Saffron Walden or 'Saffy City' is my spiritual home and the place where I grew up. Its a beautiful town in North West Essex and I always love the chance to come home for a few days. Mum & dad and my sister Christine still live here so there's always a good excuse to visit.
Today we had a family fund raising event in the market square, I dusted off my stationary trainer and sat in the market square amongst the stalls to pedal and raise some cash in the process. Mum, dad and Christine came and shook the collection tins. Oscar came down to pedal for a half hour or so to give me a break and Marlon helped us to pack up when the rain persisted and drove most people indoors. A real Kennet family effort, thanks guys you are the best.
The weather sadly wasn't on our side. The rain came after the first half and hour and barely stopped. I was fine on the bike as I was exercising to keep warm but the sight of mum in her sodden clothes got a bit much by early afternoon and we decided we had to call it a day. She's as strong as an Ox at 74 and runs on and on like a battery so its hard to persuade her to stop but she was glad to call it a day and go home for a cuppa. Of course now that we are home and showered the rain has stopped and the sun come out. Doh!
 |
| Me in the Market Square Saffron Walden |
 |
| Oscar covering the lunch break. |
I had a lovely time catching up with people I haven't seen in a while and also chatting to the kind townsfolk who donated. An easy and sociable spin for a few hours. Its a great way to combine training with fund raising.
When we got home we emptied the collection bucket which contained about 5 pints of rainwater as well as the amazing totoal of £297.42. Thank you Waldeners, I knew you would be a generous lot.
Last weekends ride turned out to be a fabulous trip with significantly better weather than today. We disembarked the ferry in Dieppe on Saturday afternoon and rode south on the Avenue Vert cyclepath to Forges Les Eaux where we called into a local Boulangerie for a cake before continuing on to Lyons La Foret.
 |
| Avenue Vert, 45KM of cyclepath from Dieppe to Forge Les Eaux |
 |
| Chateau Mesniere-en Bray |
 |
| Lyons La Foret |
Lyons La Foret is a beautiful Normandy village which was the end of the London to Paris BHF off road bike ride last weekend. I spotted an errant sign as we rode into town and made sure I removed it before we left. We cant be accused of spoiling the image of such a beautiful spot.
The next day we set off as the local produce market was setting up for the ride into Paris. Its a 70 mile ride through rolling landscapes to the outskirts of Paris where it flattens out and the roads cross back and forth over the Seine.
Entering Paris from the west we arrived at the Arc de Triumphe. It seemed futile to ride that distance only to get off and walk around so we were gripped by some insane idea to ride around and before we knew it we had and survived! it was quite an experience but one I shall long remember. We then rode on down the Champs-Elysees. How Cavendish takes his hands off the handlebars in the final sprint of the tour at 75km/hr over those cobbles I have no idea.
We had booked at the Art Hotel in Paris a 2 minute walk from Gare du Nord so we headed there dropped the bags then rode up to the station. Eurostar offer a fabulous and efficient service for bikes. If you take them in advance of your journey they will ship them (no packing required) on an available train so they are available for collection in St Pancras on your return. At 22 euros a bike it was fantastic value and meant we had a day in Paris with no bikes to worry about. We headed up to Sacre Coeur with a bottle of Normandy Pear cider and watched the light fade over the Paris vista while toasting our arrival and a great ride there.
Its now 40 days to go until the start of our trip and apart from a cake sale in Saffron Walden on Saturday thats it for fund raising events. They have been tiring but fun and I have to admint to a small amount of releif at now being able to concentrate on training only but WOW what amazing people and encouters we have had along the way. I have plenty to think about and reflect on for the ride. Just as well its a long ride!
No comments:
Post a Comment