I did it.

Buggi
Buggi Posts: 674
edited August 2007 in The bottom bracket
London to Paris... now I’m back in Blighty! I’m so tired anyone would think I rode 300 miles.. o yea… I DID!

if you go on facebook and search for london to paris 2007 route 3 you can see our photos. i can't upload them bcoz they are all on my work's account so i can't put a link on for access. i could email them to someone if someone can do it for me tho.

A few stats:

- We rode a total of 314 miles
- Wheel revolutions – approx 260,000
- Total ascent 28,135 feet (and some wicked downhills to make it worth it… scream if you wanna go faster!) (this does not include the Cat 4 climb which was off route… see memorable achievements below)
- I burned just over 22,000 calories in 4 days … 1000 of which before 9am on the first day! (get the pizza in!)
- The head wind put the equivalent of approximately 30% extra onto our ride
- Most punctures suffered by one person on our route … 14.

Worst bits:
- The chaffed and bruised derrière!
- The hills (who said Northern France was flat??!!)
- The cobbles!
- The “whacky races” on the Arc de Triomphe!
- the “time trialist” … some “been there, done it, bought the t’shirt” and “all the gear, no idea” kind of guy.

Best bits:
- Riding into Paris and filling my waterbottle with champagne of course!
- Watching the “real” cyclists take the “time trialist” on, give him a head start and leave him standing!

Most memorable achievement on route:
- riding (by accident) the Category 4 climb in Stage 1 of 2007 Tour de France, that David Millar won his King of the Mountains jersey on … the shout from the front was “don’t follow us, we’re doing the mountain climb”… by the time it filtered back to us, it was “follow us, we’re avoiding the mountain climb”. I’m glad I never knew because I never would have tried it and now i'm proud i did it, and it was the best ride downhill (and fastest) I’ve ever done.


Funniest bits…
Hearing about a girl who forgot to unclip her feet when she stopped… and fell into a farmyard sewage pit.
Watching the “time trialist” do the same (but not into a sewage pit… shame)
My friend who bonked and when the mechanics looked at her bike found her brake was stuck on. She said she had been hearing the noise all day and they reckon she had cycled the equivalent of twice the mileage (she cried at the time, but we can laugh about it now)

I clearly remember one moment coming over the top of a hill, having cycled 65 miles on the 3rd day, knowing I had another 17 to do at least, to face more really strong head wind and biting cold rain and thinking I wanted to cry, but I didn’t and I didn’t get on the van either!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to streak on my bike at the TdF as planned bcoz the organisers shipped it back on Saturday night.

… and if I see another banana in the next 3 months…

We raised (on route 3 alone) £2,500 per mile we rode, and approx £750,000 between all 3 routes combined. [/img]
_____________________________________________

To infinity... and beyond!
my epic adventure: www.action.org.uk/~Antonia

Comments

  • HungryCol
    HungryCol Posts: 532
    Congrats on the money raised.
    Every winner has scars.
  • kaacp
    kaacp Posts: 93
    Sounds like a great achievement. Well done.
    ***********************
    Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.
    Charles M. Schulz
  • jswba
    jswba Posts: 491
    Good effort!
  • popette
    popette Posts: 2,089
    what a fantastic acheivement, not only to have completed the event but to have raised all that dosh - well done.

    Sounds like an event I might also like to attempt in the future.

    Just out of interest, what bike/saddle do you have?
  • £750,000? :shock:

    Hats off to you sir. 8)
    Wheelies ARE cool.

    Zaskar X
  • Buggi
    Buggi Posts: 674
    popette wrote:
    what a fantastic acheivement, not only to have completed the event but to have raised all that dosh - well done.

    Sounds like an event I might also like to attempt in the future.

    Just out of interest, what bike/saddle do you have?

    i have a halfords carrera vengeance. funnily enough i was chatting with a guy who had the same bike. he asked if i had ever had problems with it bcoz everyone cussed his bike. i told him i had it 4 years and never had a problem, and it's just bike snobbery, coz it's still in really good nick.

    the seat is a standard vitesse, i think it was about £17 quid from my LBS. nothing special, just wide enough to fit my pelvic bones. i did chaff a bit but that was sorted by the mechanics who shoved it back an inch. i've found that climbing 28,000 ft caused me to shove my weight to the back over the edge of the saddle... so back it had to come.
    _____________________________________________

    To infinity... and beyond!
    my epic adventure: www.action.org.uk/~Antonia
  • Great work!

    To save people searching, here's the link:

    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3 ... 18daad7547
    John Stevenson
  • jibi
    jibi Posts: 857
    Fantastic effort

    If you add in the Cat 4 then you climbed the equivalent of Mount Everest too ( 29000ft)

    Would be great to have the route in Bikely, to see where you went.

    cheers George
  • Aidocp
    Aidocp Posts: 868
    Congrats Buggi, a great effort
  • Eurostar
    Eurostar Posts: 1,806
    Top marks!

    I'm afraid I was tempted to study your photos to look for the "all the gear and no idea time triallist" so I could laugh at the twonk. This HAS to be him, surely:

    n602602194_180611_441.jpg

    What was he doing wearing aero shoe covers on a 75 mile a day charity jaunt? One of the funniest things I've ever seen - unless he was doing it for a laugh? A bit of fancy dress?
    <hr>
    <h6>What\'s the point of going out? We\'re just going to end up back here anyway</h6>
  • Buggi
    Buggi Posts: 674
    no that's not him! i think that guy's quite nice. i think his shoe covers were made of that stuff that goes warm when it get wet. is it neoprene or something! it rained on and off most of the time.

    not sure i should put time trialler on, i think he comes on here! he doesn't know we call it him. it could even be you! ha ha
    _____________________________________________

    To infinity... and beyond!
    my epic adventure: www.action.org.uk/~Antonia
  • spasypaddy
    spasypaddy Posts: 5,180
    i see you learnt to the aeroplane arms even if it is when you are stopped...

    congrats though! very impressed
  • Great work!

    To save people searching, here's the link:

    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3 ... 18daad7547

    Didn't save me from being asked for a password to login.
  • I did that route. not one photo of me. defo had some taken. thats quite annoying. maybe i was to fast
    tata
    beow
  • Buggi
    Buggi Posts: 674
    spasypaddy wrote:
    i see you learnt to the aeroplane arms even if it is when you are stopped...

    congrats though! very impressed

    i can do it when i'm moving too! please don't look tho, i look so "low maintenance" on those photo's it's embarrasing! never had so many bad hair days in a row!
    _____________________________________________

    To infinity... and beyond!
    my epic adventure: www.action.org.uk/~Antonia
  • Buggi
    Buggi Posts: 674
    I did that route. not one photo of me. defo had some taken. thats quite annoying. maybe i was to fast
    tata

    time trialist too eh? i'm sure one will appear shortly, they are still loading em up. can't wait for the official photos to come out.
    _____________________________________________

    To infinity... and beyond!
    my epic adventure: www.action.org.uk/~Antonia
  • spasypaddy
    spasypaddy Posts: 5,180
    i can do it when i'm moving too! please don't look tho, i look so "low maintenance" on those photo's it's embarrasing! never had so many bad hair days in a row!
    hehe as long as i know that i was looking at the right person :P
  • Buggi
    Buggi Posts: 674
    spasypaddy wrote:
    i can do it when i'm moving too! please don't look tho, i look so "low maintenance" on those photo's it's embarrasing! never had so many bad hair days in a row!
    hehe as long as i know that i was looking at the right person :P


    that's a point, how did you know it was me? are you stalking me or something.

    anyway, the 'real' me is the one on the night out, long dark hair in the blue top with my cleavage out... don't all rush at once lads ha ha. i look at tad drunk in a few!
    _____________________________________________

    To infinity... and beyond!
    my epic adventure: www.action.org.uk/~Antonia
  • WTG Buggi 8) 8) 8)
    "With just a little luck
    A little cold blue steel
    I'll cut the night like a razor blade
    Till I feel the way I wanna feel"
    [Cheap Trick]
  • spasypaddy
    spasypaddy Posts: 5,180
    that's a point, how did you know it was me? are you stalking me or something.
    i just remembered you had 99inch legs or something silly so i looked for the tallest girl! it wasn't intentional, and then by asking that question i had it verified that i'd found the right one :P

    i shall be going to find the pics of you on the night out...
  • sonicred007
    sonicred007 Posts: 1,091
    Buggi wrote:
    no that's not him! i think that guy's quite nice. i think his shoe covers were made of that stuff that goes warm when it get wet. is it neoprene or something! it rained on and off most of the time.

    not sure i should put time trialler on, i think he comes on here! he doesn't know we call it him. it could even be you! ha ha
    Hey Buggi

    How do you get on the route? Is it all the one charity on your ride, or was it numerous people doing it for numerous charities? Do you need to enter via charity?

    Congrats on a wonderful achievement!
  • Buggi
    Buggi Posts: 674
    i went with Action Medical Research. www.action.org.uk
    you have to raise £1000 limit, but your accommodation/food costs are included except for first night hotel stop (optional if you don't want to drive to London for early start) and meal on ferry.

    they do it every year and it coincides with the end of TdF in Paris.
    _____________________________________________

    To infinity... and beyond!
    my epic adventure: www.action.org.uk/~Antonia