Ave Speed = 13.06 mph
Total Elevation = 2645 feet
Max Height = 805 feet
Min Height = 72 feet
Calories = 6530
Max Speed = 29.6 mph
Calories = 6530
Max Speed = 29.6 mph
Well I had arrived late at night and I was up early and out by about 7:40 .... Out to cycle 100 miles East to Chalons en Champagne ... but first I cycled West !! - West past the Gare du Nord and along Rue La Fayette, was I mad ??
No way there was a healthy reason - a left turn followed and there I was cycling down the Rue Royale, a quick right at the Rue de Rivoli and I was cycling through the Place de la Concorde ... another right turn and there I was my own personal Tour de France ... Yes I was cycling up the Champs Elysee where Mark Cavendish had won the final stage 4 weeks earlier.
I also had another alternative reason for heading West - this was going to be an Iconic Tour which would end at the Brandenberg gates in Berlin so where else could I start.... It just had to be the Eifel Tower So there I was cycling up the Champs Elysee but I did bail out before the chaos that is the Arc de triomphe - I took a left and headed down to Trocadero and across the Pont d'Lena ... and there I was the Eifel Tower - I could now start my Tour 3 miles in to the ride.
I decided to film a short video of me cycling across Pont d'Lena but the camera mount was a bit loose and kept slipping on the handlebars - not my best ever video !
After a brief stop at the Eifel Tower I was away east at last along the Quai d'Orsay and as i reach Pont Neuf I once again crossed the Seine - this time I stopped to take a picture of the bridge - the Pont des Arts is an old wooden decked bridge and it was full of locks which people had attached and written messages on - I paused to take a picture of my bike and the locks.From here it was olong the North bank past Ile de la Cite and Notre Dame and then a U turn on Rue de Rivoli to detour past the Pompidou Centre and intothee Rue St Denis where I collected some Euros and promptly sat myself down on a coner cafe for a hearty breakfast - I was going to use lots of calories in the next 11 days and knew I had to keep eating to keep my energy up.
After a healthy continental breakfast I was off for real this time a quick ride up to the Gare du Nord again, a right turn and I picked up the Canal de l'Ourcq which would provide flat cycle paths out of Paris and would pick up with the Marne.
The next 20 miles would be very flat and a surprisingly easy way to get out of Paris, just after I picked up the canal I passed a huge glass bubble on the other side which I photographed.
I continued East dodging Dog walkers, joggers and Inliners and the Canal gradually became quieter until I was in a forest and the Canal was tree lined and very dark and moody. I reached Villeparisis on the edge of Paris and there was a market going on in the square just yards from the canal.
From Villeparisis I began to anticpate when I would clear Paris and start to see countryside - the canal became tree lined and run through a dark forest after which I found myself again in another suberb called Claye Souilly and there I was in fields heading to Annet sur Marne. I crossed the TGV rail line on the way to Jablines and paused to take a photo of a train I could see approaching - 'snap' got it in the distance - I'll get another shot as it passes .... and before my camera saved the picture it gave me a toot probably annoyed at me standing on the bridge above and it was gone.
I continued along the Marne Valley south of Meaux and North of Eurodisney and headed slightly north to La Ferte sous Jouarre where I picked up the A407 which I was concerned may be a busy main road - No concerns the traffic was very quiet - it was a Sunday and the countryside was vast and rural.
It was a very long ride along to Viels-Maisons and on to Montmirail where I thought ... nearly there --- hah In my dreams 75 miles done but still another 42 lay in front of me !! As I approached montmirail I passed 3 war memorials which were very striking as the landscape was a flat slow incline and the monuments loomed large on the horizon.
Having passed Montmirail my track took me off the main road so I gladly headed down a quiet minor road which was to take me around Etoges avoiding the Main road and as I cycled along thought this next stretch will be really good - after miles of flat gentle uphill suddenly I had reached an elevation of 800 feet at which point it was downhill to Chalons and in this sheltered region there were suprising fields of vines and a beautiful view lay ahead.
But you know me and I'm never that lucky - the road ended and I ended up cycling through fields in amongst the grapes.- I heade back up to the main road and continued to Chalons. After a ridiculously long straight road eventually I could see Chalons and reached a tee junction 1 mile out of town suggesting a left turn would take me to a retail park - I knew my hotel was on a retail area so as I pondered do i cut the corner a kind cyclist stopped and in my best french " Je vais au Hotel Premier Classe - e dans cette rue ?"
After a bit more Franglais we ascertained this short cut would not take me to the hotel and we were off - yes we - this kind cyclist was leading me the last 6 miles to my hotel - unfortunately he was a very fit cyclist on a fast road bike and I had just done 110 miles - I doggedly stayed on his tail as he hurtled through town and 6 miles later we were there " Merci Beaucoup - Chalons e mais grande que je pense" I uttered - he told me 60,000 people lived there.
So I reached my Hotel and was dissapointed to find the internet wasn't available after 5pm on a Sunday and I also found there was nothing nearby - a Campanile who's restaurant was full when I asked so I returned to the Hotel still weak & hungry and in need of the internet to plan tomorrow. The girl suggested I go to MacDonalds - excellent Internet & food - she then told me it was 6 miles away !! I found a chinese restaurant Buffet about half a mile away and had quite a poor meal that night but when I got back to the Hotel the internet was on so I was ble to book the next nights hotel in Nancy.
I also had another alternative reason for heading West - this was going to be an Iconic Tour which would end at the Brandenberg gates in Berlin so where else could I start.... It just had to be the Eifel Tower So there I was cycling up the Champs Elysee but I did bail out before the chaos that is the Arc de triomphe - I took a left and headed down to Trocadero and across the Pont d'Lena ... and there I was the Eifel Tower - I could now start my Tour 3 miles in to the ride.
I decided to film a short video of me cycling across Pont d'Lena but the camera mount was a bit loose and kept slipping on the handlebars - not my best ever video !
After a brief stop at the Eifel Tower I was away east at last along the Quai d'Orsay and as i reach Pont Neuf I once again crossed the Seine - this time I stopped to take a picture of the bridge - the Pont des Arts is an old wooden decked bridge and it was full of locks which people had attached and written messages on - I paused to take a picture of my bike and the locks.From here it was olong the North bank past Ile de la Cite and Notre Dame and then a U turn on Rue de Rivoli to detour past the Pompidou Centre and intothee Rue St Denis where I collected some Euros and promptly sat myself down on a coner cafe for a hearty breakfast - I was going to use lots of calories in the next 11 days and knew I had to keep eating to keep my energy up.
After a healthy continental breakfast I was off for real this time a quick ride up to the Gare du Nord again, a right turn and I picked up the Canal de l'Ourcq which would provide flat cycle paths out of Paris and would pick up with the Marne.
The next 20 miles would be very flat and a surprisingly easy way to get out of Paris, just after I picked up the canal I passed a huge glass bubble on the other side which I photographed.
I continued East dodging Dog walkers, joggers and Inliners and the Canal gradually became quieter until I was in a forest and the Canal was tree lined and very dark and moody. I reached Villeparisis on the edge of Paris and there was a market going on in the square just yards from the canal.
From Villeparisis I began to anticpate when I would clear Paris and start to see countryside - the canal became tree lined and run through a dark forest after which I found myself again in another suberb called Claye Souilly and there I was in fields heading to Annet sur Marne. I crossed the TGV rail line on the way to Jablines and paused to take a photo of a train I could see approaching - 'snap' got it in the distance - I'll get another shot as it passes .... and before my camera saved the picture it gave me a toot probably annoyed at me standing on the bridge above and it was gone.
I continued along the Marne Valley south of Meaux and North of Eurodisney and headed slightly north to La Ferte sous Jouarre where I picked up the A407 which I was concerned may be a busy main road - No concerns the traffic was very quiet - it was a Sunday and the countryside was vast and rural.
It was a very long ride along to Viels-Maisons and on to Montmirail where I thought ... nearly there --- hah In my dreams 75 miles done but still another 42 lay in front of me !! As I approached montmirail I passed 3 war memorials which were very striking as the landscape was a flat slow incline and the monuments loomed large on the horizon.
Having passed Montmirail my track took me off the main road so I gladly headed down a quiet minor road which was to take me around Etoges avoiding the Main road and as I cycled along thought this next stretch will be really good - after miles of flat gentle uphill suddenly I had reached an elevation of 800 feet at which point it was downhill to Chalons and in this sheltered region there were suprising fields of vines and a beautiful view lay ahead.
But you know me and I'm never that lucky - the road ended and I ended up cycling through fields in amongst the grapes.- I heade back up to the main road and continued to Chalons. After a ridiculously long straight road eventually I could see Chalons and reached a tee junction 1 mile out of town suggesting a left turn would take me to a retail park - I knew my hotel was on a retail area so as I pondered do i cut the corner a kind cyclist stopped and in my best french " Je vais au Hotel Premier Classe - e dans cette rue ?"
After a bit more Franglais we ascertained this short cut would not take me to the hotel and we were off - yes we - this kind cyclist was leading me the last 6 miles to my hotel - unfortunately he was a very fit cyclist on a fast road bike and I had just done 110 miles - I doggedly stayed on his tail as he hurtled through town and 6 miles later we were there " Merci Beaucoup - Chalons e mais grande que je pense" I uttered - he told me 60,000 people lived there.
So I reached my Hotel and was dissapointed to find the internet wasn't available after 5pm on a Sunday and I also found there was nothing nearby - a Campanile who's restaurant was full when I asked so I returned to the Hotel still weak & hungry and in need of the internet to plan tomorrow. The girl suggested I go to MacDonalds - excellent Internet & food - she then told me it was 6 miles away !! I found a chinese restaurant Buffet about half a mile away and had quite a poor meal that night but when I got back to the Hotel the internet was on so I was ble to book the next nights hotel in Nancy.
 |
| 3 miles : The Eifel Tower |
 |
| 4 miles : The pont des Arts my bike and thousands of locks which had been attached to the bridge .. all with messages written on them. |
 |
| 6 miles : The canal d'Ourcq - a busy path was to follow for 10 miles with lots of cyclists and runners and in liners. |
 |
| 7miles : A large mirrored dome across the canal as I cycled east out of Paris. |
 | ||
| 10 miles : The canal finally leaves Paris and heads through a dark tree lined forest.
|
 |
| 74 Miles : This is directly opposite the memorail with the Big Eagle on top. |
 |
| 78 miles : Another war memorial after Montmirail on the roadside |
 |
| 91 Miles : I turned off the main road to cycle quieter roads near Etoges. This is the beautiful view when I eventually reached the crest of the slow never ending uphill dead straight road which is the D933. I now had downhill ride through beautiful vineyards - the road however quickly disappeared and I ended up in the vineyards ! |
 |
| 100 Miles : This was the view at exactly 100 miles - and it is pretty much what the view for the last 60 miles had looked like. |
No comments :
Post a Comment