DAY 3: ABBEVILLE TO BEAUVAIS

“To overcome difficulties is to experience the full delight of existence.” ~ Arthur Schopenhauer

My roommate's alarm was the technological equivalent of someone screaming "WAAAAAKE UUUUUPPP!!!" directly into my ear. It works a treat.

Today we had a staggered start, to allow cyclists of all speeds to be nearer one another. It was a much smarter way of doing things, although I was surprised to see the odd speedy road biker still determined to set off before anyone else. WHY? Why would you do that when you could stay in bed an extra hour?? MADNESS.

As for Dorota and I, we set off early, and despite the initial stiffness we were both feeling energetic. Even though my knee hurt, the brace was helping, and I was determined to not let it stop me.

Up ahead we saw cyclists climbing up around the side of the hill, and we both prepared ourselves for the eventual walk up. (I being especially conscious of my knee.) But we attempted to cycle a little way at least. And then... kept going. And going. Wait... we just cycled up that big hill. DUDE, WHAT JUST HAPPENED? 

Clearly our legs had developed into SUPERLEGS and we were now equipped with hill-cycling powers we didn't have before. Awesome! There really is something magic about the moment you notice your fitness and strength increase. Seriously. MAGIC.

Our orange-arrowed route carried us through little villages, with quaint churches, and at one point we came upon some friendly horses. We stopped to say hello.

The entire day was absolutely stunning. The weather was perfect. I was in an INCREDIBLY good mood, cycling through the picturesque countryside, feeling fitter and more energetic than I ever had on this trip so far. This was what cycling was all about! Seeing the world under your own steam! "IT'S GOOD TO BE ALIVE!!" I thought to myself. (In fact, I might have said it out loud.)

The mood was only exacerbated by the support of the locals. Just before we reached the water stop, we all passed a little boy stood at the gate of his house, astride his tricycle. "Bonjour! Bonjour!" he squeaked, waggling his hand in a wave. He got very excited when all us grown up cyclists said "Bonjour" back. It was SO CUTE my brain nearly exploded.

After 20 miles we rolled up at the water stop, and found it busy with cyclists; something we hadn't seen before the staggered start was implemented. It made for a fantastic, lively atmosphere, and everyone seemed in great spirits. This was our shortest day yet (about 60 miles), and we only had 18 miles 'til lunch.
"Eighteen miles? Pah! SIMPLES!"

The afternoon offered some of the most beautiful cycling yet. Plenty of undulations, but manageable, and the beauty of our surroundings offered a VERY pleasant distraction.

The lunch stop was busier than the water stop had been. The sun was scorching and everyone sat out on the grass, dining on yet another phenomenal buffet lunch. Hot sausage pasta, salads, cheese, baguettes and potatoes. I even went back for seconds, although I probably didn't need it. 

My gears had also started skipping, despite getting them serviced a week before the trip. GAAH. So before I set off I had Andy the fantastic mechanic tune them up for me. I was definitely putting Claud through his paces!

We rolled on, with roughly 12 miles left to Beauvais. I had an insatiable craving for a sweet drink, so Dorota and I made a pit-stop in a town to pick up some bottles of lemon Powerade. For this trip I was carrying my water in a camelback, inside my lightweight rucksack (both on loan from Ben - thanks dude!). It was an extremely comfortable way to carry water; I could take up to three litres (although I generally just carried two) and it meant not having to fuss around with multiple bottles. The downside was that I didn't have the provisions to carry energy drinks or add sugar supplements. So the Powerade was AMAZING.

The afternoon water stop was more of a rest break than anything else. (I was still burning off my lunch.) But it WAS conveniently placed at the top of a very steep climb, so Dorota and I stopped to catch our breath and relax. Y'know, just for a moment.

Right! Powering on! And soon we were sailing into Beavais on busy roads. I found myself locked in a steady pace, Dorota behind, as we flew into the city centre. Dorota later told me we were averaging 17mph. (Not bad for hybrids, and certainly not bad for us!) We were both in a great mood, having found our stride and I was stoked about finally arriving early, rather than late.

On top of that, we saw our first signs for Paris!

We were, by all calculations, nearing the hotel, when we suddenly heard a short, sharp whistle. It was three of the other cyclists, waving us back. Apparently we were going the wrong way. One of the chaps had called James, who said the hotel was back in town. (The arrows we were following were for tomorrow, they said.) So we followed the three cyclists back into town, the way we had just come... but it wasn't long before we realised they didn't actually know where they were going! I was getting tired and annoyed by this stage. Dorota looked up the hotel on her iPhone and we discovered that we HAD been going the right way all along! In fact, when we'd turned around we had actually been less than half a mile away from the hotel. The three cyclists seemed determined to go with their directions, so we parted ways and followed the GPS, eventually rolling into the hotel with an unnecessary extra 8 miles under our belts!

It was tres annoying, but an innocent mistake.
To be honest, I had to laugh... another day, another detour! At this rate I was setting a record.

There were several other cyclists sitting outside the hotel drinking beer, and cheering our arrival, so Dorota and I decided to go straight to the bar and join them. (It feels OK to sit and drink in your sweaty cycling gear when you're surrounded by other people in their sweaty cycling gear as well.)

THE BEER WAS GOOD.

Showers, then back for more beer, although even though it was not yet 6pm, the hotel bar reported a beer shortage. Surely having 60 cyclists booked into their hotel months in advance would've ensured they had beer in their barrels? Apparently not. Soon the bottled beer ran short too. WINE it is then!
Wine... and LASAGNE.

It was great to get to know more of the other cyclists and hear their stories. Some were workmates wanting to test their limits for a good cause; some were relatives taking on a family challenge together; and others had their own personal motivation. One young cyclist was raising money for his grandmother, whom he was very close to, but who was suffering from Alzheimer's. I said she must be very proud of his achievement; he said, "She won't remember that I've gone." That made me want to cry. Everyone had their story, their reasons, their goals. Overall I came to realise that I was in the company of an extraordinary group of people.

After dinner the wine flowed, and a bunch of us sat outside listening to music on someone's iPod, and talking about first gigs, great bands, and other nonsensical campfire banter. It was a lot of fun, but eventually I dragged myself to bed, feeling suddenly very sad that tomorrow would be our last day.

Abbeville to Beavais: 60 miles (96.5km)
Additional miles cycled: 8 miles (12.5 km)
Total distance: 68 miles (109 km)