The long journey home

Support vehicle with 8 bikes ( four on roof and four inside) at Caen port waiting to board ferry home.
Sarah and Simon were loaded up and sent on their way by the guys at 9.00 this morning. 10 hours and 590 miles later here we are waiting for the night crossing to Portsmouth. Looking forward to a good nights sleep aboard.
 ... the adventure is nearly over.

Day 8- Ganges to Montpellier

Overnight Ganges had been transformed into a busy market place. After a leisurely breakfast and short walk around the market the riders departed for the final short stage to Montpellier. Sun shining but not too warm. Climbed out of Ganges on busy road with fast moving traffic passing close by- not very pleasant  start. A short descent after the climb and then we turned off onto a much quieter and more scenic route.
Riders were all in team colours and we really started to believe that we were part of pro team. As we knew the day was going to be very short there was plenty of messing around and racing each other up the hills - you will have to ask Gary who got to the top first.
With about only 15 miles to go we stopped for coffee and Pain au chocolat- we resisted the temptation to having a bottle of the champagne that was in the fridge in the boulangerie (champagne in a bakers? Very French) and set off for the final time.
Traffic and navigating in Montpellier was a nightmare and we were all totally focused on arriving in one piece. Loads of closed roads and one-ways. Sarah was also having a nightmare having initially gone to the wrong hotel and called to say that she was struggling to locate the hotel as we were.  Martin and Steve went off to try and locate the hotel and coincidentally found Sarah. Meanwhile the remaining riders discovered that they were standing just 150m from hotel!!

We had arrived-620 miles of cycling from North to South France in 8 days.

Nous sommes arrives!!!

Day 7- St Genieve to Ganges

Breakfast at 7.30 with an 8.15 start after some tinkering with the gears on Gary's bike. Weather was cold, overcast with light rain for first climb of the day which took us to over 950m. Quite a few miles at height with variable weather conditions. This was followed by the first amazing descent of the day into Tarn gorge- breathtaking views and exciting riding on the hairpins (Sarah also found it quite alarming in a right hand drive car with a sharp drop off to the side.)

Having lost so much height we then proceeded along the gorge for quite a distance, still very beautiful scenery. Sarah met up with us at the end of the gorge and provided all the ingredients for a picnic lunch - baguettes, cheese, ham, crisps pastries etc. Aidan took control and made sandwiches for everybody. We delayed as long as we could but we all knew what was coming......

First part of the climb took us to over 1000m for the first time - everybody just stuck at it and the climb didn't seem too bad, steady gradients of 5-6%. Some more distance at height and then the second part of the ascent right up to 1300m. Everyone had photos taken at the top just to prove we got there. 60 miles complete, just another 30 to go.

And so began the most amazing descent that any of us has experienced - over 12 miles of steep sweeping downhill. Strong winds made things a little interesting and at one point almost brought the bikes travelling at over 30mph to a complete standstill! After the steep descent we were unsure of what to expect for the reaming 20 miles but we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the downhill continued all the way to Ganges.

So overall the hardest day for most but also some of the most amazing cycling that any of us have experienced.

Stats for day:

93 miles

6,400 ft climbing

7,400 ft descending (mostly very quickly)

Highest point -1300m

Weather - cold, light rain, some sun and then warm and sunny once over mountains.

Tomorrow just 30 miles into Montpellier- almost there.

N.b. due to technical problems with Sarah's phone she had simon's phone today. So if you were surprised by how fast the bikes were travelling this was because the tracker was being powered by a 2.0L diesel engine today!

Day 6-Aurillac to St Geniez d'Olt

Just a quick update as limited Internet access. Today was a shorter day in terms of mileage (about 60) so we had a more leisurely start at 9.00, out of town through rush hour traffic straight into first climb of the day.   Weather was more overcast with some rain ( Gary says max temp was 19) so shells were on/off most of day.
Highlight of the day was an 8km descent that seemed to go on forever - it was of course followed by an ascent that went on forever! Arrived at hotel around 4.30, giving time for a quick beer, shower and then wander around town before dinner.
Great dinner ( best so far in France) served by hotel owner whose  son lives in Coventry and comes to England every year and stays in Nailcote Hall - small world. After dinner much discussion over route for tomorrow as heading into some serious mountains, possibly 1300m+. By the way, many thanks to Kate for providing maps of route- they have been of great help.
Good night all!

Lunch in Pleaux day 5

Another very friendly French cafe.  Great service, good food and an old dog called Shadow.

Day 5 - meymac to aurillac - (everyone hurts)

Martin started the day by filleting a croissant at the breakfast table.Our resident butcher (Aidan) complimented him on the butterfly action. Sarah did a great job of checking us in and out again :)  Steve started the day by waving and blowing kisses to our terrific landlady for the evening. Martin on the other hand tried to nick the room keys!

The day started with a long 6km climb and then a forest section and a meeting with a truck on a bend full of animal slurry. Unfortunately for Tim and Simon they took the brunt of the slop that came over the side. The stench was (and is still) horrific!

Gary as ever was full of insults (and a temp of27.2c). Martin was (and still is) King of the maps and Steve took massive turns on the front again dragging us home.

Lunch was a scene from Alo Alo.l!  Pizza, omlettes, chips and more coca cola. The cafe dog called Shadow.

Bikes fairing up well despite the abuse. Long periods of silence - a real challenge but still enjoyable. I speak for all when i say everyone is tired. I won't lie we are all absolutely shattered - we have been in the saddle for 9 hours today. We climbed snowdon three times today in between traffic and tractors. Probably the hardest day but also the most enjoyable.

Highlights: pig slurry, 1945 war bridge across the Dordogne, cafe stop for lunch, super long super fast decents, disco hotel arrival and wigs.

Love to all at home - the boys (and Sarah).

Ian