Charlotte's Web: 3 bikes, 1100km, 4 seasons and A LOT of croissants...

2 years ago (to the day!) of finishing cycling the coastline of Sri Lanka (see 'Around the Pearl' blog post, April 2015), I set off with two other intrepid cyclists (Anna 'Symmsie' Symms and Helen 'Frisby' Frisby) to ride the 1100km from Balham to our friends' Nico and Naomi's wedding on the Dordogne in the south of France.

Unlike Around the Pearl, this ride was completely unsupported so we had to carry all our own stuff, and with limited space in our bike packs we had to make some pretty tough decisions on kit. But over the course of the 9 days we went through every weather pattern, topography, food, drink, and emotion possible. From the long undulating expanses of northern France to the steep descents and hairpin climbs of the Auvergne... From doing star jumps to keep warm while our water bottles froze to eating alfresco and getting sunburnt... We rode through vineyards, along canals and rivers, up and down gorges and did the occasional bit of off-roading... We ate more croissants, baguettes, cheese and saucisson than we thought physically possible... and drank champagne (in Champagne) and chablis (in Chablis). You name it, we did it.

We were bowled over by the friendliness of the people we met along the way, managing to get 2 free rounds of drinks, extended lunch opening hours and lots of well wishes of 'bon route' from people who thought we were totally bonkers. At times (when unable to feel fingers or toes) we agreed with them, but most of the time we were too busy having fun. The encouragement we got from friends and family through our daily Facebook posts was a real boost during the tougher times, but mostly I'm so grateful for the support we gave each other. Keeping on smiling when you're hungry/cold/tired/sore isn't always easy, but every time one of us was having a low point, someone else would jump in with a joke, song or bottle of coca-cola. Thank you Symmsie and Frisby - badass memories for life (-:

The rest of this post is a collection of the daily Facebook posts, so stop here if you're already sick of us doing bike selfies (-;

Day 1 DONE! Balham to Newhaven 85km/900m climbing. Ending with fish and chips and a free round of drinks with the locals in The Hope pub in Newhaven.

Loaded up and ready to go

Nervous/excited butterflies setting off from Balham

Naomi (the bride) joined us for the ride down to the coast (-:

Getting used to peeing alfresco

Day one done - Me, Frisby, Symmsie and Naomi

At The Hope pub in Newhaven

Ready to board the overnight ferry

Day 2 has been BRUTAL. Dieppe to Compiègne. 175km/1100m climbing. After a 4 hour overnight ferry crossing from Newhaven to Dieppe, with little (Symmsie) to no (Frisby and me) sleep, we left Dieppe Port at 4am in the pitch black and below zero temperatures to join the Avenue Verte. With ice forming on our bikepacks and water bottles we resorted to doing star jumps every 1-2km to try to get back the sensation lost every time we returned to the bikes. It felt like the sun was never going to come up, but finally we left the Avenue Verte and made it to the small town of Formerie for 3 rounds of coffee and croissants to warm up in the sunshine. The rest of the day took us on some great bike paths along lakes, through forests, past fields of rapeseed and along rivers, finally landing us in the town of Compiègne where we've just refuelled on duck and creme brûlée. Now time for sleep!

Trying to stay warm by star jumping on the Avenue Verte

Finally! Breakfast in the sunshine

France = Orangina

Duck RE-FUEL

Day 3 theme song has been 'Champagne Supernova' by Oasis. Compiègne to Épernay. 115km/1050m climbing. After a MUCH better night's sleep and amazing breakfast, we continued east towards the champagne region through forests, sleepy villages and a LOT of very long straight undulating roads. Singing (mainly Frisby), terrible jokes (mainly me) and haribo crocodile jellies (all of us) got us through to Épernay where we've just refuelled on steak-frites and rehydrated on champagne. 'When in Rome (or Épernay)' and all that....

Champagne in Champagne

Steak RE-FUEL

The sun came back for Day 4 - Épernay to Chablis. Punchy day @ 165km/1200m climbing. Today was the first round of the presidential elections in France, so as well as vineyards, fields, woods, villages and canals, we also passed polling stations. This meant that hardly anything was open, so we stopped at a boulangerie in the morning and loaded up with baguettes and sausage rolls. Our morning coffee stop was also our second round of free drinks of the trip (see photo). Lots of interesting scenery today, but the inevitable 'boring bits' (long straight roads) meant more GAMES (having run out of pun jokes). One that kept us going for a good few km was a twist on 'My Aunt went to Paris...' so instead we did 'I went to a bike shop and bought... (in alphabetical order)...' Assos cream, brake pads, cleats, a derailleur, energy drinks, fingerless gloves, gels, a helmet, isotonic drinks, jelly beans, kryptonite lock, lights, maps, a night-vision jacket, oil, a pump, a quick link, a rear mech hanger, a seat post, a torque wrench, a usb charger, a valve, water bottle, X Lab top tube bag, yellow jersey bumsaver and zipp wheels. Can't believe I remembered all that (especially after my share of 2 bottles of Chablis)...

Veuve Cliquot selfie

Free round of coffees with the locals

Lunch transportation

Lunch by the canal

Afternoon babybel/snickers stop

Chablis in Chablis

Day 5 was HUMP day and marks our half way point of the ride. Chablis to Decize. 140km/1400m climbing. Sore bums, tired legs and the promise that 140km would be EASY compared to yesterday's 165km, meant we started the day with 'beaucoup de faffage'. Out of sync bladders (more regular pee stops), changes in temperature (arm warmers vs no arm warmers?), a lost map (me) and a close call at the morning coffee stop when Frisby nearly forgot her helmet (but obvs remembered to set her strava)... all led to another long day in the saddle. We arrived at our campsite about a hour after reception had closed, but called the very lovely lady to explain it was imperative we get the beer and pizza we'd been dreaming of for the last few hours. She then kindly drove us into the town to pick up beer (10 mins before the supermarket closed) and order pizza, which has just been delivered to our campsite... Over and out for Day 5.

E-bike trade in??

Canal day

Bridge dancing

Standard lunch

Clapham Chaser advert??

Hilly afternoon

Getting to know the campsite goats

Pizza and beer for dinner

Day 6 was officially our 'short day'. Decize to Vichy. But at 90km/450m climbing it still hasn't exactly counted as a day off! For the Chasers reading this, we approached it like a Windsor ride and clocked off the km when we could, aside from a bit of off-roading (see photos😂). Rain settled in with about an hour to go, and we arrived at our hotel completely drenched and dripping all over their shiny floor.😳Vichy is famous for its thermal spas so after the usual washing of kit, we hit the hotel spa for massages (Anna and Helen) and sauna/spa pool (me) and have just got back from a big buffet dinner at the only restaurant we could find open (getting used to the hit and miss opening times of eating places in France) where we crammed down three courses as well as stuffing our pockets with sweets and chocolate brownies for tomorrow's ride. More rain is forecast for tomorrow and temperatures look to stay in low single figures so please spare a thought for us in your warm/dry beds/houses/cars/offices!

#garminfail

Cyclo-Cross training??

Nothing like arriving at a Spa hotel dripping water all over their shiny floor

Ready for the spa

Day 7 has been the hardest one yet. Vichy to Bort-Les-Orgues. 99km/1750 climbing. After another look at the (below zero with rain) weather forecast and some much-appreciated advice from Nico and Naomi, we decided to do the first 40km of today's planned ride (139km) by train (Vichy to Riom). We're not out to win any medals, and after the freezing temperatures of Day 2 we know just how cold and miserable it can get. When our train was delayed, Anna and I did a quick dash to Decathlon to stock up on extra warm gear, and then we set off for Riom. The rain settled in soon after that, and after a quick stop up in Volvic (where we couldn't find the actual source so made do with a sign selfie), it quickly turned to SNOW!! A huge climb up to Col de la Nugére warmed us up, but the descent was brutally cold until we completely lucked out in finding a café that was willing to extend their Menu du Jour hours so we could temporarily warm up and enjoy a 3 course lunch, all for the bargain price of €12. We then set off again with 75km to go, grateful for any kind of hill so we could try to warm up between descents and flats. Singing songs about warmer weather also helped... 'We're all going on a summer holiday'... 'Walking on sunshine'... 'Sunshine on a rainy day' - mind over matter?! One more stop in Le Tour D'Auvergne for hot chocolate/coffee and we were on the home straight with 25km to go - through incredible Auvergne countryside, and then a final hair-pin descent in the Central Massif to the town of Bort-Les-Orgues and our SECOND 3 course menu of the day (please don't judge!)

Speedy Decathlon shop

Vichy Train Station

Bit different from spa slippers

Star jumps in the station tunnel to keep warm

Snow starts

Frisby looking way too happy about it

Pretty though (-:

Our first Col

With the chef who extended his lunch hours to feed the crazy cyclistes anglaises

Hot chocolate stop in the afternoon

Day 8 has been the hilliest of the trip. Bort-Les-Orgues to La Cave. 153km/1800km. But NO SNOW!! A tale of 2 halves, the first 80km were chilly and hilly (hairpins up from and down to the Dordogne), while in the afternoon the sun made an occasional appearance as we followed alongside the river for most of the way - stunning scenery with incredible limestone cliffs, gorgeous gorges and mountain castles in the distance. 'Frisby fun' off-road trails also featured again, with a particularly entertaining descent where we carried our bikes back down to the river. This time last week we were just boarding the ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe and this time tomorrow we'll be at the château for Nico and Naomi's wedding. It's hard to believe how much we've fitted into a week (and how many seasons!) but with 70km to go tomorrow, the end is finally in sight!

Starting off the day with a bridge dance in Bort-Les-Orgues

Looking over the Dordogne after a steep descent

'Frisby fun' trail

Late lunch in Argentat

Limestone gorges

Arriving at La Cave

Day 9 and WE HAVE FINISHED! La Cave to Coux-et-Bigaroque and THE WEDDING. 72km/500m climbing. Chilly but sunny. We even had enough time/warmth for a crepe stop in the stunning town of La Roque-Gageac. Now time to celebrate with the soon-to-be Msr et Mme Bonnefon (starting with a pre-wedding early bike ride tomorrow). It's been an amazing adventure and we're so grateful for all the support and encouragement (especially during the tough times). Here are some important lessons we've learned along the way: 1. There's no such thing as the wrong weather, only the wrong clothes (and you can spend €160 on cold weather kit in Decathlon in <10 mins). 2. There's a song for every mood, weather pattern and stage of the journey ("I can see clearly now the rain has gone"... "The Final Countdown"... "Turn-around"). 3. Every French town can be turned into a pun joke ("Are we Neuilly there yet?"... "Are Yzure we can go that way?") 4. Always get Jenny O'Brien to book your accommodation. Cycling jersey back pockets are perfect for loading up from the breakfast buffet. 6. You can never eat too much bread, cheese and saucisson (but you CAN eat too many fig rolls). 7. Never plot a route on ridewithgps on a hangover (unless you want to do a lot of off-roading/Frisby fun routes). 8. Remember that boulangeries close in the middle of the day.... 9. And that Menu du Jours sell out by 1pm. And 10. Keep onnnnn pedalling - and you'll get there in the end...