Cycle Infor Heroes
On the 17th September 2015, Infor, along with some great sponsors, will be hosting our first charity cycle event from London to Paris. The ride started with the thought, “I could do with a physical challenge next year”. The casual chat of a L2P cycle ride with a couple of friends over a coffee, developed into, wouldn’t it be great for us to make it into a real team building opportunity? Then, many of us would have seen the sea of poppies outside the Tower of London and the start of the Invictus Games in London which made us wonder further – how lucky are we? Many of our family and friends have been impacted in some way, it’s definitely time to give a little something back. As a result, Cycle INFOR Heroes was born.
All riders will be pedalling for the Military Veterans’ Charity..
CLICK the buttons below TO BOOK YOUR PLACE FOR Either
the whole adventure or just the last day:
In the words of Prince Harry:
“So many of our Servicemen and women have made the ultimate sacrifice; so many lives have been lost and so many changed forever by the wounds that they have suffered in the course of their duties. For these selfless people, it is after the guns have fallen silent, the din of battle quietened, that the real fight begins – a fight that may last for the rest of their lives.“
This will be a fantastic experience for all involved and will offer you the chance to cycle between two of the world’s greatest cities taking in some magnificent landmarks along the way.
This is Not an average London to Paris
This will be a challenge even for the most serious of cyclists, but achievable for all with the amazing support of Ride25. You can cycle at your own pace with cyclists of similar ability…. so if you want to cycle an average of 20mph that’s fine or if you want to take it steady and soak up the scenery that is also fine, Ride25 will ensure a smooth event for all and no waiting around or feeling the pressure to go faster or slower than other people.
On top of that, everything will be organised for you by Ride25 including all your hotels, ferry trip, support vehicles, meals, snacks… even down to your own personalised cycling shirts, so that all you need to do is enjoy this amazing challenge, help raise £50,000 for Help for Heroes and ultimately have fun!
This event is proudly sponsored and supported by :
Here is some essential info about your Cycle Infor Heroes – Ride25 London to Paris Tour. Happy Cycling!
When?
Thursday 17th September 2015 – Sunday 20th September 2015. We will be cycling for 3 days in total from the Thursday to the Saturday, finishing with a celebratory dinner in Paris on the Saturday evening – and everyone will go their separate ways on the Sunday 20th September
START POINT – 7.30am Thursday 17th September
The Junction of Pall Mall and Waterloo Place London. SW1
Map HERE
Start Time:
7am – check-in and bag drop (you can also drop off your bike box if you have one here too)
7.45am – rider briefing
8am – depart and start pedalling!
N.B. – please make sure you have had some food and coffee before arriving at the start and also had a pee! (Although there is a great little Italian cafe not too far from the start point, for that last double espresso.)
The finish – Eiffel Tower, Saturday 19th September 2015
We will all finish at the Eiffel Tower on Saturday 19th September. We will aim to all arrive together and so will meet up just before the final stretch – don’t worry, we will brief you about this on the morning! Approximate time for arrival 4pm (NB: this is very approximate!) For those who are coming to meet you at the finish point, the Eiffel Tower is about 4 miles from the Gare du Nord and is easily accessible via public transport.
Hotels:
We will be staying in the following hotels during the trip
Brighton: Mercure – Brighton Seafront
Forges-les-Eaux: The Continental
Paris: Novotel – Eiffel Tower
(NB: hotels may be subject to change)
Evening meals:
Brighton:
After arriving in Brighton, we will have a few beers, freshen up and enjoy a meal at 8pm at Al Duomo – a lovely family run Italian restaurant.
Forges-les-Eaux:
We will eat as a group at the sister Hotel to the Continental just over the road – there is a great selection of food to give you plenty of energy for the follow day’s cycling.
Paris:
Infor are sponsoring a wonderful celebration meal in a amazing family run French Bistro at La Volant Basque, which is a short walk form our hotel.
The Route & Strava:
Please note that the route is not signposted and you will need to use either a Garmin or a phone downloaded with the Strava app to self-navigate. Please make sure that you have somewhere to mount your device and that you carry a portable battery charger.
Strava routes – please download:
(Android phone users: If you are going to be using an Android smartphone (not an Apple) please read the info above the video at the bottom of the page.)
You can print download the whole printable map. HERE
***We STRONGLY advise that you print this out and spend some time looking at the route as the routes are NOT sign-posted and it’s YOUR responsibility to navigate yourself to the agreed breaks, lunch and finish points, using the printed maps we supply, a Garmin or a mobile phone with the Strava App.***
We recommend that you always cycle in groups and never cycle alone.
Dress Code
Please don’t over pack as we will just have to carry all the overweight bags in our vans for 3 days.
As well as plenty of lycra, you only need a couple of t-shirts/tops and a pair of jeans – and your pjs! You will also have to carry all your own bags home.
Kit List
You will be given a Cycling Infor Heroes bespoke cycling kit which includes: 2 x cycling shirts, a pair of cycling shorts and a gilet before the event.
If you wish to buy extra pairs of shorts or shirts these can be purchased here:
Things you should consider buying and bringing on your London to Paris adventure….
- Overshoes
- Chamois Cream – lots
- Base Layers to wear under your cycling shirts
- Arm and Leg warmers – to carry with you in case it gets cold and or wet
- Cycling Gloves
- Helmet
- Sunglasses / clear lenses for glasses (if its not sunny)
- Large saddle bag with – 2 x spare inner tubes, puncture repair kit and tyre leavers
- Cycle pump or gas canisters
- 2 x large water bottles for hydration drinks and water – hydration tablets
- Energy gels if you have a favourite type
- Washing powder to wash the lycra in the shower at night
- Top bar bag for phone, wallet and energy stuff
- Phone mount if you are using Strava as a navigation tool
- Portable battery charger for mobile
- Garmin (or similar GPS navigation device) or Strava App for phone
Bags and Tags
We will carry all your bags, bike boxes and kit for you in the vans and will provide you with luggage tags when you check in on The Mall on the first morning. You may also want to have a small day bag/rucksack that you leave in the van which you will have access to at coffee stops and lunch time etc – we will provide a separate tag for this bag and you will check this bag into a different van to the overnight luggage as this will go straight to the end hotel. Things to put in day bag could be – leg/arm warmers, extra layers, waterproof jacket, additional energy etc.
Bringing your bike back to the UK – Bike Boxes
We will bring back you bikes in one of the Ride25 support vans and drop them off at the Infor office in Farnbrough on the Sunday after the ride, so you can collect them from the Monday.
Mechanical Support
We will have a bike mechanic on the trip to keep you rolling – however they are not there to change tubes when you get a puncture. You should be able to do this on your own! Please make sure you have had your bike serviced recently, most issues are normally cause by poor bike maintenance!
Sound Cycling Advice
Read one of our rider’s Tricia’s blog with advice for people doing their first long trip Part 1 and Part 2 – including a bit about why you should always ride commando!
Ride25 in the news
Read what the press has to say about our adventures so you can get a flavour of what you are in for…..
What’s included?
- Three nights’ accommodation in a clean, comfortable hotel (in Brighton, Forges-les-Eaux and Paris). All rooms will have twin beds and we will allocate you a room partner unless you specify who you would like to share with. (You may select a single supplement in the booking process if you prefer not to share)
- Ferry trip from Newhaven to Dieppe
- Three meals a day plus stops for snacks
- Support vehicle to transport your luggage (clothes and supplies) from each stage to the next
- Back-up vehicles to provide you with medical help and any assistance should you need a rest. There will also be a bike mechanic on hand and a Ride25 team leader.
- A digital map in the format of a .gpx file for mobile navigation devices such as Garmin. Or if you prefer, customised, waterproof route maps including essential directions and pitstops.
- Daily fresh fruit and water in the support vehicles
- Celebratory dinner
- Return bike transport back to a Farnbrough pick-up location in a Ride25 support van
- Energy bars and gels at coffee stops.
What’s not included?
- Flights / trains and transfers from Paris back to the UK – please organise your own way home – you might fancy making it a longer stay once you get there!
- A bike – we recommend that you use a road bike, but some of our riders have used hybrids and Bromptons in the past
- Personal Insurance
- Cake and coffee at the optional coffee stops
- Personal navigation device – please have a Garmin or a Smart phone mounted on your bike with Strava routes.
A simple guide below on “how to use strava routes on your mobile phone”. Click on the images to enlarge them. You can also download a PDF of this here:
Instructions for navigating for Android users: Duplicating the Route to your STRAVA account – ESSENTIAL for Android users.
Step 1
Open up the routes on a desktop/laptop computer.
Day 1 – London to Brighton: Click HERE
Day 2 – Before Ferry – Brighton to Newhaven: Click HERE Day 2- After Ferry – Dieppe to Forges Les Eaux: Click HERE
Day 3 – Forges Les Eaux to Paris: Click HERE
You will see a page like this:
Step 2
Click on the duplicate button above the map, give the route a logical name so you can find it later. It will now save the route to the map/routes section on your phone app – this works for both Apple and Android but is essential for some Android users.
Step 3
Log into the app and check the route is there – click on the MAP tab, then the SELECT A ROUTE tab.
Step 4
On the day you want to use the route click the USE ROUTE button, also remember to click record (if you want to track your ride) and then go back to the maps to use the navigation of the route.
