"When it comes to cycling I’m a bit of a binger. Days can pass and my trusted bike will sit in the shed gathering cobwebs, then one morning I’ll wake up in the mood for a ride and cycle 80-100 miles in one hit. And it won’t be on the flat either – I live in Surrey so round every corner there’s incline that’s like a smack in the face! I’d had a bit of a quiet period on the cycling front earlier in the summer, so when I got the opportunity to cycle from London to Paris, I jumped at the chance. Just one problem, though. How do you go from cycling the odd weekend to a full-on 200-mile endurance ride in just 24 hours? I was about to find out..."
"Although I’m a PT and fitness instructor – and, I like to think, reasonably fit – that doesn’t always translate to other sports. So I tweaked my regular training by upping my Spin sessions to three a week and completed a few 100-mile rides. I also focused a lot on core and lower-body workouts, while upping my carb intake the week before the event."
A different kind of race
"When race day came and I felt confident and exited about the challenge ahead. As I arrived at the start line in Greenwich Park at 2:30pm, something immediately felt different. I didn’t see the other cyclists checking each other out the way they do at most races – eyeing up the competition and trying to decide who they had to beat. Instead, they were chatting, laughing and telling stories of how much they had (or hadn’t!) trained."
"After a pep talk from the cycle support team and event organiser Sophie Radcliffe (@challengesophie), we were all pumped and ready to go. We hit the streets of London in two packs, Sophie leading ours, and made our way to Newhaven, where we would get the ferry to Dieppe. The roads were busy, but we travelled safely in groups. That’s not to say we didn’t annoy at lot of people, especially when a pack of 40 were crossing the roundabout – I can still hear the echo of car horns! Generally, though, we felt pretty safe and made good headway."
"I noticed early on that there were no egos, barging or race tactics getting in people’s way. I’ve taken part in many races, so this was really refreshing to see. It soon became clear that this event wasn’t about winning, but taking part, finishing as a team and having a memorable, fun experience."
"It took us less than hour to get out of London and onto quieter roads. And no sooner had we left the traffic behind we all relaxed a bit, rode side-by-side and exchanged stories and reasons why we’d taken up this crazy challenge. Sophie made sure she rode with both groups, getting to know everyone individually – she is such a great motivator. And throughout the route there were checkpoints where the support team offered us food, drinks and never-ending moral support."
Night riders
"Coming into Newhaven, the heavens opened. I don’t mind the rain, but it’s not for everyone and a few happy faces turned soar and the pace slowed. With the dark sky closing in it gave me a chance to test out a particularly awesome set of front lights, the XEO19R by LED Lenser (£249.99; ledlenser-store.co.uk). Now, if you could forget the fact that the rain was battering you in the face, it actually seemed like you had a pair of car headlights on, they were that good! With two adjustable beams and a range of 300m, they are a serious bit of kit. It was a mixture of laughter and silent faces when we hit the pub in Newhaven for dinner that night. The group had a mixture of abilities, ranging from first-timers at this distance to people who do 200-plus miles regularly. I was somewhere in the middle, so felt quietly confident while trying to ignore the soggy pants!"
"The crossing took four hours and unfortunately even a change of clothes and the dry didn’t bring much relaxation. Adrenalin was still pumping and I was ready for the next stage. We checked the map to see what the next stage had in store. There were two long drawn-out hills, but generally it looked good, and the thought of cycling through some old French villages got us so excited we had no sleep at all!"
Vive la France
"Disembarking at Dieppe, the team had a quick refuel thanks to PowerBar, and we headed out in packs in the dark, our lights creating a disco effect all around us. It was raining again, though, and cold, and the lack of sleep was taking its toll on some. But I thought to myself, ‘When do you ever get the chance to do this?’ The roads were clear and, due to the effect of everyone’s lights, the rain looked like diamonds falling from the sky. I’m pretty sure I cycled the next 50 miles with a massive smile on my face!"
"Waving to the sun as it rose, we powered on, passing through winding roads and alongside farmers fields instead of the busy streets of London.Cycling through small French villages was just magical. The world was still asleep and we got to see it in all its glory. I will never forget coming into a tiny village with the scent of freshly baked bread, filling the air."
"Around 40 miles from the end of the race, one of the checkpoints was right on the edge of the Seine. Now, you don’t see people in regular races stopping to take photos as it’s all about winning, but as this is a sportive, people wanted to enjoy the scenery as well as the ride, so we couldn’t resist taking a pit stop to capture the moment. A sportive is about taking part not being on the leader board."
"We rounded a few more corners, and saw the Eiffel tower make a brief appearance through the tall buildings of the city. ‘Not far now,’ we thought. The city centre was slightly disorientating, especially as most of us were sleep deprived at this point, but this was the time to dig deep, work as a team and get to that finish line. Finally, we crossed the road and battled our way through the mass of crowds at the foot of the Eiffel tower. Crossing the line with a few hours to spare felt wonderfully empowering. A glass of champagne, a lot of high–fives and a few precious moments to soak up what we had just achieved was the perfect end to an amazing journey."
So, what do you need to complete a 24-hour sportive; team work, motivation oh, and a good pair of padded pants! A massive thank you to Sophie who created such an epic event and I’m sure there’ll be more to follow. Also, huge thanks to the Cycle-friendly support team for all the cups of tea, amazing homemade cakes and most of all, the laughs and memories!"
For more information and inspiration check out @challengesophie.
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