Peterborough to Paris Essential Info
**Please note: the new start location for the ride is at the Bretton office
(and not the Lynch wood office)**
Not long to go now until your Thomas Cook Children’s Charity Peterborough to Paris cycling challenge! Here’s some essential information about your tour…
When?
Tuesday 14th June – Sunday 19th June 2016. We will be cycling for 5 days in total from the Tuesday to the Saturday, finishing with a celebratory dinner in Paris on the Saturday evening – and everyone will depart Paris to return back to the UK on the Sunday 19th June 2016.
Info required from you ASAP please!
On the morning of Day 4 of your ride we will be crossing over to France from Newhaven to Dieppe. The ferry company requires all passenger passport details before the crossing. Therefore, please can you fill in the form on this page ASAP so that we can pass this information on? Thank you!
Things for you to organise/think about before your trip
Please ensure that you have had your bike serviced before the ride so that it is in tip-top condition.
Only the first day (i.e. Peterborough to Bletchley) the route will be signposted. The rest of the route will not signposted and so you will need to use either a Garmin or Strava on your phone for navigation. If you are using your phone as a navigation device, please ensure that you have somewhere to mount your device and that you carry a portable battery charger. You can download the route from the links below under the section ‘The Route & Strava’.
START POINT – 8am Tuesday 14th June 2016
MEET-UP/REGISTRATION – 8AM
Please arrive in good time at the Bretton office in Peterborough for registration and a briefing from the Ride25 team. Here you will receive your 5 x cycling jerseys and 1 x cycling gilet plus your luggage and bag tags (see below for more information about your luggage/bags).
‘GRAND DEPART’ – 8.45am
After a group photo all riders will depart on our adventure at 8.45am.
The finish – Eiffel Tower, Saturday 18th June 2016
We will all arrive for our triumphant finish under the Eiffel Tower on Saturday 18th June. 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 depending on how fast you are pedalling by day 5!)
Hotels
We will be staying in the following hotels during the trip
Day 1: Milton Keynes: Doubletree Hilton Milton Keynes
Day 2: Woking: Doubletree Hilton Woking
Day 3: Brighton: Mercure – Brighton Seafront
Day 4: Forges-les-Eaux: The Continental
Day 5: Paris: Novotel – Eiffel Tower
(NB: hotels may be subject to change)
Getting back to the UK on the Sunday 19th June
You are booked on the 10.07 Eurostar train from Paris to London St Pancras on Sunday the 19th June. For any information regarding this, please speak to Aoife McDonogh or Terri Flack.
What’s included?
5 nights’ accommodation in good quality 3 or 4 star hotels (in Bletchley, Woking, Brighton, Forges-les-Eaux, Paris)- Breakfast, lunch and evening meals
- Ferry travel from Dieppe to France
- Eurostar travel from Paris back to London on Sunday 19th June
- Coffee and cake at designated stops
- Drinks – all hot drinks and non alcoholic drinks
- 5 personalised fantastic quality cycling jerseys for use on your trip
- 1 personalised fantastic quality cycling gilet
Back-up vehicles to provide you with medical help and any assistance should you need a rest – including a mechanic and a first aider- A digital map in the format of a .gpx file for mobile navigation devices such as Garmin
- Commemorative cloth map of the route
- Fresh fruit and water in the support vehicles
- Transportation of your bike back to Peterborough from Paris (in a Ride25 van)
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?
- A bike (please see section on bike requirements below)
- A cycling helmet
- Personal travel insurance
Dress Code
Please don’t over pack as we will just have to carry all the overweight bags in our vans for 5 days.
As well as plenty of lycra, you only need a few t-shirts/tops and a pair of jeans/shorts – and your pjs! You will also have to carry all your own bags home.
Kit List
You will be given 5 x cycling shirts when you check-in
Things you should consider buying and bringing on your Peterborough 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
- Gloves
- Helmet
- Sunglasses / clear lenses for glasses (if it’s 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
- Energy gels
- 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
- Also, check out our really useful Ride25 blog on the Essential Tour Kit List
Bags and Tags
We will carry all your bags and kit for you in the vans and will provide you with luggage tags when you check in 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
We will transport your bike back to Peterborough in a Ride25 van for collection on arrival back in the UK. (Please note they will be ready for collection a couple of days after you arrive back)
Mechanical Support
We will have a bike mechanic on the trip to keep you rolling – however, for your own enjoyment it is best if you know how to fix a puncture on your own. Please make sure you have had your bike serviced recently, as most issues are normally caused by poor bike maintenance.
Your safety
We have carried out a risk assessment for each day of your tour and you will be given a safety briefing from the Ride25 crew in the morning before you depart. We recommend that you always cycle in groups and not alone. Please also ensure that you wear a helmet.
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!
Training tips
There are plenty of training tips and training plans around. Find one that suits you and your schedule and give yourself enough time so that you are fully ready for when the time comes to complete the ride.
We have plenty of training advice here and you can also watch our video from tips from previous Ride25 riders here and also a great GCN video on how to train for long bike rides here.
Indoor training is also really useful (especially in the winter) so check out our advice on indoor watt bike training here.
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:
Day 2 – Bletchley to Woking
Day 3 – Woking to Brighton
Day 4 pre ferry // Day 4 post ferry – Brighton to Forges-les-Eaux
Day 5 – Forges-les-Eaux to Paris
(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 will also receive a cloth map to get you back on track in emergencies. You will receive this when you check in on the first day. Please take a look ahead of your journey, you can print download map. HERE
***We STRONGLY advise that you 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 a Garmin or a mobile phone with the Strava App/Ride25 app.***
We recommend that you always cycle in groups and never cycle alone.
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 – Peterborough to Bletchley
Day 2 – Bletchley to Woking
Day 3 – Woking to Brighton
Day 4 pre ferry // Day 4 post ferry – Brighton to Forges-les-Eaux
Day 5 – Forges-les-Eaux to Paris
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.
