London - Paris
Discussion
I've only had a road bike for a few months and have a total of 300-400 miles under my belt (although I've been mountain biking for years). A friend of mine (who's had a road bike for even less time than me!) has suggested we both do London - Paris next summer and having a slightly sadistic streak I'm quite tempted.
He's suggested this one:
http://www.action.org.uk/london_paris
so I thought I'd get some views on whether i) I'm completely mental to be considering this having never even sat on a road bike until a few months ago and ii) whether this particular event is a good option or whether there are better ones out there (to be honest, I'm not sure what I should be looking for)!
My biggest concern is raising the £1400 in sponsorship they are asking for, which seems like hell of a lot to raise from a relatively small group of close friends and work colleagues, particularly as I hate asking people for money. What I'd probably do is pay the basic cost of the trip (£690-odd) which will take the pressure off a bit and allow me to reassure people that anything they sponsor me will go direct to charity and they won't be funding a jolly for me.
Any thoughts/advice/abuse welcome!
He's suggested this one:
http://www.action.org.uk/london_paris
so I thought I'd get some views on whether i) I'm completely mental to be considering this having never even sat on a road bike until a few months ago and ii) whether this particular event is a good option or whether there are better ones out there (to be honest, I'm not sure what I should be looking for)!
My biggest concern is raising the £1400 in sponsorship they are asking for, which seems like hell of a lot to raise from a relatively small group of close friends and work colleagues, particularly as I hate asking people for money. What I'd probably do is pay the basic cost of the trip (£690-odd) which will take the pressure off a bit and allow me to reassure people that anything they sponsor me will go direct to charity and they won't be funding a jolly for me.
Any thoughts/advice/abuse welcome!
of course its possible, you should have plenty of time to get the miles in between now and next summer as well as learn about recovery/injury prevention exercises, nutrition and all that stuff which is seemingly synonymous with longer distance rides.
these events are pretty good in terms of support and camaraderie so i dont think you will have that much trouble. you should be able to cycle 60-80 miles on four consecutive days and you wont suffer. a worthwhile training acquisition would be a gps/heart rate monitor so you can see your route/elevation data etc and learn abit about how your body copes with the distances.
paying your own costs is a fair thing to do, i get irked when people have a nice holiday funded by "sponsorship"
these events are pretty good in terms of support and camaraderie so i dont think you will have that much trouble. you should be able to cycle 60-80 miles on four consecutive days and you wont suffer. a worthwhile training acquisition would be a gps/heart rate monitor so you can see your route/elevation data etc and learn abit about how your body copes with the distances.
paying your own costs is a fair thing to do, i get irked when people have a nice holiday funded by "sponsorship"
We could always organise a PH run.
I did it over 2 days:
It was about 75 miles on the first day and 110 on the second I think.
I did it over 2 days:
- Sat: down to Newhaven, ferry over to Dieppe.
- Sun: early start, Paris mid afternoon, and coach back.
It was about 75 miles on the first day and 110 on the second I think.
TheGreatSoprendo said:
Doesn't that come up a bit short? The one I linked to above is 325 miles or 297 miles over 4 days, depending on which route you opt for....
Do it, it's a great challenge. I did this in 2009 with the same charity. Very well organised, lots of help with ideas etc for raising funds. RE: training, it's all about getting time in the saddle. You've got plenty of time to get fit between now and July 2012.
TheGreatSoprendo said:
louiebaby said:
It was about 75 miles on the first day and 110 on the second I think.
Doesn't that come up a bit short? The one I linked to above is 325 miles or 297 miles over 4 days, depending on which route you opt for....Dieppe to the Arc Du Triomphe at 103 miles, but we got a bit lost getting into Central Paris.
I wasn't far out. The ferry took 4 hours, and had showers on board, we stayed the night in Dieppe at a boring motel place, but really, I just slept solidly for all the hours I could.
dubbs said:
http://www.londres-paris.com/site/html/the_tour/2012_entry.phpWow, all that for only £1185. How do they do it and still make a profit?
dubbs said:
Cheap it isn't but from what I have heard it's good value with really good hotels, rolling road blocks so non stop riding with FULL support. Decent hotel and party afterwards then eurostar paid for to home plus transport back to start are also available to purchase at extra cost.
Fixed that for you. 
scubadude said:
Frankly I think it would be far more interesting NOT to pay £1000+ and just get a ferry ticket and ride it with a few mates.
Sounds like abit of a nanny event for those who needs their bums wiping for them otherwise (no offence intended)
Sounds like abit of a nanny event for those who needs their bums wiping for them otherwise (no offence intended)
A quick check on LD Lines website gives a ferry price of £35 return from Newhaven to Dieppe and you should be able to find a Chambre d'Hôte for less than €50 for the night split between two of you for a twin room.
A grand for someone to carry your bag for you!
What you mention is the biggest problem with this sort of thing - issues around sponsorship and costs. As you're morally right to be putting your hand in your own pocket for the stuff *not* going to the charity and raising the rest, it does seem like an awful lot of money for a 4-day trip.
The ferry and Eurostar shouldn't be more than about £70, 2-3* hotels in the middle of nowhere in northern france won't be much, then there's food and whatever value you place on the support and not organising anything yourself.
A mate was suggesting something similar - I'm of the opinion that it's not hard to DIY, lots of routes have been published (including a planned "avenue verte" route that's mean to be completely done by the 2012 games), GPS units are cheap if you don't have one, either go in light touring mode with a big saddlebag with spare kit, or rope in a partner to drive a support vehicle with our stuff, meet at hotel or call to meet us if needed.
It's not like it's the back of beyond - even having a support vehicle seems a bit OTT. It's just a bike ride for a few days.
The ferry and Eurostar shouldn't be more than about £70, 2-3* hotels in the middle of nowhere in northern france won't be much, then there's food and whatever value you place on the support and not organising anything yourself.
A mate was suggesting something similar - I'm of the opinion that it's not hard to DIY, lots of routes have been published (including a planned "avenue verte" route that's mean to be completely done by the 2012 games), GPS units are cheap if you don't have one, either go in light touring mode with a big saddlebag with spare kit, or rope in a partner to drive a support vehicle with our stuff, meet at hotel or call to meet us if needed.
It's not like it's the back of beyond - even having a support vehicle seems a bit OTT. It's just a bike ride for a few days.
dubbs said:
I did that in 2008 and it was mega! Unfortunately it has now got out of hand in terms of both cost and popularity when you have to enter a ballot to secure a place at that price.sjg said:
What you mention is the biggest problem with this sort of thing - issues around sponsorship and costs. As you're morally right to be putting your hand in your own pocket for the stuff *not* going to the charity and raising the rest, it does seem like an awful lot of money for a 4-day trip.
The ferry and Eurostar shouldn't be more than about £70, 2-3* hotels in the middle of nowhere in northern france won't be much, then there's food and whatever value you place on the support and not organising anything yourself.
A mate was suggesting something similar - I'm of the opinion that it's not hard to DIY, lots of routes have been published (including a planned "avenue verte" route that's mean to be completely done by the 2012 games), GPS units are cheap if you don't have one, either go in light touring mode with a big saddlebag with spare kit, or rope in a partner to drive a support vehicle with our stuff, meet at hotel or call to meet us if needed.
It's not like it's the back of beyond - even having a support vehicle seems a bit OTT. It's just a bike ride for a few days.
Agree with most of it. I think the costs for Action medical is approx £500 and the rest goes to charity. So not too bad. RE the motorbike outriders. That would be awesome for the trip, I'd love that. Rolling road closures. The ferry and Eurostar shouldn't be more than about £70, 2-3* hotels in the middle of nowhere in northern france won't be much, then there's food and whatever value you place on the support and not organising anything yourself.
A mate was suggesting something similar - I'm of the opinion that it's not hard to DIY, lots of routes have been published (including a planned "avenue verte" route that's mean to be completely done by the 2012 games), GPS units are cheap if you don't have one, either go in light touring mode with a big saddlebag with spare kit, or rope in a partner to drive a support vehicle with our stuff, meet at hotel or call to meet us if needed.
It's not like it's the back of beyond - even having a support vehicle seems a bit OTT. It's just a bike ride for a few days.
If I want to get a tourer, panniers and toodle along to Paris, I'll grow a beard, buy a Dawes and thoroughly enjoy it as a DIY voyage of Northern France discovery.
If you don't see the difference between a fully supported event and DIY then you're after something else out of the trip. Doesn't suddenly make a touring trip "hardcore" and a supported one "bum wiping" FFS
Now.... A PH London to Paris with a couple of vans providing support could be good...
If you don't see the difference between a fully supported event and DIY then you're after something else out of the trip. Doesn't suddenly make a touring trip "hardcore" and a supported one "bum wiping" FFS
Now.... A PH London to Paris with a couple of vans providing support could be good...
I tend to agree with Dubbs. Whilst I'm all for saving a few quid (and not having to get sponsorship) the support element, in particular, is very appealing. Having to carry all your clothing/washing gear/whatever on the bike with you would really diminish the enjoyment for me I think (it pisses me off just having to carry a laptop and a few other bits on my 7 mile commute). Added to that is the fact that, due to the support, you don't need to worry (so much) if you have some kind of mechanical failure or injury or accident and that they transport your bike back for you at the end (if you DIY'd it, could you take your bike back on the Eurostar?).
When you look at what you get for your £690 (4 nights accomodation, meals, ferry, Eurostar, transport home for your bike, and trip support) it doesn't seem like such bad value. That said if we could arrange some kind of supported PH trip where we all chipped in for fuel, etc, I'd certainly be up for it.
When you look at what you get for your £690 (4 nights accomodation, meals, ferry, Eurostar, transport home for your bike, and trip support) it doesn't seem like such bad value. That said if we could arrange some kind of supported PH trip where we all chipped in for fuel, etc, I'd certainly be up for it.
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