London to Paris day 3: Arras to Compeigne, 16 September 2016

Currently confined to the sofa with an injury, I look back to the third day of September’s epic London to Paris challenge

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Distance: 122km
Average speed: 17.1kph
Maximum speed: 48kph
Elevation gain: 875m
Biggest climb: 193m
Time: 7:03

THIS was the most enjoyable day for me. Body and mind were prepared for another day’s riding, and it certainly helped that this was a shorter and flatter ride. The wind had dropped, too, and importantly after lunch we would be out of the monotony of the agricultural landscape and into forest.

But what made the most fun, the most pleasurable, was the best descent I’ve ever experienced. We were warned that there was a challenging climb straight after the lunch stop at Hallu. But maybe I was getting more used to ascending, because it just didn’t seem that difficult. And the reward, the descent, was simply amazing.

The road itself was super smooth – as were most of the French roads – making it easy to really pick up the pace. It wound gracefully through the forest, zig-zagging nicely, and was just about the right steepness. It was so much fun - at the next rest stop everyone, even the mechanics, asked how much we’d enjoyed it. The answer? Very, very much!

The most fun, the most pleasurable, was the best descent I’ve ever experienced

The landscape was much more inspiring on this day. We cycled through some gorgeous little villages, while going through the forest was amazing.

It wasn’t all great, though. That pain in my thigh had migrated to my left knee. It wasn’t prohibitively bad, but it was almost constant. I was also tired - I noted that my recovery time following climbs had increased. I hadn’t really got any slower on climbs, but getting back up to speed after them was definitely taking longer.

Our lunch stop at Hallu was right next to this very picturesque church.

It was at this point that I – a confirmed atheist – was thanking God for my Threo cycling shorts. Almost everyone was complaining of pain and rawness ‘down below’, some even had the most awful-sounding sores and blisters. I was feeling about as comfortable as is possible after three days of seven hours in the saddle. I’m not in any way affiliated with Threo, but I would highly recommend checking the company out. The shorts really were good - excellent fit, comfortable to wear and with a chamois that really did the job.

The day ended in the town of Compeigne. Tomorrow would bring the final day of the challenge.