London to Paris 2016 - Part Six
They did it!! On Sunday 8th May Team KDW completed the Myeloma UK London to Paris 500km cycle ride, cycling down the Champs-Elysées and coming to an end in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Team KDW, consisting of KDW’s Marcus Maisey, Lawrie Jellows, Nic Kamintzis and Mark Peddle alongside friends Mark Lemon, Matt McParland, Neil Hutchinson, Alan O’Reilly and Will Cayzer, set off bright and early on Thursday 5th May from Greenwich in London alongside a peloton of 126 cyclists all riding the 500kms to Paris to make Myeloma history.
Myeloma UK, who organised the ride, are the only charity within the UK that exclusively supports patients of Myeloma and their families and funds research into Myeloma.
From the get go Team KDW were bowled over by the excellent organisation of the Myeloma UK team, with everything running smoothly from the warm up exercises to the road closures to the teams of medics and physios on hand to assist the achy riders.
The team at Myeloma UK really did everything possible to make the experience a memorable event for all involved!
London to Paris – How did the team get on?
The ride was scheduled to begin at 6am from Greenwich on Thursday 5th May so our team wisely decided to stay in a nearby hotel the night before. Once their bikes had been delivered to the hotel the team treated themselves to a beer before heading off for a much needed carb loading session at a nearby Italian restaurant. The guys managed to avoid temptation and steered clear of the wine only indulging in a few beers before heading to bed for an early night!
Day 1 - Thursday 5th May
Meeting at Greenwich at 6am our team of riders were a little on the nervous side, unsure of what they were going to face over the next four days. Clad in Lycra and with their legs freshly waxed our team left the hotel and cycled 1 mile to meet the other cyclists, ride captains, fundraisers and support team at General Wolfe’s statue in Greenwich.
A rallying speech was given by the Myeloma team before the peloton of 126 cyclists headed off on their 76 mile journey to Folkestone. The Eurostar was scheduled to depart from Folkestone at 4pm so there was no chance of the team having an easy first day!
The start of the ride was slightly chaotic as the motorbike outriders sped ahead closing roads and traffic lights so that the riders could safely snake their way out of London. Speeding through the open roads of Kent it wasn’t long before the team had cycled 62 miles and were breaking for lunch.
The organisers had prepared a special ‘treat’ for the last part of the climb; a 1km hill climb in the last mile! Just what their tired legs needed!
Worn out and in some cases slightly sunburnt our team of riders made the most of the rest time on the Eurostar and the bus to the hotel. When the worn out team arrived at the hotel they had a quiet dinner before taking themselves off for a much needed early night.
Day 2 - Friday 6th May
The route for the second day was a tough 87 miles from Calais to Abbeville, with a few hill climbs thrown in for good measure! An early morning visit to the physio tables worked its magic on the team and with their bottles filled the team were refreshed and raring to go! Cycling on French roads for the first time, the team immediately noticed the difference from cycling in the UK; mainly the lack of potholes on the roads and the courteous drivers who patiently waited for the riders to pass.
Spirits were boosted by the groups of local people who lined the streets of many of the villages clapping and cheering on the black and orange peloton of Myeloma riders. The morning was packed full of hill climbs so by lunchtime the team were staring to feel the burn in their legs. A big lunch was needed to give the riders some much needed energy. Marcus managed to surprise even himself by devouring a foot long baguette plus a French chocolate crème éclair, which he partly regretted when after lunch the team immediately faced one of the more hideous hill climbs of the entire ride.
Bikes filled the town square at the next stop, the village of Crecy, confusing some of the locals! Departing Crecy the riders were accompanied by a police escort for the last leg of their journey to Abbeville. Upon entering the town of Abbeville, which had closed main roads especially for the peloton of cyclists, the streets were lined with cheering locals - making our team feel like minor celebrities!
The 163 miles they had cycled had taken its toll on certain members of our group and they were forced to make a late night dash to the local Kebab shop!
Day 3 - Saturday 7th May
The fantastic organisers from Myeloma UK organised a fun warm up for day 3, a dance along to Queen’s ‘Don’t stop me now’. Some hilarious dad dancing ensued and luckily was captured on camera by the Myeloma UK team. Check out the video here and see if you can spot any of our team!
After the tough hill climbs from day 2 the team were incredibly appreciative of the relatively easy morning downhill journey to Beauvais. However this lulled some into a false sense of security which meant they were less than enthusiastic when faced with a steep hill climb out of Beauvais, which left some regretting the extra Pain au Chocolate they had wolfed down 30 minutes before. However the view from the top which looked out across a stunning valley made the climb well worth it.
The glorious French sunshine and crowds of locals who lined the streets in the many of the villages that the peloton passed through helped our team of 9 riders to keep smiling through the pain from the aching legs.
The lunch stop for day 3 was in a quaint village which made quite the impression on our team, as the locals took to the streets, waving Myeloma flags and giving the peloton of riders a heroes reception.
That afternoon a wrong turn was taken which unfortunately added an extra 8km to the journey, as I’m sure you can imagine this was not particularly popular with the team, who were all suffering slightly in the heat.
By the time they finished day 3, team KDW were filled with a real sense of achievement with the final 100kms and Paris firmly in their sight.
Day 4 - Sunday 8th May
There was an excited atmosphere amongst team KDW at the start of day 4, mainly because the team knew at the end of 100kms they could reward themselves with some ice cold beers and a lie in the next day!
Our team of riders decided to drop down a speed group so they could cycle into Paris at a leisurely pace. The more relaxed cycling pace and the downhill decent into Paris meant that the final 100kms were relatively pleasant for our team.
While the team found the experience of cycling past the Arc de Triomphe a memorable occasion, the memory of cycling over the cobbles will be remembered for all the wrong reasons! The Champs-Élysées was closed off to vehicles which meant that the peloton was able to speed down the avenue before the grand finish in front of the Eiffel Tower!
It was an emotional reunion for many riders at the finish line as they were greeted by their loved ones, many of whom have Myeloma.
Throughout the ride there was a fantastic atmosphere with all riders supporting and cheering each other on, everyone was focused on completing this ride and raising as much money as possible for Myeloma UK. There is no better example of this than when on the last day one of the female riders fell off her bike, breaking her arm, a mere 10kms from the finish line. She refused hospital treatment and was pushed to the finish line by the excellent ride captains!
After Paris
The Eurostar journey back to London from Paris was incredibly jubilant with Team KDW leading many of the riders to the bar carriage for champagne and a few celebratory songs!
Back in England Lawrie Jellows reflected on the experience...
‘London to Paris was an amazing experience made even more special by the group of guys involved and ultimately the reason why we were doing it. The level of support from friends and family has been incredible and it’s great to raise awareness for Myeloma UK, who are doing a really fantastic job. Bring on next year!'
Since returning home our team of riders have been catching up on sleep, reminiscing on their favourite moments of the ride and planning for next year’s event!!
KDW will have raised around £19,000 in online and offline donations for Myeloma UK with the whole ride estimated to have raised £300,000; a fantastic figure for such a well deserving charity!
If you would like to donate to Myeloma UK please visit our JustGiving page.