London to Monaco 2006: What We Did - UCLby UCL we had purchased sleeping bags, sleeping mats, and two The North Face Tadpole tents which we hoped would keep us warm and dry throughout

London to Monaco 2006: What We Did

Francesca Achilli, Marie O’Shea, Paresh Shah, and Simon Thompson

13th - 28th October, 2006

London to Monaco was a completely independent 1100-mile bike ride, to raise much neededfunds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The team consisted of four postgraduate studentsfrom UCL - Francesca Achilli, Marie O’Shea, Paresh Shah, and Simon Thompson. Borne out ofa frustration with the large, expensive charity rides currently on offer, they went in search of aphysical, mental and organizational challenge.

They weren’t disappointed.

From left to right: Simon, Marie, Fran, Paresh.

The final week before we left (rather inauspiciously on Friday the 13th) was a hectic seven daysof buying, packing and worrying. Between us we had a pretty much everything needed for the bikes,but we had had to purchase a significant amount of camping equipment. With the money providedby UCL we had purchased sleeping bags, sleeping mats, and two The North Face Tadpole tentswhich we hoped would keep us warm and dry throughout the two weeks, however one was still toarrive. eBay had been a great help in sourcing cheap, second-hand equipment, and the majority ofour kit had come from there. Having spied a cheap, but new, Tadpole on eBay from an America,Simon had gone ahead and bid, and won. We still had a good month until we left and with thespeed that other items had arrived, we felt confident it would arrive in plenty of time. However, asthe weeks passed there was little sign of it as it sat locked up in customs on one of the sides of theAtlantic.

Departure approached and the situation became more urgent, we had specially selected theTadpole as it would fit two people easily yet weighed only 2kg; any other tent we had access towould add significant weight to our bikes. ‘Bon Voyage’ came and went and yet there was still nosign, unable to trace the package we had no idea where it was or whether it would arrive in time.Soon it was the week we would leave and we had everything together, had allocated it out and werepretty much ready to go but lacked this one essential item. We had hoped that the weekend wouldgive the opportunity for it to move on and we’d have it on Monday, but no. We’d started askinground friends whether they had a tent we could borrow when on Tuesday afternoon Simon receiveda letter from Parcelforce detailing a package they were holding at their depot that required excessVAT and import duty paying on it. Slightly relieved that the tent was at least in London, we were alittle annoyed at having to pay out another £50 to get to it after three and a half weeks of waiting.But pay we did and it was with massive relief that Simon unpacked it to find it all complete andundamaged after its long journey. The kit was ready, and we were ready; it was time to hit theroad. 13th October, 2006 - London → Maidstone, 43.1 miles for the day, 43.1 miles total.

Unfortunately we get off to a bit of a stutter-ing start. The day before Paresh had been outon a final training ride and has broken a spoke inhis rear-wheel. Although not a major repair, itwarrants a trip to the bike shop and it seems noone can have it done by 11am, the time we hadarranged to meet. However, Evans say they canhave it done by 1pm so we arrange to meet atTrafalgar Square at three, giving Paresh enoughtime to return home, load the bike and get backinto London.

But the next morning Evans change theirmind and saying they can only have it done by5pm, meaning Paresh might have to take a trainto Maidstone and meet up with the rest of the team there. Luckily, Cycle Surgery came through forus and they had it replaced within the hour.

So Marie, Fran and Simon all meet at Trafalgar Square at 2pm and after a quick photocall withGeorge, and some TV interviews by Marie, we get on our way. Paresh catches us up on the A20and we very unceremoniously start our journey together at a BP petrol station. The rest of the daygoes well and we make it to a campsite in Maidstone where we pitch the tents in the dark. There’sbeen no time to get any food on the way so we head out to a pub for what turns out to be our mostexpensive meal, partly because Paresh loses his headtorch on the way.

Paresh says - ‘What else could possibly go wrong?’.

14th October, 2006 - Maidstone → Ardres, 63.6 mi, 108.5 mi.

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After a cold night’s sleep, we get going early (fuelled by a cup of tea) and make it to Ashford forbreakfast. Since we have plenty of time in hand to reach Dover, the rest of the morning serves as asmall shopping expedition as we pick up various things we’ve lost (headtorch) or realized we’ll need(pillow and thermal underwear).

We’re thankful to be let on first onto the ferry and quickly unpack the bikes to find a warm spaceon deck. There’s just about time for £5 fish and chips and a couple of hands of cards before we’vearrived in Calais. After several wrong turns, and numerous deviations, we find ourselves on the roadout of the city where we hope to find a campsite. We have a campsite directory where many arelisted as being closed for the duration of the trip, and it proved to be a constant struggle to findsites that were open and not too far out of our reach. The site we are heading for is listed as closingat the end of the month, however we’ve tried phoning several times and have been unable to getthrough. We eventually reach the site at around 9pm, and after a worrying couple of minutes aretold from a window to take pitch number one. We have the tents pitched and a Cup-a-Soup brewingbefore too long, and end the night with a lovely hot shower.

15th October, 2006 - Ardres → Martinprich, 101.8 mi, 210.3 mi.

Thanks to our purchases the day before we are all more comfortable during the night, whichmakes it all the more harder to wake before sunrise. We’re on the road just as the sun rises upthrough the mist and have the roads to ourselves for quite some time. Fran’s knee begins to troubleher as an old injury comes to the fore, but a roadside Deepheat stop and intensive gear-tutoring fromSimon seems to offer some solace. Despite some monster pain au chocolat we make slow progressduring the morning and it looks unlikely we’ll reach our target. However, we push on throughoutthe afternoon and eventually roll into Bauphame late at night. There’s no sign of a campsite orchambres d’hotes, and the three hotels on offer are closed since its Sunday.

We become desperate and even consider sleeping rough in the park, but a chance encounter witha restaurant waiter and an Australian couple yields a bed for the night. They are staying in achambres d’hotes around 15km away and think there may be room. The owner arrives to pick themup at the end of their meal and agrees to take our bags in the car whilst we cycle the 40 mins tohis house. After a dinner of some slightly sweaty chips we are on our way and quickly cover theremaining distance.

On our first full day in France we had cov-ered the most miles of any day over the next twoweeks, and it would also prove to be the closestwe came to sleeping rough. Had we known thisat the time we probably would have slept easier,as it was, despite comfortable mattresses, we allwent to bed feeling slightly uneasy as to what wehad let ourselves in for.

16th October, 2006 - Martinprich →Marcy sur Marle, 67.6 mi, 270.8 mi.

We woke, packed away drying tents and satdown to a good breakfast that formed the foun-

dation for a very professional start to the day. After a good rest it proved easier to stay together,and we were able to push on for longer without breaks. We have a cheese and bread (with salamifor the non-vegetarians) lunch in St. Quentin and visit the office de tourisme which offers little inthe way of campsite options. There is one possible campsite on our route, but staying there wouldmean cutting our day short of what we expected to do. We head out of St Quentin and the coun-tryside turns to rolling dales, that, combined with a strong headwind, completely saps our energyas we’re reduced to crawling up the inclines. After hours of struggle Marcy sur Marle comes up onthe horizon and with just an hour or so of sunlight left we decide to cut our losses.

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We set up camp at a Farm/Campsite and watch our pony neighbours graze as we prepare ourevening meal. We cook up rice and lentils, with a courgette and tomato sauce, and plenty of bread.It proves to be a regular dish, partly due to Fran’s never-ending supply of lentils. Its washed downwith a beer, and a warm shower. Its looking to be a cold night so everyone is wearing every bit ofclothing available.

17th October, 2006 - Marcy sur Marle → Chalons en Champagne, 80.1 mi, 357.9 mi.

We pack our tents as the horses get fed, and we start the morning as we finished the night before- with a strong headwind. Fuelled by yet more croissants and pain au chocolat We battle away forthe whole morning and are rewarded as the turnips and potatoes give way to vines, just after leavingReims. Distracted by the beautiful countryside and ‘favoured’ by the wind (none) we make goodtime throughout the afternoon, and having passed the vineyards of Veuve Clicquot and Mumm, wearrive in Chalons en Champagne. We’re hoping for a quick dinner but Fran, Marie and Paresh’spizzas take an age to be prepared and it’s a good 45 mins before we can sit down to eat, by whichtime Simon’s Americain aux frites is cold. The delay means the campsite is closed, but thankfullyone of the few campers is able to open the gate for us and we’re able to set up camp. There arenumerous painful ankles at the end of our fifth day of cycling and both tents reek of Deepheat.

18th October, 2006 - Chalons en Champagne → Randonvilliers, 55.5 mi, 413.5 mi.

Fran is woken by a cat sniffing out last night’s cold pizza, and it looks like we might be havingit for lunch as Paresh discovers another spoke has broken on his back wheel just as we’re about toleave. We settle up with the campsite and Paresh and Simon head off for the local bikeshop, leavingFran and Marie to spend the morning trying to keep warm on tea and biscuits. The bike shop provesto be amazing and the mechanic has the spoke replaced in 15 minutes, slightly embarrassing Evans’earlier efforts. After a pastry breakfast we feel pretty lucky to be leaving the site by 11am, havingthought it would be far later.

The vines give way to yet more rolling hills, but the morning rest seems to have done the variousankles good as they are reduced to mere niggles. We push on through lunch, arriving in Breine lesChateau for early evening where we’re told that down by the lake might be a better place to find acampsite. The locals prove right and we’re lucky enough to get ourselves a little cabin for no morethan the price of camping. Rice and lentils is accompanied by cheese and bread, and we all get anearly night after a good look at the maps and our progress - we’re over a third of the way.

19th October, 2006 - Randonvilliers → Aolte Farm, 70.6 mi, 484.0 mi.

We disconsolately leave the comfort of our cabin and spend a good morning on the road. Pickingup breakfast, both Marie and Fran have an unforgettable experience with Pierre in the pharmacyand come out looking flushed but proudly sporting ankle supports. We stop for lunch and a Cup-a-soup in a small village and are kindly invited to dine in the local butcher’s front garden. Theafternoon passes, and the ankle supports seem to be working; Fran’s tendonitis is still troubling herbut we’ve made various adjustments to her bike and riding style and it seems to be containing it.We’re hoping to find a campsite or chambres d’hotes somewhere along the route, there’s little in theway of towns to head for so we’re relying on luck. We ask in the boulangerie but are told there’snothing in the way of hospitality nearby. However, a man in the queue behind tells us to accompanyus to the town hall where we might get help. Simon goes to meet Isabelle who suggests getting incontact with a small educational farm a little way out of town. She gives them a call and they havea room free, so after many thanks and refuelling at the charcuterie we head off into the countryside.

Its dark when we arrive at the farm. Paresh and Simon have the rather unenviable task ofwalking into a dining hall full of schoolkids in full lycra. We eventually find the owner who showsus to our room, which even has an en-suite. After cold showers we dine on leftovers.

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20th October, 2006 - Aolte Farm → St Martin enBresse, 87.7 mi, 571.7 mi.

As penitence for yet another night not under canvas we getup super-early and are on the road some time before sunrise.We have the roads to ourselves except for some passing deer,and as the mist rises it creates a beautiful light. Its one ofthe rare occasions where we can ride in a group, talk andappreciate how lucky we are to be witnessing such a beautifulmorning. We stop in a cafe for a hot drink and pick up someNutella for breakfast. At differing points in the day bothMarie and Paresh (both on Raleighs) have spokes snap, so wehave no choice but to go into Dijon and make repairs. Yetagain they’re fixed quickly and we’re able to get on our wayand stop for lunch and a patisserie in the centre of Dijon. Wealmost don’t notice the strange looks as we spread out thetravelling circus over two benches.

After Dijon the road flattens out perfectly and as the first rain falls, we’re able to power acrossthe plains, stopping only for brief Haribo or Nutella stops. As night arrives we’ve got no campsitesin mind but have information on chambres d’hotes in the area. Unbelievably they’re all full, so itsyet again a mad dash through the night to get a couple of rooms in the cheap but comfortable ‘HotelPuis Enchantes’. We celebrate passing what we estimate to be halfway with a bottle of wine anddinner.

21st October, 2006 - St Martin en Bresse → Anse, 80.7 mi, 652.5 mi.

The wine from the night before takes its toll and we’re a little late getting on the road, howeverwith the flat roads and us finding our fitness we gobble up the miles. We stop for a big lunch ona small jetty on the river Saone. Meeting the river feels very significant, we’ll stay in its valley allthe way to Aix-en-Provences and will trust it to take us through the mountains without having tostruggle over them. We power our way through Macon but its here we come to a stop as Fran feelsa powerful pain in her Achilles tendon that reduces her to tears. It seems that cycling in towns withits constant stopping and starting puts undue pressure on her ankle so we take it slow and steadythrough the town and reach a deceptively well-rated campsite.

We’ve been cycling from dawn to dusk for nine days, so with Lyon so close we decide to take ahalf day tomorrow. We’ll cover the 20 or so miles into Lyon in the morning and stay in the youthhostel there, giving us the afternoon to recharge our batteries, do some much needed washing, andmaybe even see some sights.

22nd October, 2006 - Anse → Lyon, 22.9 mi, 675.4 mi.

For once we’re able to have a leisurely breakfast by the river, followed by a coffee and tea in acafe. Its Sunday and the atmosphere here is decidedly different from that of what we’ve seen so far;from the isolation of Northern France we’re gradually getting used to busier roads and towns. Ourentry into Lyon is slightly delayed as Paresh’s navigation fails for the first time, but we find the cityand are forced up a major incline to make it to the hostel. Unlike at any other point, we’re actuallytoo early to get a room, so we’re forced to sit in the sun in the park next door for an hour or sobefore we can get to our room. The hostel is on the top of one of the mountains surrounding Lyonso we’re able to see the city sprawling below us from the balcony.

We get sorted out then make our way into town for lunch and a wander round the city and upto the cathedral. We pick up some food on the way back, where Paresh cooks up a tasty countryomelette as the rest of the team watch the Sideshow Bob-esque barman hitting on the female guests.

Fran says - ‘All I could think on that day was ‘please stop hurting!’’.

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23rd October, 2006 - Lyon → Tournons, 63.5 mi, 738.9 mi.

The Saone has now turned into the Rhoneand after an early start we’re soon battling thewind along its banks. Its a frustrating morn-ing that turns to disaster as Paresh collides witha roadside bollard, causing Marie to crash too.Paresh had been following closely behind Fran,who had likewise been sheltering behind Simon.Simon led the convoy a little too close to thebollards and, unable to see them, Paresh clippedone with his pannier and went down. Marie triedto take evasive action but collided with a bollardherself. Thankfully, there happened to be no carbehind them at that point, so they escaped un-harmed other than having a few bruised knees

and being a little shook-up. The accident has taken its toll on Marie’s bike though, the sheer weightof its load (each of us were carrying around 50kg of kit which meant the bike in total probablyweighed close to our own bodyweight) had caused the front forks to be forced back on impact.Thankfully, the bike was still rideable but was a little precarious to ride.

Paresh says - ‘All professional cyclists take a fall from time to time. You pick yourselfup, dust yourself off and try to learn your lesson’.

Its about lunchtime so we cycle on to the next town andtry to rouse the local bikeshop owner, but he’s closed for theday. We decide over lunch to press on and see if we can get theforks replaced at the next opportunity. Its been threateningto rain all afternoon but it eventually lets loose with a fewspits followed by torrential rain. After finding our intendedcampsite for the night, we realize its closed and have to cyclein more rain over the river to the next closest. We’ve beenunable to dry the tents from a previous heavy dew, so areconcerned they’ll leak during the night and resort to pitchingthem inner-only in the toilet block. There’s not that manycampers or caravaners, but those that are there seem to lookupon us with mild amusement rather than disgust. Its morelentils and rice for dinner before settling down for a thundery,but thankfully dry night’s sleep. According to the forecastthey’re having a second summer where we’re heading, we can’tget there quick enough.

Marie says - ‘Riding my bike with bent front forks felt incredibly unstable, and cyclingwas a real effort because my whole body position on the bike had changed, then it rained.That was definitely my low point of the trip’.

24th October, 2006 - Tournons → Le Courcorde, 53.3 mi, 792.1 mi.

We wake early and arrive into Valence on the look out for a bikeshop. We’re pushed around afew places before making it to Veloland. There’s a few nervous minutes as they search for a set offorks that are compatible. In the end they find a set that’ll fit but fitting them will be a bit morecomplicated than normal as they’re threaded, whilst Marie is unthreaded (her bike that is). So, wehave to wait until 3pm to pick the bike up. Unable to move anywhere, we spend the four hours

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drying out tents, eating, sunbathing, reading and eating. Thankfully its sunny and warm so theprescribed rest is not as bad as it could have been had it been a day earlier.

Three eventually arrives and it seems they’ve done a brilliant job and we’re back in workingorder again. After a brief illegal foray onto a motorway, and the obligatory ice-cream stop we finda campsite with a wonderful view of the local power station. Fran does us proud with Tuna pasta,as the stars come out and we get wrapped up for the night.

25th October, 2006 - Le Courcorde → Mentrinol, 84.9 mi, 877.0 mi.

We pack the tents away wet again after a heavy dew but are able to dry them out at lunch inAvignon after a good morning of ’road-training’ led by Paresh. The roads are long and straightand as the afternoon begins the wind picks up again and knocks off a good 2mph from our average.We have a campsite in mind but its off our maps and they haven’t been answering their phones.However the tourist officer has indignantly assured us that it is open, so we decide to take the riskand head for it. As night falls we go ‘off map’ and cycle on blindly into the wind. The road stretcheson but finally Simon spots a tiny sign by the road that directs us to our site. The place is desertedand no matter how long we shine our torches into the house we get no response. Just as we’re settingup camp a man comes over and in what we’re sure was perfect French says something to us thatneither French speakers (Fran and Simon) can understand. He doesn’t seem particularly upset anddoesn’t rip down our tents so we carry on as we were.

Les sanitaires are working but the lights keep shorting out so its a slightly surreal shower forthose of us who decide to do so. Dinner is veggie scrambled eggs with plenty of bread and wine.Spooked by being out in the middle of nowhere seemingly alone, Fran and Marie are only able todo things in pairs.

26th October, 2006 - Mentrinol → Reynairs, 48.8 mi, 925.8 mi.

We’re just wondering how to pay our camping fees when the owner appears and asks for arelatively expensive ¿24, given the lack of electricity. We’ve gone just a few hundred metres downthe road when Paresh realizes he’s lost his headtorch, again. We end up unrolling the tent and findit in a pocket in the innertent. Its a hot day and as we struggle to find what should be a well markedroad we take ourselves up a very steep climb unnecessarily. We eventually find the road but minormechanical problems add to the slight frustration; we know we are close to Monaco but still have afew days left to cycle.

Eventually the wind dies down and we come up against the first proper climb, everybody issurprised at how easily they reach the summit, and how much we’ve improved since London becomesevident. We get some lunch in Aix en Provence, which feels busy, and cloying, and are relieved toleave the city. Aix en Provence is close to its county border, so the tourist office has no informationon campsites other than those relatively close to it. We arrive at a possibility early evening anddecide to cut our losses on what has been a frustrating and slow day. With nothing on us fordinner we settle for pizzas which all look the same, and eat them on the only seating available - aroundabout. 27th October, 2006 - Reynairs → Agay, 75.3 mi, 1000.2 mi.

After the worst day of the trip, we’re determined to come back and are on the road at theearliest time so far. Re-motivated, we ride through St Maxime and Brignoles without lunch, and areseemingly within reach of St Raphael, our rendezvous with the south coast, for hours. Eventuallywe turn right off a city road and there it is - the ocean. The tourist office suggests a campsite alittle way down the coast, and despite almost getting run over by a rolling driver-less car, we arrivesafely and even have enough time for a quick swim and sunbathe. Another day like today and wecould be in Monaco tomorrow.

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28th October, 2006 - Agay → Menton, 67.5 mi, 1067.7mi.

We pack up our ocean front camp and head off in thedirection of Nice. We’ve no real idea how long it’s going totake for us to make our miles today, the coast road is verytwisty and if it became mountainous it could take some timeto cover distances. But as the sun rises over the ocean we havea better view of the road and it looks fairly level. We stopoff for a cup of tea and Nutella on baguette in Cannes, andmake the decision to try for Monaco today. Our last roadsidelunch is in Nice, and it gradually sinks in that we’re on our lastleg. From Nice to Monaco the road should be straightforward,but our progress is barred by work on a tunnel. We end uphaving to backtrack and climb over a 500m escarpment. Its along and draining climb, but a nice way to finish off the trip.From the top its a long downhill into our final destination,accompanied by congratulatory carhorns. Its been building

all day, but as the Monaco sign comes into view round a corner, we pullover and stand slightlydumbfoundedly on the roadside. We recruit various passers-by to take photos then head down intothe harbour for a sweet-tasting beer.

Its quite late and we still have to reach Menton some 13 miles to the east, where Fran’s parentswill be putting us up for the next few days before flying back, so we get back on the road and slowlyfinish of our trip. We recuperate with long days on the beach and long dinnertimes, before headingback to London and a post-Monaco world.

Paresh says - ‘Looking at the rest of the team in their London to Monaco 2006 kit ridinginto Monaco at last, I was filled with a sense of elation and knew the only reason we werethere was because we worked as a team’.

Fran says - ‘A common passion for cycling combined with lots of enthusiasm and a healthysense of humour, were the ingredients that made the L2M experience so memorable. Itwasn’t easy but I never felt alone so I always knew we’d make it’.

Marie says - ‘It wasn’t until a few days after the ride that I fully realized what we hadachieved. Our epic journey has bonded us not only as a team but as the best of friends,and this shared experience ensures we will never lose touch with each other in the future’.

Simon says - ‘Above all I was immensely proud of everyone. Everybody had had their baddays and their little obstacles to overcome but we never lost our ability to see the funnyside; I’ve never laughed as much as I did in those two weeks’.

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