a breeze with plenty to choose from. Nothing beats a fantastic continental breakfast, especially when you know it's going to be your last for a while.


We were briefed the night before and this morning was going to be a staggered start with the slower people (me and my knee) setting off 30/45minutes before the whiz kids. Again it was freezing cold and rush hour was everywhere. It was going to be short cycle compared to the previous few days. Only about 63 miles to the Eiffel Tower and the remainder of the miles were cycled to the hotel or around and around the roundabout in excitement!


We soon arrived at our first stop in the most beautiful French village so far. I had my tires pumped and made sure I had sufficient pain killers for the rest of the journey. We were still cycling through the French countryside. The tracks we were using weren't the best in some places and frequently had pot holes. Sarah preferred I cycled  in front of her and the routine was that when I spotted a hole or something that shouldn't be cycled over I would shout her a warning. However, we were busily chatting away with another fellow cyclist observing what looked like a huge sculpture when I suddenly noticed a man sized pot hole. I managed to swerve out the way but was too late to warn Sarah and she ended up with a puncture. It was the first and last between us, I think we did quite well in that department. I know some people on the cycle who were getting a few a day, nightmare! Thankfully the lovely lady we were talking to stopped and did a super fast tyre change. Unfortunately though it meant all the whiz kids flew past us. There was loads of team spirit and voices of concern from all the cyclist as they cycled passed or even stopped.


We were soon back in the mix and picking up speed. Lunch soon approached and by this time the sun was blazing. Everyone ended up being early and lunch hadn't even been set up, the excitement seemed to have quickened up the pace. Somehow I ended up being one of the last to leave, I think I'm the slowest eater in the world! After lunch our route took us to a dual carriage way with a gentle gradient down into Paris. We were told we should be able to see The Tower from here amongst the pylons but I never spotted it! The ride was easy and I picked up some speed as we hit the Parisian suburbs. Snails pace took over in Paris though with the traffic getting more and more intense with every mile or so. I was used to cycling in a city but was shocked at how potentially dangerous this could have been if you didn't have your wits about you.

Meeting in the park

Thank goodness for the orange arrows which led us clearly to Park Manceau just around the corner from the Champs Elysées. The majority of the group were already there so we arrived to a large cheer. When everyone had arrived Marco gave a brief, we all cheered and grabbed our bikes for the last leg our our epic journey.


We were escorted by two Discover Adventure vans, one at the front and one at the back with all the cyclist sandwiched in-between. We cycled from the park to the Arc de Triomphe down the Champs Elysées and took a right onto Avenue Montaigne, accross The Seine and into the Parc du Champs de Mars where we finished under the Eiffel Tower. The celebrations began with hugs and tears. After the group photograph the Discover Adventure team had bottles of champaign popping and we were treated to a (polythene) cup bubbles, bliss!




After a couple of cups I suddenly felt light headed and somehow had to cycle to my hotel a  few miles away. The celebrations really began with a huge banquet for everyone followed by a night out in Paris!

Celebration time!

All the Gang

For more details of the route cycled on day two please click the link below. The data was provided by fellow cyclist Jon O'Brien. Please note the cycling times and speeds are not my own but the information will give a rough indication on the route,distance an elevation cycled by the group. 

Route Information