Leaving Paris was no different to the arrival. Very busy roads and a massive concrete jungle. 2 euros in the centre for a can of coke, you can get 3 litre bottles of water and 2 fruit juices for 3 euros on the outskirts. Big difference.
Paris is massive. We took a good couple of hours before we started to see gaps in the traffic. Very nice to see some of the rest of the City but certainly not as lovely as the central area.
Today was a story of 2 punctures and a flying sock (well, shoe cover)
To be fair we had all travelled over 500 miles before anyone got a puncture which is bloomin good going.
First up was Frank and less than a mile from the hotel. We all have a number of differing tyres on and were road testing them. Gator Skins are now away and followed a few hours later with my Schwalbe Marathon tyres. That leave the Durells for Craig, Alan's Schwalbe Marathons and Phils Speciailized Armadillos.
We then continued slowly but safely and south out of Paris but noticed a vehicle parked at the side of a building.
Continued on past Orly airport and headed into the open countryside which was a relief.
Then Phils sock (over shoe cover) came flying out of his bag where myself and a few cars tried to dodge the offending article.
Stopped at a McDonalds for an early lunch before setting off again. However, I slowed up and couldn't understand why my bike wasn't as free wheelin as the rest of the team and before I could say anything my team were out of earshot as I pulled over with a flat tyre.
No sign of my team coming back so off came the offending tube out and checked the inside of the tyre but all seemed good. Then Craig and Alan backtracked to lend a hand and found a a piece of glass embedded on the outer skin. It was that big you could have stuck it on a ring and pretended it was a real diamond lol Quickly replaced we were off again…
Further down the road we stopped at a fancy boulangerie for juice and a snack.
Another 20 miles down the road we stopped for a coffee and a juice for me!
Another 20 miles and a quick glug of water as the temperature was on the up!
Other than those incidents, the day will be remembered for the ease we were cycling up the hills and the speed we were getting up to. 15 - 17 mph was the average but there was a lot of gear on board the bikes and I'm very happy with that. Phil remarked that he saw the bike with speeds of 35 mph.
We made great ground and were heading towards our final destination. The Sun came out and a very pleasant run into the town of Sully Ser Loire and our Grand Sully hotel.
Phil was given the Honeymoon Suite for his stay here. Lovely bedroom but a bit wasted on him though.
Unfortunately they were fully booked for dinner (should have booked this advance) but the owner kindly gave us directions to another restaurant and the meal out on the town was fantastic and Great food followed. Steak for me again.
So in summing up , it was a 92 miler, much faster travelling time, 2 punctures and a lovely destination for a day away (Chateau Neuf du Pape was 4 euros - not a lot).
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