Wanna do the Paris Triathlon? What you need to know

Paris Triathlon details

• The Paris Triathlon usually takes place in June. There is a sprint distance, which is what I did - 550m swim, 21km bike, 6km run - that takes place on the Saturday. The Olympic distance race - 1500m, 40km, 10km run on the Sunday.
• The event is based at Parc de la Villette in the 19th arrondissement, with the swim taking place in the Ourcq Canal. 
• The bike route goes into central Paris and back, passing some well-known landmarks. On both distances you go via the Canal St Martin to Republique, through Bastille, and along the River. In the sprint race the riders do a U-turn at Place de la Concorde to return to Parc de la Villette. 
• In the Olympic distance the riders go up Champs Elysees and do a stint through the Bois de Boulogne before returning to the triathlon event village. 
• Parts of the course have cobbles, though not extensively. Also be careful of sharp right or left-hand turns, and check around you before changing your line.
• The race is supposedly non-drafting, but with the numbers and on this type of fast, mainly flat course it's hard to avoid doing so!
• The run goes up one side of the Ourcq Canal, heading East to the suburb of Pantin, then crosses the canal at the half-way point to head back to the finish line in the event village.
• This year, for the first time they included a duathlon, based on the distances in the sprint triathlon. Competitors did the same as the sprint triathletes but the swim was replaced with a 5km run.
• Around 5000 athletes take part across all three distances over the two days.
• It's a mass participation event open to anyone fit enough. The sprint triathlon is accessible to people who are new to the sport, with a cut-off time of around 3 hours to complete the race.
• To take part, you need to have either a medical certificate stating a non-contraindication to doing competitive triathlons, or a triathlon licence from your country's triathlon federation. If you don't have an annual French Triathlon Federation licence you need to buy a French Triathlon Federation day licence for a nominal fee.
• Given the numbers of people taking part in the event, you need to rack your bike in transition the day before the event.
• The organisers seem quite relaxed about the closing date for entry. I entered the triathlon just a week prior to the event! But bear in mind that when uploading accompanying documents (triathlon licence/medical certificates) as part of the on-line entry process the organisers recommend that you allow a couple of weeks for them to validate your documents.
• The events start around 7am, so you need to get public transport around 5.30/6am, depending on which part of Paris you're in. The metro is running at that time and the most convenient stop is Porte de Pantin on line 5.
• On the morning of the event you need to be in your start pen about 30 minutes before your start time.
• The walk from transition to the start pens is around 800m (half a mile) along grass, trails and cobbles. The organisers advise people to wear old trainers which can then be left in designated boxes and donated to charity. I didn't have old trainers so just wore a few pairs of old socks. 
• As with all major events, there's a bit of a queue for the portaloos, so allow lots of time.
• There is a staffed bag-drop area for your post-race gear, though there are no changing rooms or showers. Some people just got changed in the grassy area around the event. I was happy to cycle back to my lodgings after the race and get changed there. 
• If you don't want to take your bike or a wetsuit, for an extra fee you can hire a "triathlon package" for the event from the organisers. It includes a bicycle and a wetsuit, plus other triathlon gear.
• There's a great atmosphere at the event, with lots of spectators.
• The 2024 date has not yet been announced, though it is possible to register your interest in order to receive news about it, including the date.

My logistics for the race

• I travelled to Paris from London with my bike. I packed down my triathlon gear (including my wetsuit) very small so that they fitted into my bikepacking bags - one on the saddle, and the other on the handlebars. I also carried a small rucksack.
• I caught a train from East Croydon to Brighton and then cycled to Newhaven. There was the option to catch a train from Brighton to Newhaven Town.  You can also go by train from East Croydon to Newhaven Town (with a changeover at Lewes). There was a further option to ride from Crystal Palace to Newhaven, but I didn't have the time to do that! Train tickets cost anything from £9 to £29 depending on which route you take, and if you book in advance on-line to travel on Thameslink or Southern Trains.
• I got the 5pm ferry to Dieppe and arrived there at 10pm local time. Ferry tickets cost around £28 each way with DFDS, though can be a bit higher depending on the service.
• My accommodation for the night was an apartment less than 10 minutes away from the Ferry terminal. Newhaven is quite a compact town. There are also reasonably priced hotels nearby. The flat cost around £40, while the hotels are a little bit more.
• It was possible to get a train from Dieppe through to Paris (with changeover at Rouen). Both trains are regional (TER) so you just carry your bike on and put it in the provided bike space for free. You can buy tickets at the train station, but these days the French railway company, SNCF, are on a drive to get people to book on-line via their portal SNCF Connect. You are then more likely to get cheaper fares in advance. Also, if you book on-line then you can make changes to your ticket. Fares vary alot - from about 12 Euros to 30 Euros. 
• If you're feeling really energetic you could ride the 120 miles all the way to Paris. Or you could go part way and ride about 35 miles to Rouen, or 60 miles to Beauvais then get a train to Paris. I cycled 20 miles to Auffay and then got on a train.
• The train from Rouen arrives at Gare Saint-Lazare, while a train from Beauvais goes to Gare du Nord, both stations being in central Paris.
• I stayed in an Aparthotel at Maisons-Alfort, a nearby suburb of Paris, just to the East and next to the 12th and 13th arrondissements of the city. It was close to the woods (Bois de Vincennes) and was on the metro (line 8, Balard-Creteil). Bear in mind that Paris is a very compact city, and although I was in the suburbs I was still only about a half-hour bike ride from the touristic parts of Central Paris.
• Staying in an apartment meant that I could go self-catering and eat the food that suited me for the event. Where I stayed was very conveniently located close to a supermarket.
• The triathlon took place in the Parc de la Villette, in the 19th arrondissement, North-East of Paris. It was about a 40-minute cycle ride from where I was staying. Once the triathlon was done it was an easy bike ride to get back to my lodgings.
• The metro took around the same amount of time on the morning of the event, and involved a changeover at Bastille to get to Porte de Pantin.
• Getting home to London was fairly straightforward. I got a train from Paris St Lazare in the late afternoon on Sunday and then took the overnight ferry to Newhaven, then cycled to Brighton to get the train to East Croydon. I was originally booked onto a Sunday morning train in order to get the afternoon ferry from Dieppe, but a puncture meant I missed my train. However, it was straightforward forward to change my train ticket on-line. As it was the weekend, DFDS phone line was closed, so I did have to buy a new ferry ticket. Then the next day I just transferred the original ticket to a another trip in the future. I will definitely be making a trip to Paris with my bike in the future. It's one of my favourite itineraries!

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Another year, another trip to Paris! - Part 3: Chantilly

After a well-earned sleep I was ready to do the final part of my Paris ride.

After a hearty breakfast I started my ride from Beauvais. Firstly, I did a mini circuit of the town. It wasn´t anything to write home about as I had seen the best parts the previous day. What I saw today was the part that I had seen on the last time I was in Beauvais, just over a year ago. I had been on a mad dash to get a train to Paris on a Saturday evening after a tedious day on the road. I recognised the road around the train station and the industrial area that I had taken, though at the time I was so focused on trying to catch the train that I didn´t notice the delights of the various factories and DIY stores. Today I had the chance to appreciate the water treatment works, the Nestlé factory, and even Carrefour in their full splendour!

After a tour of the grey side of Beavais I was into the green and pleasant roads that would take me to the Pays de L`Oise, and Chantilly. Rather than ride along the main road with traffic I was able to ride along a traffic-free cycle path that started from Therdonne, just outside Beauvais, and went parallel to the D12, going to Hermes, and towards Bury. I kept thinking that these towns might be in the first instance quite chic, like an expensive handbag or perfume, and then in the second instance, a bit industrial like an industrial city. But no, they were neither - just quaint non-descript villages in Normandy.

Quiet lanes through the woods in Normandy

The nicest town in the area though, was Saint-Leu-Esserent, which was quite old, with a gothic church and a bridge. Soon I was into practically deserted roads that just had woodland to guide me along the way. It was all very nice, though I was looking foward to getting to Chantilly.

And once I got there it didn´t fail to disappoint. I have always known Chantilly was famous for its race course, having seen the Prix de L´Arc de Triomphe on Channel 4 racing a few times. I didn´t know just quite how chic it was. Chantilly being twinned with Epsom, home of the Derby should have given me a clue. On entering the town, a signboard describes it as the "capital of the horse". It made me wonder if that also meant you could get decent horsemeat from their local butchers!

Though I think really, Chantilly is still more upmarket than the London suburb in Surrey - not that I want to cause offence to the people of Epsom!

Chantilly - the horse capital

The high street definitely reeks of wealth, with it´s designer shops, and expensive cafes. It is also heaving with pollution, as the roads were just choc-a-block with audis, mercedes, BMWs and the odd Bentley. On this day there were loads of cyclists too, as a triathlon was taking place at the Château and many athletes cycled back from the castle to their lodgings. If only I had known this was on, I would definitely have entered.

It was an extremely hot day, and the open water swim in the lake around the Château would have been lovely - maybe not the run though! In any case this race, part of the Castle Series is definitely one to note for next year.

Nice setting for a triathlon

Talking to the security guard in the grounds of Chantilly castle he talked about all the events that people could look forward to, including the Prix de L´Elégance, which was due to take place in a couple of weeks time. That sounded about right for this place, which is the epitome of style. It made me laugh that he was telling me about an event all about style, as I stood there all bedraggled and sweaty in the 30+degrees heat!

I then sat in the park and ate my packed lunch before pushing on - a lot later than planned. By this time it was going to 4pm, and as I breezed past the lovely gated mansions along the tree-lined avenues I comforted myself with the fact that I was in the department of Ile de France, which for me, means the Parisian region.

Chantilly wins the prix de l'élégance!

So I would be at my lodgings in the 11th arrondissement within an hour or two. Er, not so! I was 30 miles away, so yes getting there in aound 2 hours was about right. However, I had not factored in stopping to go shopping, taking photos or even getting lost in the suburbs - which was bound to happen as I was no longer following the Avenue Verte route.

The other important point for me, was that I was not taking the direct route. I had wanted to take in a little bit more forest, so ended up on a convoluted route that took me through Gouvieux, Royaumont Abbey, Forests at Carnelle, L´Isle Adam, and Montmorency, before entering Paris via Argenteuil, and Asnières sur Seine, and then onto Arc de Triomphe via Boulevard Malsherbes and Avenue Wagram.

By this time it was around 8pm! Whoops! But hey, I had seen a real specturm of places en route - industrial parts of Normandy, historic bits, the upmarket suburbs of Paris, as well as some dodgy looking areas of the northern "banlieues" of Paris.

Pont d'Iéna - tense, terse, tourists

In another variation, my ride through Paris did not involve Champs Elysées, for once! This time I opted for leaving the Arc de Triomphe roundabout via Avenue Iéna, which took me straight to the bottom of Trocadero and right into Champ de Mars, where the Eiffel Tower is. It was also more difficult to get a stranger to take a photo of me down here than when I was at the Arc de Triomphe. It was like they had become mistrusting of everyone - which I guess is not surprising, given recent events. Having said that, it didn't stop people from photobombing my pics with silly faces and waves. The tourists at the Eiffel Tower definitely seemed a different breed from the polite folks up at Charles de Gaulle Etoile!

After a spin through the streets of the Left Bank, and down Boulevard St Germain, I crossed Henri IV Bridge to reach Bastille, my favourite area.
Finally, I arrived at my lodgings, another Ibis Hotel off rue de la Roquette, near Père Lachaise, and was ready to celebrate my arrival with a moules frites and a good wine at the nearby Cafe L´Artiste.




My route into Paris on Strava


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Another year, another trip to Paris! Part 2: Beauvais

Arriving into Beauvais at lunchtime knowing that I had finished my cycling for the day was quite a nice feeling.

Hell, I had started my bike ride at roughly 5 am so I deserved to finish at 1pm! It was a warm, sunny day, lots of people were out, the shops were open, which is not always the case in small French towns at this time of year, and I felt quite fresh.
As the day was still young I knew I could take my time with things. So I spent  a bit of time admiring and photographing the very imposing cathedral.

The mighty Beauvais cathedral

I had never really considered Beauvais to be a touristic town, but then again Ryanair do fly there – they even call it their Paris destination! So I imagine a fair few people will stop by and admire this “lovely surburb of Paris” before heading properly into the city of light.

And there were many people in Beauvais, looking at the St Pierre cathedral and the nearby Musée de l'Oise. Some folks were British. Where else could they have been from – this couple that spoke to each other in thick Liverpudlian accents?!
I then moved on to reach my hotel. I hadn’t quite expected it to be so far out of town, or that it would be up a hill. Gee, I had just come down a big hill to get into the town, and here I was already climbing again just to reach my rest and recuperation spot!

I guess nothing good comes to you without putting in a bit of effort first! And that good thing came in the shape of the Ibis Hotel, Beauvais. Yes, a big-chain hotel that may have been lacking in style. But it had everything I needed - friendly receptionists, a decent sized bedroom and bathroom, strong Wifi connection, a bar, and even a room for my bike - a room, not an alleyway outdoors at the back of the building or a leaky shed. An actual room that was on par with my bedroom minus a telly, a bed and a bathroom!

And it didn't stop there - they were serving meals, but there were a number of restaurants nearby also doing the same. There was a hypermarket about a mile away selling everything, including bike bits, and, hold onto your hats - they had Decathlon and Intersport right opposite. Who says you can't have a good time in Beauvais!

After an afternoon nap I went out for a walk in the local area. It was nothing to write home about. Just your typical neighbourhood on the outskirts of a town near an airport, with yoofs in a skateboard park and ladies of various ethnicities in housecoats gossiping over the garden fence. Think more Hounslow than Richmond!

There were a number of other cyclists staying in the hotel too, and I saw them sitting out on the terrace discussing their ride. I said hello to them and exchanged a few words as cyclists do. They were also riding to Paris, though at a more leisurely than me, by stretching their trip over 4 days.

The London-Paris cycle ride is a well-beaten route for many cyclists, including organised touring groups and charity bike riders, of which this group were a part. This is probably the fifth time I am riding to Paris, and I have yet to do the ride as part of an organised group. In a way I must admit I feel quite relieved to not be part of such a group because the people I meet who go on these rides can only say "I went from London to Paris by bike. Get that!" That's all very well and good, but then all they know about is London, and about Paris. They don't know the names of the places in between, including places they stopped at. All they know is the fact that they followed a ride leader through some rather nice countryside, ate some good food and ended up at the Eiffel Tower. And they probably didn't interact with a single French person along the way!

That's rather a shame, but then again maybe that's how it should be. But hey, when did I ever travel in the way it should be done!

And with that thought I went to bed feeling satisfied, after a hearty meal at La Boucherie.


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That annoying puncture fairy!

By this time I had reached the end of the disused railway line on Avenue Verte. So when the rain stopped, on resuming my ride, the route took me to the nearby town of Forge les Eaux, from where the theme would be country lanes through bijou villages. Not being one to follow routes to the letter I ditched the Avenue Verte official route and decided to ride my own ride route that was improvised from the French Ordnance Survey maps (IGN series). I didn't get back onto the Avenue Verte until a section near Paris along the river Seine.

However, just outside the town I felt the rear of my bike wobbling strangely as  while riding down a hill. I came to a sudden stop, only to discover I had a flat rear tyre. As there was a supermarket nearby this made it convenient to change the inner tube in a clean dry area. Before leaving the town I decided to pick up more inner tubes and top up the air in my tyres at a bike shop.

Avenue Verte Guide book

The Avenue Verte guide book said there was a bike shop in Forge les Eaux, though unhelpfully didn't state where it was, so there was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing and asking directions from the cycle tourists I saw. However, none of them knew where the bike shop was, as they were tourists like me! Then a local person gave me some directions to what looked like a lawn mower shop! In actual fact this shop did a bit of everything - lawnmowers and other gardening machinery, motorbikes, and push bikes.

I really admired how the guy could one minute be talking about the best way to trim your hedge, and the next minute talking about Campagnolo group sets and gears. A lot of his customers were locals that he knew, so when he served me he treated the occasion like it was a bit of a novelty event and was quite impressed to know what I was up to.

Other customers joined the conversation about the best way to go, and "ooh isn't that an impressive young lady, etc....I said that the delays to my journey meant that I was not sure I would get to Paris by bike that day and would probably have to get on a train at Gisors. "Oh," said the shop manager. "You've gotta be positive and go for it. It gets dark at half ten tonight so you should be fine!" Er, I'd been hoping to be tucking into a nice meal at 8pm!

After a nice chat and him bidding me "bon courage" I left the shop, the afternoon sunshine motivating me to hit the road with gusto. But then, psst! I got a puncture on my front tyre - a few yards from the shop. So once again, I was changing the inner tube and back in the shop topping up the air and restocking inner tubes.

They guy probably thought I was one of those girlies who doesn't know anything about bike mechanics. "Are you sure you have properly checked inside your rims?" he asked. "But it's the front tyre this time," I replied. He looked mystified. As I paid him for three more inner tubes he joked, "Maybe you should buy a crate of these. We can even do you a loyalty scheme!" Ha ha!

Argueil village square

Recommencing my route, I pedalled in earnest in the sunshine, while still enjoying the rolling hills and rustic architecture of the Bray area of Normandy. There were a few nice villages I passed along the way, notably Argueil and Fry.

But as it turned out, our man from the bike shop did have the last laugh, as I got two more punctures on my front wheel during the course of the ride. In fact, he was right. I hadn't fully checked everything, and had failed to find a tiny piece of perspex lodged in the front tyre - probably picked up during the heavy rain. My bad!


Tyred out

Once the offending piece was eliminated everything was fine, except that by this time it was 6pm, and I was nowhere near Gisors, the place I had earmarked as my bail-out point to get on a train if need be. The nearest town was Gournay-en-Bray so I headed there, in a hope of finding a train to Paris. The couple I'd met at breakfast that day was due to end their ride at Gournay this afternoon, and I had told them I would be in Paris this evening. Wouldn't it have been embarrassing to spot them now, showered, rested and enjoying an early evening aperitif in the village square after their leisurely day of cycling. I swiftly left the square to find the train station.

On my arrival at "la gare SNCF", my heart sank when I asked a local girl on the platform what time the next train would be. "No idea," she replied, "But I think normally there's one train a day at 6am." Surely she was kidding me! Yes, her information was not correct. According to the SNCF website there wasn't one train a day from Gournay, but two a day, and the last one left at 5.00pm! Eek!

So it looked like I'd be stuck in this godforsaken village tonight, paying for a second lot of accommodation in addition to my booked room in Paris. My last chance option would be to try and get the last train from Beauvais to Paris at 8.45pm, with a change at Creil. As it was now 7.15pm and the town was 20 miles away, getting the train would be touch and go. Normally, this target would be doable, but today I was on a heavy bike with panniers, the terrain could be hilly, I didn't know where the station would be in this substantially bigger town, I didn't know if the 20 miles were to the centre of Beauvais or to the edge of the town, and I would need to queue up to buy a ticket. I tried to keep calm.

I just had to don my brightest garish-coloured high vis-jacket, light myself and my bike up like a Christmas tree and time trial my way down the fast national trunk road direct to Beauvais. No time to admire the scenery!

It was a fast road, but thankfully there weren't many vehicles and no lorries. Folks were probably feasting with friends or watching Euro2016. I had to just keep my nose to the handlebars and ride like a woman possessed!


Let the train take the strain

Someone must have been watching over me, as the road was smooth and fast, there was only one significant hill along the way, and I didn't get any punctures. It was really handy too, that the train station was on the edge of the town at the end I entered it.

The finish line came just after 8.30pm! Breathless and sweating I asked for a ticket to Paris. The woman in the ticket office looked at me alarmed and said, "You've gotta run now. The train's about to leave, I don't have time to sell you a ticket or else you'll miss it! Just run!" So I dashed across the concourse and jumped onto the train with my bike just as the announcer said the customary "attention à la fermeture automatique des portes."

It turned out that the 8.36pm was the last direct train to Paris and the SNCF  employee very kindly hadn't wanted me to miss it. The only problem now was I didn't have a ticket, there was no guard on the train from whom to buy one, so there would be a bit of explaining to do at the ticket barriers at Gare du Nord!

As it happened, by the time I reached central Paris at 10pm it looked like the staff had knocked off for the evening and there were no barriers so it was all fine.


Sous le ciel de Paris

I was just happy to be in Paris - a place that I still hold dear even though it was more than 20 years ago when I lived there.

Out of the station, I hit the Boulevard Magenta, Place de la République and Boulevard Voltaire, which all looked atmospheric in the twilight. The Bataclan concert hall was on my route. Sadly, it was still boarded up and all the flowers had gone. There were just scribbled messages of solidarity on the wall.

Once at my hotel, the proprietor welcomed me, relieved that I had made it there in one piece!

Bastille by night

The bike shop owner in Forge-les-Eaux had said I had until 10.30 to make it to Paris before night fell. I managed it - I just won't tell him I took the train!

Showered and rested I thought it was too late to go out and enjoy a meal, but in fact the night was just getting going! I enjoyed a well-earned pizza and beer along the rue de la Roquette, took a midnight stroll around Bastille and the Marais, then returned to my hotel to plan the other half of my ride that I had not completed that day! I would catch an early train from Gare St Lazare to Normandy the next day, and then ride back into Paris. It had to be done!


My day's riding according to Strava



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