The weather forecast was concerning..heavy rain and thunder storms were forecast so many of our group got up a little earlier in order to hit the road earlier in the hope of not getting wet! Fortunately the hotel has breakfast from 6.30 am and we were fed and ready to roll by 7 am.

We set of with Bob, Al and Debs but within 500m had become separated from them. We headed off across the bridge leaving Germany and re entering the Swiss Rheinfelden. Market stalls were being set up all around the various cobble stoned streets.

We headed up to Mohlin and shortly thereafter we were joined by David who rode with us for the rest of the day. He had a slight delay to his start as he could not find his helmet. He subsequently found it his shower!

We rode through Stein (14.0 km), Kaisten (21.4 km), Laufenburg (24.6 km) and then crossed the river Aare ( which feeds directly into the Rhine). We just happened to ride past a BMC bike dealer so stopped to see if they had the BMC rear derailleur hanger we were after. No luck but I did purchase my second trip item ( a pair of Swiss short cycling socks). David lashed out and purchased a very bright fluoro jacket.

About 100m up the road we found a restaurant open so decided to have coffee. We were immediately chastised in German by the owner for wheeling our bikes into the courtyard and she gesticulated towards the bike racks ( that we had not previously noticed).

We enjoyed our coffee and out stop and headed up the hill to Bad Zurzach (50.1km), Rekingen (52.9 km) with the course undulating to Zweidlen (67.3 km) and Seglingen (71.9 km).

The course to date had generally run reasonably parallel to the Rhine, but not directly adjacent. We had been riding on a mix of open roads and cycle paths (both sealed and cinder).

At the 74.4 km point we descended on gravel to the river. It was steep and slippery and I was very cautious as I am not overly confident on steep gravel descents. The view of the river was inspiring.

We stopped at the bottom for photos.

 

After crossing the bridge the notes said to turn right and that the path  climbed steeply last the car park and continued to climb steeply for a few km. I was hoping the steep climb was not gravel and was very pleased to see that it was sealed.

At the 79.5 km point we had reached the top of the climb and were rewarded with a nice descent through Bergum Irchel and then Flaach. Low and behold, there was another BMC dealer in this village. No luck with the derailleur hanger though.

The rest of the ride was pretty cruisey. We knew now we would not be getting wet as we were within comfortable striking distance of our accomodation. At Dasche (96.1km) we stopped at the little cafe and David kindly shouted us coffee and Black Forest cake! Very yummy too. Thankyou David, who coincidentally is celebrating his 39th wedding anniversary today, and had remembered to order flowers and ring his wife!

Rheinfall is a spot where you can view the Rheinfall! Fancy that. Rheinfall ( or the anglicised Rhine Fall) are Europe’s largest and we were keen to see them. The car park was overflowing with hundreds of cars and the place was crawling with tourists. We battled our way through with our velo babies only timing that the view is obscured unless you pay Swiss francs.

I had a bit of fun.

 

There are multiple cycle paths here.

We decided to move on, descending down a cinder track with a descent warning sign.

A little along the track we had a nice river view of the upcoming towns.

Only a km or so on we arrived at our accomodation in Neuhausen. After showering and setting up the Chinese laundry we headed off on a walk as we had been told you could get a good view of the falls from this side of the Rhine.

We walked down a really steep hill and were quite blow away by what we saw. The photos do not do justice to the size of these falls. They are 150 metres wide, with a 23 metre drop. The water depth is around 13 metres. In summer 600,000 litres of water per hour flow through ( versus 250,000 per hour in winter). Very impressive.

 

Tomorrow is another three country day – Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Forecast is rain but we cannot head off early as breakfast does not start until 8 am. I will be starving by then!!!

We woke up to blue skies and the promise of a brilliant days riding in favourable climatic conditions. Firstly we needed to backtrack 6 km from central Belfort back to Danjoutin to pick up the route descriptors.

We then headed towards Vezelois picking up the cycle path adjacent to the canal. We were able to sit on a nice and steady pace along a well sealed/cindered bike path.

The canal path went on and on and on, but it was quite picturesque, passing by the edge of numerous villages. There were many fisherman sitting on the edge of the canal often with multiple rods out. Not sure that I would be keen on eating the fish as the water is quite muddy looking and I am pretty sure the fish would taste muddy too.

At the 48 km mark we needed to negotiate the large city of Mulhouse before rejoining the bike track. This was quite slow and fiddly.

We passed an open spot featuring a field gun and over the canal an army tank. I gather the area saw a battle involving the sad demise of around 1500 soldiers during World War II.

 

As the day was so nice and easy we decided to continue on and break just before the Swiss border at Huningue, as we had a good supply of euro but no Swiss francs. We found a delightful cafe called Le Shakespeare adjacent to the canoe centre and enjoyed a great lasagne. The waiter talked us into having tiramisu. Whilst I was already full it was very, very nice!

Back onto the bike path following the Rhine river to cross the Swiss border we saw Basel looming ahead.

The Swiss border theoretically was just a few hundred metres ahead but  access was blocked by a very large locked fence and gate. So we needed to use our nous and create our own deviation path backtracking and heading away from the river. I think the path was blocked due to the demolition of a large BASF building.

The Swiss border toll point was reached without so much as a glance towards us so we rode on.

Hitting the central section of a busy lunch time in Basel proved interesting as we were told to climb a steep road adjacent to Davidoff Geneva. It was very steep, cobbled and full of pedestrian traffic which is not ideal when climbing.

At the top was Munsterplatz, a quite large communal cobblestones square adjacent to Basel Cathedral.

A few km on from this we spent about 29 minutes trying to resolve route instructions at a very busy vehicular interchange junction including flyovers. By using a mix of the yellow sheet route descriptors and the Garmin Gpx map files we eventually found ourselves on the correct route and heading towards Rheinfelden.

We also passed an old Roman amphitheatre. I found the outside more interesting as the interior was redeveloped using modern rock retention methods of rock inside metal cages, as commonly used now for retention.

Rheinfelden is a town that is in both sides of the River Rhine, meaning one section is Swiss and the other half German. We had ridden on the Swiss side from Basel but crossed over into Germany by way of a pedestrian footbridge.

We were very pleased to have found our hotel! Tonight we are to spend time with my friends Ralph and Sandra who live in Sissach, Switzerland. I met them in 1985 in The Maldives and stayed with them in early 1987 in Switzerland but not seen them since. What a great opportunity to catch up. Can’t wait!

 

 

We rocked down to breakfast this morning famished. One thing about cycling over 100 km every day for over a week is that you have a ferocious appetite. Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, setting me up for whatever challenges the day may throw at me.

Normally on these bike trips we are well catered for. Today we received the same “rations” as the phlegmatic geriatrics in their dressing gowns who were seated around us! So what did we get! Three different types of bread.

There was the one piece of thin toast that I reckon had been pre toasted last night to save time today. It would surely chip your teeth and be more practical as a frisbee. Secondly there was one dried out, sweet brioche. Finally the ubiquitous baguette chopped up into small pieces. This was accompanied by percolated coffee, needed to help swallow the brioche. Might be fine for the oldies who were sitting around doing not a lot but for us about the burn up a few thousand extra calories it was nutritionally deficient. Bring on my Trip Advisor review!

So we headed off with Bam Bam, Al and Bob. It was cool and crisp but sunny.

 

Todays course descriptor was “a day of typically French riding with enough undulations to keep things interesting”.

Certainly this was true. Undulations were routine for the day.

Just before we rode though Villars-Le-Pautel the fog curled around us, making us moist. Visibility ranged from 50-100 metres and at time was quite eerie.

At Polaincourt (31.4) km we turned left at the house with blue shutters. Well that is what the route note said, but the owners had obviously been painting since the reccy was done.

This bike on the side of the road tickled my fancy.

The riding was so moist in the fog that drop,tea of moisture dripped off the helmet, and I was unable to wear my glasses as they fogged up on the outside and I had to keep wiping them, so I just took them off.

 

At last the sun shine through and it was time to start stripping some gear off. We rode into Breuches at the 56.8 km point and noted a brasserie and pizza restaurant/supermarket. We entered the latter and I ordered two hug slices of ham (yummy) and a slice of cheese quiche. I washed that down with what was meant to be a cappuccino but arrived as an espresso. Never mind. We lost Bam Bam at that point as David had just arrived into the village.

The undulations continued as the day warmed up but they were mostly quite ok and not too much of a challenge. There were a couple of nasty, shorter ones thrown in for good measure.

Shortly before Ronchamp the Bike Adventures van came the opposite way, lights flashing as we were climbing a hill. Apparently the road ahead was impassable so a detour was required. This added about 4 km to the ride, but it was very pleasant passing through a lovely dense forest. The vegetation has really changed to denser with “German” looking trees.

We lost Al around here. We think he may have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Finally there was one longer climb left before we dropped down to follow a cycle path into the outskirts of Belfort. We were delighted to finally arrive at our hotel. We were the first three in and found out that the notes had taken us to the wrong Ibis hotel.

Another 5 km or so later we ended up at ” the other” Ibis hotel in middle of Belfort.

Tomorrow the passports will be carried as we leave France in about 80 km after outer eastward March and enter both Switzerland and Germany. The day promises to be an easier 110 km or so as it is much flatter.

 

Another brisk start as we left Dolancourt. Not all our group stayed at the same hotel last night. They had a 8 km head start on us. We caught up the them on the long climb that started at the 12 km mark and finishing 11 km later. It was an easy climb though.

8 motor cycle police plus at least 2 large vans full of gendarmes headed the other way in a hurry. Not sure what has happened but hope all has ended well.

The road undulated for the next 25 km or so through open countryside of Champagne, passing by the General De Gaulle memorial located at the top of the highest peak in the area, located close to his home town of Colombey.

After passing through Juzencourt (32.2 km) we turned off to Euffigneix where we had to do a detour thanks to road works but were able to navigate easily back on route.

We were warned there was a bad section of road and boy they were not wrong. Shocking bitumen that rattled your brain around.

We skirted around Chaumont but decided not to head in for coffee and a pleasant surprise was found at the bottom of the next hill in a tiny village in the form of an open restaurant with a nice courtyard in the sun. We spent a very pleasant 40 min there having coffee, using their toilets and having our drink bottles topped up.

Just as we were leaving David and Bam Bam pulled in for refreshments.

We then followed a narrow canal for 11 km. Slow going but quite pleasant not having to watch out for traffic. We came across a couple of canal boats and even a yacht. Apparently the canal is often used by yachtsmen heading to and from the Med and England. Nice!

We decided not to head up to Nogent as we were not particularly hungry and chomped on a protein bar instead. The sun was beaming down by now and was a pleasant 22 degrees.

The roads continued to undulate for the rest of the day with a mixture of wide open roads and narrow country lanes.

The last few km featured a brilliant downhill section of a couple km. Good fun.

We arrived here at 2 pm well ahead of any other riders. We had lunch and lazed about in the sun before checking in and locking our bikes away.

This village is known as being a spa centre and the place is packed with old people who have sticks or wheelchairs. Quite strange as there are no young people around. We wandered around the older area on top of the hill overlooking the town, and yes Mark I smelled the roses. In fact, I lay down in a bed of roses.

We had a pleasant tea with Bevis, Edwin, Geoff and Rachael with three wise monkeys sitting at the adjacent table ( David, Bam Bam and Gibbo).

Tomorrow looks to be similar to today – rolling hills and another

 

Yes it is French fogs, not frogs!

The brass monkeys made an appearance again this morning as we departed. Bare legs made me regret not getting the merino leg warmers out. We did not get out of the car park on first attempt as Tony rode around doing laps testing his bike post yesterday’s crash. Something did not feel right and quickly his concerns were proven correct and there was a loud “clunk” as his rear derailleur dropped. Dang it, his derailleur hanger had fractured.

Fortunately we travel with 2 spare hangers otherwise he would more than likely have been off the road for days as the hangers are specific to brands and it would be highly unlikely that we could have sourced one until Friday in Basel (Switzerland being the home of BMC).  So Steve kindly fitted it for Tony and we were soon on the road.

Leaving Provins we skirted past the medieval cite and descended quickly into the middle of town.

At Novent-Sur-Seine (22.7 km) we caught what is perhaps our last glimpse of La Seine.

At Marigny (44.6 km) we thought about stopping for a coffee but decided to push on  into Troyes as we knew that was a large town.

The morning was incredibly foggy and very still.  As we traversed through open farm land there was little we could see due to the fog. Passing wind turbines we could not see the  blades.

We arrived at Troyes at 11.45 am (75.5 km) and pulled in at the first boulangerie. By the time we ordered the queue was out onto the footpath. What I find amazing about France is that you can take your food from the boulangerie and head to the brasserie to eat it ( on the basis that you buy a drink). So I ordered two coffees and we sat outside. It was the best salmon baguette ever!

Troyes is a nice looking old city as can be even from these photos. It is the capital of the Aube and featured many half timbered homes.

 

We we then rode along a bike path for quite some time adjacent to a canal.  We skirted the Foret d’Orient natural park.

Once the fog lifted the wind arrived and for the rest of the day we had a fairly strong headwind. We did two lengthy sections on busy roads with semi trailers rushing past causing significant air displacement pushing us around somewhat. We later learned this freaked out a couple of the other riders.

We were really pleased to pull off the highway at the 120 km mark and descend a few km to Dolancourt, a quiet and sleepy village with the exception of a totally out of place theme park featuring a Ferris wheel and tower of terror.

We are staying at a great hotel and had an amazing meal but have only just finished at 10.30 pm so feeling quite tired now. The picture be.ow shows the view from the restaurant where we are our evening meal.

 

 

Well what an adventure today was. Over 6 hours on the saddle to get from one side of Paris to the other and on into Provins.

Before I get into the details on today’s ride I thought I would do a post script on Bam Bam who I reported went missing yesterday out of our group. Our theory was that he would get picked up by the next group coming through. Wrong. He rode in without route instructions and ended up on a motorway heading to Paris. The gendarmes pulled him off into their van and took him to a nearby town. He arrived into Poissy quite late having ridden around 150 km (40 plus more than us).

Also on a sadder note, we are down to 21 riders as one of the ladies came off her bike yesterday and broke her wrist. She is still with us travelling in the van and husband is continuing with the ride.

So back to today. We chose to leave with Steve from Bike Adventures who offered to lead a group into Paris and then out. Given Steve did the reccy for the trip that seemed a pretty good option as it was to be a difficult day navigationally. The only requirement was that we were to travel at the slowest riders pace.

So we left Poissy heading out along the cobblestones of the main shopping strip. The only shops open were the butchers.

At the 5 km Mark we entered St Germaine-en-late which is a large park with a huge chateau ( or as Steve calls it, shadocks).

We then scooted around the side streets of the neighbourhood.

We continued to wind our way through suburbs, up and down, and overall it was quite sleepy.

That all changed once we got to Bois de Boulogne ( 22.0 km). We were calmly riding along a nice section of road when a peloton of cyclists came around the bend in the opposite direction shouting and wildly gesticulating at us. I don’t think they were saying ” Welcome to Paris”.

It appears we were caught in a cycling race so quickly altered our course.

A few km before the Eiffel Tower our instructions were to turn left and cross the bridge. However there seemed to be some other event on and the road was closed. Walkers were crossing but the officious gendarme would not allow us to push our bikes across.

So Steve weaved us around and we crossed another bridge. It then became apparent that we had another issue.  The Paris marathon had just started with an incredible number of runners. We needed to cross over to the other side to get to the tower and decided it was too much hassle. So we all took photos.

 

As we rode/ pushed our bikes along the side of the course it became apparent that the marathon start was in waves every few minutes. The course was lined with an incredible number of gendarmes, many with some serious looking weapons.

There was a spot that people were able to cross briefly so four of us made it over, with the getting caught up in the next wave start.

 

Eventually we wound up at the tower and took the usual assortment of tourist photos.

We rode past the Louvre and stopped at a riverside cafe for coffee and a pit stop.

I wandered over the road and took a few photos. The bells of St Chapelle were tolling.

The forecast was for rain at midday. At 11.50 am it started to spit so the jackets went on. Within 5 minutes it was pouring and this continued unabated for an hour or so. It was not that pleasant and one of the guys in our group came off his bike in the slippery conditions.

We pushed on heading out of Paris, still at painfully slow speeds. We headed to Choisy passing close by the Charles De Gaulle airport. At 52.3 km we arrived at Villeneuve. Certainly this is a very basic, run down area with cheaper accomodation. Notwithstanding we had lunch here. We were all wet and dirty and chose to buy food from a local supermarket. First time I have ever eaten a meal in a supermarket.

We then proceeded to a steep little climb with cold legs. Nasty.

Steve then left us as navigationally the rest of the day was straight forward. We were able to pick the pace up  and hit the open road passing through predominantly agricultural lands.

Just as we took the last roundabout into our accomodation in Provins, the instructions said turn right. Tony took that a bit to heart unfortunately crashing off his bike which went left and he skidded across the bitumen the to the opposite curb. He has skin missing and will be a bit sore tomorrow. His bike has a few scratches. We learned later that another ride fell in the same spot a few hours later.

So after 6 hours in the saddle, 124 km,  lots of rain this is what I looked like.

Most bike riders love to stop at cafes and drink coffee. Today we set off around 830 am with David and John (Bam Bam) two Aussies from Sydney. It was fairly brisk when we turned left onto the main road. I turned too hard left forgetting the French ride on the ‘wrong’ side. Tony shouted at me and it was a “oh crap” moment! Fortunately no cars were around.

We headed into the centre of Gournay en Bray and headed towards Bezu La Foret (14.0km), Mesnil S/S Vienne (17.7 km), Mainneville (19.6 km), Hebecourt (24.3 km), St Denis-Le-Ferment (26.7 km). We started thinking about our first coffee at Bezu-St Eloi but nothing was open.

We continued on to ride through another 10 villages that had no shops at all. Feeling quite like we were in some detox program by now. After a stiff climb we ended up with out first view of Le Seine River.

Descending steeply we arrived in the very pretty village of La Roche Guyon (62.3 km) and hallelujah there was a cafe open! The village has an interesting looking chateau.

We spent close to an hour in this village watching life pass by. It was quite warm. I noted down the road that there was a fish vendor cart.

A closer inspection showed eel for sale.

After a a very pleasant break the 4 of us headed off through the edge of an impressive gorge on our left. We passed through Haut Isle and Chantemesle and Vetheuil. We then took a left hand turn to descend into a village. I noted that Bam Bam was missing so stopped to wait before taking the right hand turn.

The reason I waited is that Bam Bam did not have his Garmin ( may have been stolen a few days ago) and also did not have the route descriptors. Therefore he had no idea where to turn.

I waited and waited. David and Tony had gone on. After about 10 min I left and proceeded on the course hoping he would retrace and be able to follow some of the other rider, as there were still 18 behind us somewhere.

We stopped at Drocourt (74.2 km) for a bite of lunch at a boulangerie. The baker was busy working on baguettes.

After lunch we crossed over and rode through many kilometres of open fields. The course undulated passing through many more villages. After Meulan (87.1 km), there was a 3 km climb up through a forest which was really pleasant. Of course what goes up must go down and at L’Hautil Treil S/Seine there was a wonderful 2 km descent. It was great to feel the wind blowing in my face ( we had a headwind most of the day).  Finally we got to cross the well known river.

5 km before our destination I came off my bike at an intersection when Tony pulled up super quick and I could not decleat quick enough. Big lump on my left knee and a couple of smaller ones on my reconstructed knee.

After showering at the hotel and doing our washing we headed into town. I bought some arnica to help the bruising and we bought a drink.

Some of the sites around Poissy

Finally how clever are these two pieces of botanical artwork?

 

Up very early today as we were required to be packed, had breakfast and be ready to roll at 6.30 am. We were heading from Lewes to Newhaven to catch the ferry over to Dieppe ( France).

Moods were soured early as three of the riders had lights and tool kits stolen from their bikes overnight. The bikes had been in the hotel conference room so quite odd.

As we set off I immediately regretted having bare legs and not having my merino leggings on. It was brass monkey weather.

Once at the ferry terminal we needed to present ourselves to English border officials and have our passports checked for departure. We then went through a security check which was quite funny. “Are you carrying a barbecue gas bottle?”  I wanted to give a flippant answer but thought better of it!  Not sure where that would go on my bike.

We then had to stand around for ages in the cold. Phil tried to keep me warm.

Fortunately all the bike riders were first onto the ferry. There were plenty of other riders not from our group as well. Our bikes are up on the row against the far well, left hand corner, so we were going no where fast once the doors opened at Dieppe.

Views from the ferry as we departed Newhaven.

It takes four hours for the ferry to travel this section of the Channel. We spent that time chilling out with John and Phil. We would be saying goodbye to the  as they are leading the London to Paris ride and not riding as far when they get off the boat. We ride an additional 38 km past where they are staying. We hopefully will see John in Venice as he heads off to lead the ride to Dubrovnic.

Farewell England.

Bonjour France.

We then needed to get through French border patrol. Most of the riders cruised through but those with Australian passports took a lot longer as there were extra checks carried out. We all passed with flying colours and were soon on the road.

Leaving Dieppe we followed the waterfront.

Then there was a left hand turn that was a shocker. It was very steep, particularly when your legs have not yet warmed up. I was not sure I was going to make it but given I was cleated in and the pedals were under full load I did not think I would be able to uncleat without falling off so I just kept plugging away.

As we headed out of town we climbed a couple of hills passing through Thibermont, Martin-Eglise and Saint Aubin-Le-Cauf. Then there was John standing on the side of the road to ensure that the riders did not miss the turn onto Avenue Verte.

The Avenue Verte is a bike path constructed on a disused railway line. We followed it for 24 miles and it features beautiful bitumen, regular crossings through little villages,  picnic areas and the occasional cafe. It is fairly flat.

We left the path shortly before Forges Les Eaux and it felt great to be cruising on the road at faster speed. We knocked the last 19 km off much quicker. It had been a long day and we were keen to get to our hotel at Gournay En Bray.

There are around 50-60 cyclists here from various tour groups and the hotel has dedicated bike storage rooms with bike racks.

All the cyclists were catered for with a buffet tea which was pretty ok. Tony was pretty peeved though paying 3 euro for a tiny bottle of coke. Maybe he should stick to water.

Well it has started, albeit painfully slowly. Leaving central London required us to ride 6 km to the course start along incredibly busy roads clogged with the double decker red buses, cars and pedestrians running around like turbo chooks.

Upon arriving at the Jubilee Gardens adjacent to the London Eye, We got to hug old friends (Phil, Bevis, Graham and Steve) and meet some of our riding companions for the next fortnight. It would appear that there are at least 8 Australians our group, half of whom are named Tony!!

We left London as a group to ensure that we did not lose anyone along the incredibly convoluted route, it was incredibly slow and included having to walk our bikes for sections and carry them down stairs.  Even on paths we were lucky to get much above 10 km/hr as we had to avoid so many obstacles of the human variety.

 

 

We crossed  over the Thames with a good view of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.

We followed the river under Lambeth and Vauxhall bridges turning towards Clapham Common. We rode through dense residential areas that looked like the set used for George and Mildred, and rode through countless parks.

It took 28 km to clear London. The average speed was 10km/hr by then but we were in one piece.

A number of the group had dropped back and others stopped at a cafe in Oaks Park but we puddled on as we had arranged to meet Brian, a friend who had done the France ride with us last year. We found him on the side of the road just after Woodmansterne.

That was a master stroke as this area of Surrey is Brian’s bike riding backyard and he was able to navigate us.

We stopped for lunch at the Dog and Duck pub a few km short of Smallfield. A number of the riders also stopped although others continued their journey.

 

After lunch we were joined by David and Bevis and the five of us rode together for the rest of the day.

We were very close to Gatwick airport which seems to be very busy.

The afternoon ride was very undulating but through the beautiful countryside of the North and South Downs. There were many tunnelled forests, some brilliant bitumen the in places, farms as we passed through villages including Copthorne, Turners Hill, West Hoathley, Sharpthorne, Horsted Keynes and Barcombe.

 

Arriving at Lewes by 3.45 pm we stored our bikes and hit the showers before enjoying an afternoon tea with Bevis and Brian.

After biding farewell to Brian who was heading home via train, we then caught up with Graeme ( friend from the France ride) and his daughter Matilda.

PS We are staying in a pub built in the late 1700’s. Interesting history including dungeons that were once used to store martyrs before they were burned at the stake over the road. They are now used as a wine cellar.

PPS The floors are reflective of the age of the building and have a severe adverse camber. When I get out of bed it slopes steeply to the wall.

I love the song London Calling, by The Clash so it was the natural title for today’s ride as we left Benson in the Thames Valley for the big smoke!

It was a late start as I was feeling very cosy sitting in John and Val’s conservatory eating…guess what I ate???  Yes, eggs and bacon!!! ( Thanks Val).  John popped out and purchased fresh croissants too, and made a great coffee to boot so feeling spoiled! I could have quite happily stayed longer but there was a long ride ahead, and our Bike Adventures mate Phil was to sleep in our bed tonight!

I was sad to say goodbye as I do not do them very well!

Now one of my OLDEST friends seems to be under the misapprehension that I don’t take time to smell the roses. I proved him wrong in Paris and here again! Not mentioning any names but Mark Hughes of Surry Hills in Melbourne this one is just for you!!!!!

John had plotted us out the most direct route to Windsor. It was a great route taking us past the RAF base at Benson and onwards to Ewelme where he owned the pub once upon a time. We climbed out of the Chilterns Hills and down towards Stoke Row where in the 1800’s a maharajah donated a well. Looks quite out of place really but it is extraordinarily deep at 300 feet ( and 4 foot wide).

Our bikes are now officially all terrain and required a portage today, complete with stinging nettle. This appeared to be a short cut between two roads but after recent heavy rains was a tad boggy. The mud in the middle was actually very squishy and boggy hence the portage on the right hand side up the bank.

We then rode through more forests and Rotherfield Peppard, Sonning Common, Shiplake, Twyford, Waltham St Lawrence.

In the mix of these villages and towns we stopped to debate navigation. Was that left, right or straight ahead. A cyclist coming the other way stopped and asked if we were lost and where we were heading. I stated “Venice”. In the most plum of English accents, and without missing a beat he said ” ok, take the second left, the turn right”. We all cracked up laughing.

We the. Scouted around the back of Windsor heading towards Old Windsor. Quite a busy road.

I have been to Windsor Castle twice before but had not seen this particular view of the Long Walk.

I had been to the Windsor Farm shop in 2007 and knew I could get a fine cup of coffee there. Nothing has changed.

MInd you it was hard to get piece and quiet in her farm gardens. Aussies flying overhead making a racket as only an Aussie can do.

The Queen has a fine array of food available in her shop. As a meat lover I think I would need a few of these poor looking little anorexic birds.

From Windsor we headed to Runnymede so I could educate Tony about the Magna Carta. Blood was shed to achieve this aim.

I also did not realise that this would involve taking the bikes downhill on a Paris-Roubaix cobblestone staircase for some length.

Next were the paddocks.

Finally the site of where the Barons compelled King John to sign the Magna Carta. Some of those barons feature in my ancestors, as does King John who was not a very nice person.

From paddocks we turned to tow paths then tracks through the forest.

Following the Thames for so long was very nice. So many beautiful homes,  locks, and people just lazily sitting around the banks fishing, walking dogs, bike riding, jogging and so on.

I was aware that you could catch a ferry across the Thames so rode into Shepparton just for that sole purpose. 2 pounds each.

We continued following the river until we eventually arrived in Hampton and entered the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, a former home of King Henry VIII. He had acquired ( forcibly) the palace from Cardinal Wolseley who had caused the King displeasure.

I like the gargoyles that were very popular in the late 1500’s in England.

The gates in the backyard now have a fence protecting them. Pretty speccy but probably would not suit my little abode but I can appreciate the craftsmanship.

The afternoon was getting on and we debated whether to pull up stumps and head to the railway station…. But no, decided to keep going as I was keen to see Richmond Park. The intersection prior to the park saw our first interaction with an anti cyclist female driving a 4wd. She was playing silly buggers as we rode along swerving and slamming her brakes on for no reason and giving us the birdie. She had youngsters in the car.  Great role model – not!

Richmond Park blew my mind. Its sheer size ( 1000 acres) and the biodiversity including a herd of deer resting in the grass. You need to look carefully to see the deer in the long grass along with the alpha male.

After leaving Richmond Park we needed to tackle London peak hour traffic. That was an experience and a half. Tony and I got separated only because he ran a red light and I didn’t! He ended up a few km ahead before he realised I was missing unaware he had run the red light.

At one very busy intersection we were uncertain where to turn and it was incredibly busy. There were numerous cyclists at the intersection waiting for the green light. I called out to one who kindly hopped over to talk to us. He was an Aussie working in London! Very helpful lad too.

After 106 km and an adventure filled day we were very pleased to arrive at our accomodation. We had an early tea and will be leaving here around 730 am to again tackle London traffic to get to the start of why we are here. London to Venice.

Around 275 km have been completed in the three day prologue warm up. Legs and bum are ready!