Starting at the London Eye and ending at Notre Dame, the 247 mile route takes riders on a challenging but rewarding journey through towns, villages and beautiful countryside on both sides of the Channel.
Cycling from London to Paris — 300-some kilmoeters over a period of three days, between two major cities in different countries — sounds like an activity for healthy young enthusiasts on featherweight carbon-fibre bikes.
Meet your humble narrator
At 54 years old, I’m past the middle-age crazy stage (I hope). L2P is a ride I want to ride for the fun of it, not to check something off a list or show someone something.
I try to cycle a few hours each weekend at least, but it’s been a couple of years since I did 140km in one day (as we’ll be doing on Day 2 of the ride).
Thanks to my active lifestyle and a careful dietary regimen designed to lower the levels of uric acid in my blood, I now weigh more than I ever have in my life. One of my goals for this ride is to lose weight before it begins.
From historical trends, it looks like temperatures will be in the low to mid teens, but could reach into the 20s as well. Not a huge chance of rain overall, but I believe Fearless Leader Joe said it rained the whole tour last year.
In other words, we have to be prepared for pretty much anything.
After watching as my friend Joe accomplished this tour no less than three times over the past couple of years, I’ve committed this year to joining him in cycling from London to Paris over three days. Follow along here as I outline the preparations and — hopefully — join the group on the pavement.