Le 20 août - PARIS

Jeff writes:

18h00
We make our way to starting line. We are penned in like cattle bystarting time and separated into groups of 500 riders. Incredibly, we are separated from Melinda immediately. There was much waiting around. The crowd is amazing. Fireworks. Singing. TdF-like banners. Wild. The rain had not started but you could feel that it was on it's way. The temperature was 15 degrees Celsius.

20h15
We're off! 500 of us start. Folks are hammering then braking like mad when we go into the turns and rotaries. No way I'm going to do this for the next 1200K! There's no way to get to the front so I pop off the back and ride a bit more sensibly. Soon enough, we're out of the city and cranking along in the dark forest. Our bliss is short lived however as the rain and wind begin. With all the riders, you can't really look down at the road, only at the riders in front of you. Riders peeling off of the group for mechanical or nature breaks risk being run over as riders hammer on by. This is probably the most stressful 80 miles I'll ever ride.