Back again to Paris by bike - Part 1: Croydon to Rouen

Le Grand Horloge, Rouen

Every time I plan a trip to Paris by bicycle I tell myself "this time I will ride from London to the port at Newhaven." After all, it is just like doing a London to Brighton bike ride, but finishing slightly further to the east, and then letting the boat carry you to foreign shores  well France.

However, when the day comes it just doesn't happen. Too many things to do at home - chores to do, work to complete, deadlines to meet, or just tidying the house means that I get to lunchtime, get stressed that I've cut things fine. I also realise the amount of luggage I have packed won't allow me to ride at a decent enough pace. So I take the "easy living" option. And that's what happened today. I did a London to Brighton, except that it was by train! I took the 45-minute train journey from East Croydon to Brighton.

Trains to there are very frequent, and there is space for a bicycle, though because the train passes through Gatwick Airport, lots of folks with suitcases also want to hog the area. There are regular trains from Brighton to Newhaven Town, but in order to not feel like I had completely copped out of my cycle touring mission I rode the undulating 10 miles from Brighton to Newhaven port. 

Riding through Brighton is always a pleasant experience. The place seems a lot brighter than London, with it being right on the coast, and everyone and everything seems laid back as I amble along the promenade on the cycle path. Lots of folks are out on the pier, on the beach visiting i360 or are enjoying the rides at the fairground - even though it is a Thursday afternoon.

As I continue along on Madeira Drive, the road becomes more sparse as I pass the back-end of the city. Apart from the Marina and the New outdoor swimming venue, Sea Lanes there's nothing noteworthy. 

Leaving behind Brighton for the port of Newhaven

Then the coastal cycle path ceases to be flat, and joins the undulating coast road. That's when the work begins. From Roedean right up to Peacehaven the road had alternate descents and challenging rises. Granted I could have remained on the low path and taken the undercliff route, but I felt a duty to burn a few more calories given that I had bailed out of my 50-mile bike ride. This main road to Newhaven had a shared use path/pavement, so I was largely separated from the traffic. That was just as well because the rod was a bit narrow in parts and I wouldn't have wanted a whole trail of buses, cars and trucks all backed up behind me as I struggled up the hill. 

Along the way I was treated to pleasant views of the white cliffs surrounding the rich blue sea. My cycle path was adorned with colourful flowers. In fact there were little off-road trails which would have been great to sample on a mountain bike. I saw a rider doing just that.

As my route took me drew nearer and nearer to Newhaven the traffic became heavier as traffic jams began to form on the approach to the port.

At these moments it feels so much more convenient being on two wheels. Finally, on reaching the Welcome to Newhaven sign the road plunged down to sea level and I was very quickly in the port, ready to join a few vehicles and loads of cyclists. It's that time of year again when lots of groups come out for a London to Paris ride, or just a merry jaunt around Normandy.

I don't tend to say much to them, but I must say I saw one woman who looked like someone I knew from my racing days. I was more focused on resting up, knowing I had a biggish day ahead.

Arrival into Dieppe

On arriving at Dieppe I thankfully passed through passport control speedily and within a few minutes I was at my lodgings. It was the same apartment I stayed at last year, so there was a nice feeling of going to a home from home, albeit for roughly 12 hours! Accommodation in Dieppe is fairly easy to find and is inexpensive. I tend to favour apartments where possible, though I have stayed in a couple of decent hotels, and they can accommodate a bicycle in an indoor designated area.

I should've gone to bed immediately given that it was around 11pm, but I couldn't help watching the news reports of the missing Titan sub vessel, which had imploded leaving no survivors. The story had been captivating but tragic. The French were particularly keen to cover it, given that an eminent explorer, Paul-Henri Nargeolet was among the occupants. I certainly like a bit of an adventure - I like embarking on bike trips and making it up as I go along, but there was no way I would've done something as risky as the folks who took part in this Oceangate exploration, given the lack of proper certification of the vessel. It seemed that the panel of French experts were of the same opinion too.

The following morning, after having given myself an early tight schedule to follow, I woke up feeling slightly lazy and more like taking things at a more leisurely pace - which is what I did.

So an 8am start to ride to Rouen - a 35-mile bike ride, became a 10.30 am start to a little known village called Auffay, less than 20 miles away! I was quite relaxed about my route there and improvised the route as I missed a turning here or there, once I'd passed the historique village of Arques-la-Bataille, and then had to "recalculate". But I must say I enjoyed the quiet undulating roads through rural fields and passing little villages in the Val de Scie, with the Normandy buildings reminding me a little of market towns in England. Eventually I reached Auffay, where I was able to get a train to Rouen.

When I arrived in Rouen, at 1pm, I had an hour to kill until my train to Paris. So it was a no-brainer to do a mini tour around the city in between trains. Rouen, the capital of the Normandy region and of the Seine-Maritime departement has the commensurate air of importance, and with it, a lot of beauty too.

I followed signs for the centre historique though was ready to remove my cycling shoes, even dismount as I figured there would be lots of cobbled streets. Indeed, I was right. Thank goodness for Crocs. They're perfectly fine for pootling along at a slow pace.

Rouen City Centre

In the warm June sunshine, seeing many people in small cafés and eateries in the narrow cobbled streets, while others browsed in stylish independent clothing or art shops, gave the impression of being in a well-heeled town. 

As well as all that, the architecture was quite striking. As well as Normandy-style edifices, there are also medieval buildings with timbered beams across stuccoed facades, and various monuments from its rich history. It all looked very pretty, even if they looked somewhat anachronistic, with a shop sign stuck to it saying Monoprix or Burger King! The showpiece sights had to be the 14th Century archway with its clock, called Le Gros-Horloge as you entre the old town, and the cathedral. There are a few grandiose looking churches in the city centre - Saint-Ouen, Saint Maclou, and I was a little confused about which one was the cathedral. Eventually I found it - an imposing, august construction in three parts with architectural styles from different periods including a Gothic part with a very high spire. It was built over 800 years - a bit like the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona - or closer to home, the HS2 London to Manchester railway line!

Onwards and I headed further downhill to the river and into the newer part of the city. Rouen seems to be quite a bike-friendly city, with cycle lanes and also one of those streets where cyclists and pedestrians have priority over motorised vehicles, meaning they can pull out into the road and cars, buses and vans (which can only travel at 18 mph) have to be ready to stop and give way. 

That's bliss for those on foot or using pedal power, though a bit of a mare more motorists! 

Rouen Cathedral

I crossed the River Seine via the Corneille Bridge and did a little amble along the river through a park, the Prairie Saint Sever, where people were having picnics or going for a jog. Returning to the station was straightforward. It was a case of crossing the Boieldieu Bridge and heading uphill. The station tower and clock was visible from a good kilometre away, so there was no difficulty in finding it. 

My mini stint around Rouen had been a very pleasant revelation. It seems like the local council has gone to town in its bid to be designated the European City of Culture for 2028, with various sevents taking place. I almost feel embarrassed to have not spent time there before now, given the numerous times I have passed through the station en route to Paris. I will make a point of spending a day here next time. 

Just when the station clock struck 2pm I was scuttling down to the platform to catch my Paris-bound train.

As much as I had enjoyed Rouen, I had a big smile on my face, knowing that I would soon be alighting at my favourite foreign city.

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Another year, another trip to Paris - Chantilly

Styling it out in Compiegne, Chantilly and Senlis

It was nice to be in Compiegne and have the chance to look around a stylish town. Riding around with a ton of luggage on my bike was beginning to get on my nerves, and I worked out that I could get up early and go for a ride sans luggage, up to Pierrefonds and back, before then loading up and riding across to Chantilly.

Very quickly after leaving the town of Compiegne the landscape changed from urban to the woodland of the Forest of Compiegne, and other forested zones. It was that time of day when those with jobs would already be at work, while those who would be taking things leisurely had not yet got up.

Pierrefonds Castle

So that meant I practically had these roads to myself. Pierrefonds village came around very quickly - it was only seven miles away on a flat road. At the castle things were fairly quiet, but I could see more and more coaches and cars turning up. This definitely seemed a popular place.

The first time I visited this area by bike, years ago, while trying to find Pierrefonds Castle, I bumped into an old local bloke. Even though he had lived in the area for over 30 years, he spoke about the castle with such passion and emotion like he was seeing it for the first time, and it was the most amazing thing.

He described how this wonderful sight just rises from the ground, suddenly towering over you in spectacular style. At the time I didn't know what all the fuss was about. But at this moment when riding there I understood exactly what he meant. One minute I was on a a narrow road with a few houses, then the next minute the turrets of this massive fantasy-like castle suddenly came into view, completely dominating the landscape in the distance.

The tower was clearly in view when in the distance, but then as I rode through the winding street that climbed uphill, the turrets disappeared out of view, only to become visible again when really close up.

I took the opportunity to photograph this castle before the seriously big crowds arrived. At this time, on a Friday morning, there was only a handful of tourists and the area was populated by local people at the market. It all looked very French and traditional.

Time was marching on, so I had to push on to return to Compiegne. This is such a lovely part of the world - if only I could have stayed longer. The practically empty roads only gently undulated through the woods, and the sun shone brightly. It was my ideal ride. Along the way, I passed an organised group ride of small children. They can't have been older than 7 years old. All of them wore high vis tabards, and there was a support car behind them like you would see in a professional cycle race. What a lovely introduction to cycling for this juvenile troop.

As well as the Pierrefonds Castle there was also the Armistice Memorial, and a museum of the First World War. Unfortunately time ran out on me as my visit was embarrassingly interrupted by a phone call from a panicked Veronique. The landlady of my studio had returned home during her lunch hour to clear out my room (thinking that I had already checked out). Finding my belongings, but no sign of me she rang fretting about where I was!

Once I dashed back she seemed more relaxed and a bit apologetic for making such a fuss. This panic from her was in addition to the fuss she had made the previous day when she dashed home from work, thinking that I would be at hers for 5pm, when in fact I didn't get there until about quarter to nine that evening. She was trying to juggle running the property while holding down her job, so I guess it must be stressful sometimes trying to get everything done on time.

A typical street in Compiegne

After a pleasant chat with Veronique and her son, I bade them good bye and toddled off along my way, headed for Chantilly. 
Before hitting the road for Chantilly I stopped off and took a few photos of around Compiegne town centre and its impressive gothic town hall that dates to the 16th century.

Compiegne Town Hall

This place definitely had an upmarket feel about it, with its timber-fronted architecture made the place look even prettier. It had the feel of somewhere like St Albans or Stratford-on-Avon, and made for a nice start-town for those who have to face the 260-km cobble-strewn classic bike ride from here to Roubaix! If only, I could have stayed longer - but I had to push on to Chantilly.

My ride to the town known as the Captital of the Horse, Chantilly, is highly recommended. Most of it was traffic-free or on quiet roads. The first part of the ride was on a tarmacked path that followed the river Oise. Then at Verberie, near Pont-Sainte-Maxence, I was then on a main road that had a segregated cycle path, and I continued along a rural road full of corn and pumpkins. It reminded me of my allotment, but just a gazillion times bigger! Looking at fields full of crops like this gives me so much admiration for the farmers, especially when I think about how much work I have to do just to maintain a 30sq metre patch of land, and they are responsible for 30 football pitches worth of produce.

Again, this afternoon the roads seemed so empty, to the point that it made me wonder if I hadn't received the memo about something that was going on! In the end I reached a place called Senlis, and I realised that that the memo had been for everyone to go and have coffee in this beautiful ancient town.

Ancient facades in Senlis

This must be one of the best kept secrets in France. I had heard people talk about Compiegne and Chantilly previously, but never Senlis. But in fact, I would say this town had more character than the other places. The buildings date from Roman times, and hark back to ancient times when royalty lived there. The place certainly had a historic with interesting facades, lining cobbled streets. There was a pretty descent smattering of luxury cars parked outside some of the cafes, as well as folks on Harley Davidsons. I was quite happy to people-watch on my old faithful Planet X push bike!

By this time it was around 4pm, the sun had gone in and the sky looked quite threatening, so I quickly made tracks to Chantilly, which was about five miles away. Once again I was on a quiet, woodland lane. Google maps suggested I take a forest trail which followed quite the tributary River Nonette, but it would have been a bit too bumpy for my pannier rack and I didn't want to to take the risk. It turned out to be useful on-road rather than off-road because suddenly I got caught in a massive shower, which could have been a messy affair! Instead, I was able to stop on a recessed part of the road and shelter under the trees for around half an hour.

Once the rain stopped my run in to Chantilly was straight forward as I basically followed the signs on what was the bike route of the triathlon, so the route took me straight into the grounds of Chantilly Castle, where I was able to pick up my race pack and start getting nervous about my challenge for the next day!

Click here for my route from Compiegne to Chantilly.

Around the Pas de Calais coast

My departure from the hotel, a B&B chain in the St Pierre quarter, felt quite grim. Breakfast was nice, with a descent quality and quantity of food, and there was a friendly atmosphere in the dining room. But the weather was grey. All these hot sunny days that we have been experiencing recently were all but gone. At least it wasn't raining.

My front tyre pressure wasn't high enough to cope with the heavy load I was carrying. Luckily I found a bike shop close to my hotel (Brame Sports Defy Scoot) and they were able to put some air in. I always find it better to use a machine if I can possibly find one.

That delayed my start a little, and it was delayed further when I stopped at Calais Town Hall.
On this current cycling trip, which includes the Chateau de Chantilly triathlon I aim to include castles and monuments where possible.

On my arrival in Calais a couple of days ago I was struck by how run-down some parts of the town were. Cycling down the unaptly named Quai de la Loire, was a bit depressing - particularly when you just roll off the ferry excited to be in a new place and are just confronted with disused industrial buildings, undesirable looking social housing, all along worn-out roads . I wanted to name this place "forgottenville". It didn't seem to be on any public service radar.

Thankfully things improved on the appearance front the following day. The town centre isn't bad at all. In fact I took a photo of this really impressive looking building, Calais Town Hall, with its belfry, or bell tower. Construction of it began in 1885, and it was completed in 1925.

Calais Town Hall 

The building was originally built to commemorate the merging of Calais, and the then city of Saint Pierre, which is now an area of Calais, and the place where I stayed.

A more recent monument that I stopped to photograph was one that honours the people who constructed the Eurotunnel. This is one of the drills used to make the tunnels. There were six, and each one was named after the wives or daughters of the engineers. This one is Virginie.

Sadly, this monument also pays tribute to workers who died during the
construction of the tunnel. Two men on the French side, and seven on the UK side were killed in fatal accidents over the six years it took to build the tunnel. I don't know if a similar monument exists in Kent. If there isn't I think there should be. Apparently one of the tunnel boring machines on the UK side was sold on eBay for £39,999 to a scrap metal dealer, with the proceeds of the sale going to local charities.

Virginie, Queen of the Tunnel-boring machines

During my ride I passed various relics referencing the World Wars. There was a military cemetery at Wimereux, and a museum at Ambleteuse showing the machinery, vehicles and aircraft used.

Some people seemed to have acquired remnants of machines as features in their gardens. I find that a bit macabre.

Military Cemetery at Etaples, near Le Touquet 

Also along the ride were a few military cemeteries, notably one at Etaples, close to Le Touquet. Over 11,500 soldiers are buried there, mainly from World War I. It's really freakish to see so many graves ordered row after row for a few hundred metres. Some of the graves have people's ages - barely 21 years old.

Overall, I had a pleasant ride, but it was tough work. As experiènced on previous occasions, the coastline is quite undulating, and made worse when you have 15kg strapped to your rear end!

In the early part of the route I was very close to the coast, and the Kent coast with the White Cliffs of Dover were clearly visible. After all, they are only 21 miles away.

People were also stopping to visit the two promontories, Cap Gris-Nez, and Cap Blanc-Nez. The area is known as Pay des Deux Caps and part of the Côte d'Opale. It's not quite the same feel as the Côte d'Azur in the South of France, but it is worth a visit, and can be done as a day trip from the UK. You can do a few walks and play in the sand dunes not far from Boulogne sur Mer. This could be a great area for a cyclocross race!

I only stopped at Boulogne briefly, and just found it to be another monotonous northern coastal town. There might have been fun things in the town centre but I was keen to push on to Le Touquet.

Calais to Le Touquet can be cycled via the N940. Although it is a main road it is not so busy because a lot of traffic is on the parallel A16 motorway. So the vehicles en route were leisurely tourists in cars and camper vans from mainly Holland, Belgium, Germany, and the UK - hardly any French.

After Boulogne I decided to leave the main coastal road, and went inland over the toughest climb of the day - rue de Clocheville, just outside Outreau. It lasted about 1km and was about 7 or 8%. This was a big Strava segment, and I am guessing I must be bottom in the rankings given how slow I sauntered up!

A nice smooth cycle path, part of a local network 

The other big Strava segment was the run into Etaples. From Hardelot you region the N940, which is now an inland road, and there's a cycle path alongside it that is part of a Eurovelo network. It is a flat and fast, ideal for those wanting to do a time trial and really push out the Watts. I saw quite a few club cyclists doing just that!

I could definitely see a gradual improvement in the status of the different towns I passed through. Calais had seemed like a backwater - literally, that was somewhat neglected. Things were only slightly better in Boulogne, but by the time I got to Etaples, just outside Le Touquet things were definitely looking upmarket. Le Touquet (aka Paris-Plage) looked like the type of place where Parisians may well have a little pied à terre by for their weekend getaway by the sea, or where they could go for a bit of golf, tennis or just hang out in a health spa.

Life's a beach - Le Touquet-Paris Plage

Having said that, I don't know if the characters there were necessarily any nicer than you'd find anywhere else. As I stood on the bridge checking out the view, a geezer stopped and asked if he could help me with directions. I politely declined, saying that I knew where I was going. He was a little insistent saying that as a local he could show me the short cuts which aren't always clear on a map. "I don't need a map around here when there's this signposted cycle path! I'll be fine" I replied. Oh dear, he wasn't too happy and gave me a "Suit yourself, followed by an indignant Gallic shrug, punctuated with "mauvaise route". Gee this guy must have been really having issues! I hope they're not all like that in Le Touquet! After a snack stop at the beach I called things a day, and got on the train to reach my lodgings in Abbeville.

It would have been good to do the whole 80 miles by bike, but I am not fit enough to do it that quickly, and I just didn't want to be still riding at 8 o'clock at night. In any case I had done 52 undulating miles, and that was good enough for me.

Here is the route I did


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Cycling to Paris again

Somme bike ride

Cycling to Paris again

It's that time of year again when I make the trip across the water with my two wheels and wend my way to Paris. It's not that there's a rule that I have to do a London to Paris bike ride every year. Things have just happened that way recently.

It's quite a nice run, and I particularly like shuttling between my two favourite cities - two cities that have featured heavily in my life.

I was born in London, but grew up in the north of England. Living in London happened after I finished at university, and it's been my home ever since.

Paris was a temporary home for me for about five years in the early 1990s. It was only meant to have been a one-year stint just to gain experience of working abroad and doing something "interesting" that would be on par with my university contemporaries.

But I enjoyed it so much that I kept extending my time there. My return to London came down to the need to return to the mother ship, and get on with doing a professional job in the UK rather than trying to be bohemian in Paris (which was the life that many people I knew seemed to be living at that time).

It was a bit if a wrench to leave, but it's great that Paris is not far from London and I can go there fairly easily whenever I like.

So here I am again, sitting in a hotel room on the outskirts of Calais ready to hit the road to Paris. I don't normally do the ride at the same time every year. But as it happens, this trip is taking place practically a year after my last cycle ride there.

The timing is because I plan to compete in the Chantilly triathlon. It's an event I came across last year while on my way to the City of Light. Chantilly is an impressive-looking place, with beautifully rustic architecture, manicured lawns around the horse-racing course, and of course the castle. The town,  which boasts of being the French capital of the horse, is twinned with Epsom, so it has a lot to live up to!

As part of the Castle Triathlon Series, a triathlon and other sports races are held within the grounds of the Chateau de Chantilly over the August bank holiday weekend. When I was in the area last year, en route to Paris, I saw the end of the sprint race, and seeing the beautiful surroundings immediately made me decide that this is an event worth coming to do.

So before I reach Paris I will hopefully have done a triathlon,  and gotten a taste of life in a castle, though it remains to be seen whether I will be queen!

Allez, c'est parti!

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Around the Pas de Calais coast

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52 Cycling Voices - 18: Sarah Strong

Our latest cycling voice comes from Sarah Strong, a stalwart of the London women's cycling scene. She's been there, done that, got the T-shirt plus a few scars. But she's strong by nature as well as by name. I've known Sarah since she got into cycling over 14 years ago and I commend her for all the work she's done in the sport. But Sarah has my utmost admiration for winning a Pointless trophy!

Sarah Strong

Age: 42

From: Bristol

Lives: London

Project Coordinator for a mental health charity/NHS

As a child our family were never into cycling, but I did do BMX biking in the mid-1980s between the ages of about 9-12 years when I got into it via a school mate. It felt kinda cool, and there were only three or four of us girls who raced regularly. One went to the same school as me and it was good to chat to her about races.

My mate Dave, and I used to go to get taken to the BMX track by his dad so we could practice with the local club, Burgess Hill Bombers. There was also a wooded patch near my house with a natural bombhole, and rooty jumps, that we used. You could get some decent air on some of them - well, it felt like that, but it was probably only a few centimetres! There were also the usual homemade ramps set up next to local rows of garages or quiet cul-de-sacs. I really enjoyed doing something a bit different. 

Then when I hit teenage years I stopped doing it, mainly as I wasn't that sporty so didn't enjoy it that much. My mate Dave got a mountain bike  (which at that time was becoming fashionable), and my interest fizzled out.

When my real passion for cycling kicked off later, as an adult, my parents were happy to hear that I'd found something that was clearly benefiting me a great deal. Nowadays I cycle more than my sister does and I suspect she thinks I'm a bit mad! When her partner and I talk bike stuff I can hear her eyes rolling!

I have been club cycling for about 14 years now. It all started at the Beastway Summer Mountainbike Series in 2003 when I was recovering from a bout of depression. A housemate asked me to help out her club one week when it was their turn to volunteer at one of the rounds.

Initially it was the social side of the race series I warmed to, and being out in the fresh air, doing something new. I became part of the organising committee of Beastway, (the Structureless Tyranny) working on it for the next nine summers, and was usually to be found doing sign-on and lap-scoring duties.

It led me to start using an old bike I had, to commute to work, and to have a go at racing myself. Six months later I bought myself a second-hand road bike and have never looked back.

My first cycling club was London Phoenix, where a few of the regular Beastway riders were members. But proper club cycling didn't happen for me until a year or two later when I moved to South London and joined Dulwich Paragon.

Riding my first club run with them was rewarding but exhausting. After thirty hilly miles from Crystal Palace to the edge of Kent and back on a Saturday morning I spent the rest of the day on the sofa! Gary MacGowan (a Dulwich Paragon stalwart) was the friendly and encouraging face that led me and my friend to return for more.

It was while at Dulwich Paragon that another Sarah (Atkinson) convinced me to try a women's beginner road race, organised by London Dynamo, at the Longcross Test Track (Chertsey) back in 2009. I raced two of those and would have actually gained three British Cycling racing points in the second race if I'd bothered to buy a full licence! I was so chuffed!

Then Maria David convinced me to do the first (of two!) cyclocross races around the same time. I wouldn't have tried it without her encouragement. Being near Herne Hill Velodrome was a great opportunity to try track cycling, and the Women's Training Sessions started by Anna Glowinski kicked off my track riding and racing. My friend and club-mate Lesley Pinder also persuaded me to join her down at HHV on regular occasions.

Track cycling has been fun. I raced at the National Track Masters in Newport about 18 months ago, though I didn't have any goals as such. It was more about taking part because my fitness level was not brilliant at the time, and I was just happy not to have been the slowest in my age group! Aside from the Masters and Herne Hill Velodrome track league I haven't raced much at all in the last two or three years. 

Criterium racing is what I have enjoyed the most. There, I felt the most comfortable about my ability and skills on several of the London circuits. When I was race fit I loved the feeling after a crit - at least once I’d got through the first fifteen minutes of thinking my lungs were going to explode! 

I eventually stopped racing around 2014/15 as I felt like I wasn't achieving much. In 2009 I was knocked off my bike by a car while commuting to work and needed surgery on my knee. Then in 2011 I shattered my collarbone in a crash when my front wheel hit a massive pothole at the Dunwich Dynamo. When I came back to racing in 2012 I found myself on the start line with women half my age who had coaches and a lot more time to train than me. From the gun I would be immediately spat out of the back. I just didn't have the mental fight.

Long-distance cycling is something else I do. I did my first sportive, the 110-km Ride of the Falling Leaves (by Dulwich Paragon) in 2006. It was the longest ride I’d done at that point, and it was such fun.

Since then I’ve done more rides particularly after I stopped racing. I did a couple of trips to the Pyrenees with clubmates, and Paris-Roubaix in 2008. The cobbles are a special kind of hurt but the sense of achievement at the end was immense. I felt the same after the Etape du Tour in 2013.

I do enjoy long rides, seeing the countryside and having a range of feelings, thoughts and sensations, compared with the eyeballs-out nature of racing.

On one long ride, though, I nearly got into a bit of trouble when I did some solo riding in mid-Wales. I ran out of water in the middle of the Cambrian Mountains with over twenty miles to go, all uphill and into a headwind, and no phone reception there either! It was a tough moment and I was quite worried about how I would get back to my lodgings. There were no shops, no one around and just one or two cars passed me. 

I really had to push myself mentally and battle through it. When things got tough I just had to risk it and take a bit of water from the River Ystwyth. When I got home the first thing I did was to devour a pack of Pringles! I did gain the confidence to know I can do it, if I end up in a similar situation. 

In 2017 I did my first ever cycle tour, with friend Kat who I originally met some years back through the London Fixed-Gear and Single-Speed group. I was rather anxious about it as I’d never ridden long distances with panniers and camping gear etc. before.

We did a horseshoe-shaped loop around half of Wales over one week. It was hard, but amazing. There were highs and lows, tiredness and hunger, wonderful sights, lots of laughs, and excellent company. I also realised I didn’t object to camping as much as I’d been telling myself for years! I’d like to do more touring.

Funnily enough I have recently taken up BMX biking again. It's just for fun and I do it in the summer. There are women's sessions on Tuesday nights at Burgess Park (near Peckham) that I go to. My skills came back quite quickly, but as I am now bigger, taller, and a lot older than when I last did it I don't tend to take risks! 

I do like shoes. I used to have a lot of cycling shoes, specifically Sidis! I tried various brands in my first couple of years of cycling and Sidis fitted me the best. As a teenager I had corrective surgery on both feet and have since had issues finding shoes that are comfortable for me. So when I found some that fitted so well I started finding reasons to buy more!

At one point I had eight pairs of Sidis - one for each of my bikes! These days I’m down to five pairs, and I haven’t bought any in a while. Maybe it's time to acquire some more!

A simple bike ride can do wonders for your mental health, but it’s way more complicated than just pedalling your depression away. There is no direct causal link between cycling and wellbeing – it’s a range of interacting factors. Cycling is not a cure-all, and it’s not going to magic away depression forever. It is something I use to improve my mood though, and I start getting a bit grumpy if I don’t do any cycling for a few days.

I find that my mental health benefits from the exercise, the independence, and the social circle cycling brings with it (most of my close friends are people I’ve got to know through riding). Riding helps to stop the rumination that comes with anxiety. Occasionally, I’ll return from a ride with a head as busy as it was when I set out – but this is quite unusual.

I was incredibly anxious about co-ordinating and presenting the evening we had on cycling and mental health at Look Mum No Hands last Autumn. I’d had a very difficult time the day before too. On the night of the event I didn’t say quite all that I wanted to, but it was more important to facilitate others. The fact that the members of the panel were so willing to contribute made organising the event very easy, and took the pressure off a bit! I as very grateful for their participation and honesty, and it was a valuable evening.

We received amazing feedback, and it underlined my feelings that many cyclists experience mental health challenges, and many who experience mental health challenges cycle. It was great to hear how the people who came along, or followed on Facebook live or on Twitter, found it beneficial.

There will be an event in Rapha Manchester later this month, plans are afoot for another evening at Look Mum No Hands, and one at the Bristol Bike Project. As part of Sport Relief, which is focusing on mental health, I’ve done a piece to camera on the subject of anxiety for a documentary about a celebrity's experience of anxiety. The programme will air in March during Sport Relief week. Hopefully what I said during the interview made some sense!

On the back of that I set up a blog - bikesandbrains.com - and I’m hoping to encourage people to contact me with their contributions. There have been a few responses already, which is encouraging. It would be great to gather a range of voices and experiences so that people can know they aren’t the only ones going through tough times, and also folks might share their ideas of how to manage their wellbeing when getting on the bike isn’t necessarily possible.

Perhaps I was particularly fortunate to find my way into cycling through people near to me, and I didn’t find it at all difficult as a woman getting into cycling. The London cycling scene was somewhat smaller in my early days 14 years ago and, to me, it seemed like a supportive niche of a size I felt comfortable in. Being part of Beastway meant I got to know a lot of riders with experience and expertise, and I could learn from them.

I do remember, however, being nervous about turning up to my first Dulwich Paragon club run as newbie, and feeling a bit out of my depth amongst all the matching club kit. There was no need to have worried though, as I was welcomed in the club, and became a regular very quickly. In fact on the few Saturdays I didn’t go on the club ride it seemed a bit odd. At that time, to me there were enough women involved to form a core group of moral support if required.

To anyone wanting to get into club cycling I would say have a think about what type of cycling you want to do. Some clubs may be more focused towards racing, others are maybe more social. Larger clubs are more likely to have riders that cover the whole spectrum and there will be opportunities whether you are interested in track, or audax, or cross, or whatever. Look out for clubs that have social rides – many of which you can attend and try out before you join. Check any advice about expected fitness levels and/or ability.

When I’m not on a bike I do like attending art exhibitions, and living in London means a wealth of options on the doorstop. I have a soft spot for art, architecture, and design between about 1750-1950. The last exhibition I visited was Red Star Over Russia at Tate Modern. Museums are good too – I had a decent wander around Sir John Soane’s recently. It’s mad, overwhelming and brilliant!

Also, I occasionally do a bit of glass-engraving. They are usually one-offs as presents, but I have engraved trophies for the end of series prizes for Beastway a few times, and had other small commissions. It’s all freehand work with a rotary engraving tool, so too much in one go can be hard work on the fingers and wrists.

Hatha yoga is something I try and do regularly as I feel relaxed after the sessions, and I hope to take up Mindfulness again to compliment this.

One highpoint for me was being on the quiz show Pointless, with my friend Lesley. It was a surreal experience. We just applied to go on the show for a laugh. When we got the call I was on holiday, so had to take a day out to travel to the studios in Hertfordshire, be there for the day and return to my holidays .Filming was fun, and Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman came across just as warm and going off on their flights of fancy as they appear on the TV. Answering the questions in front of the camera was a lot trickier than shouting the answers at the TV at home!

In the cycling world I really admire Kathryn Bertine, who campaigned for a women's Tour de France concurrent with the men’s race. In the non-cycling world I get inspired by older women such as Mary Beard, who challenge the status quo, are passionate, sincere in what they do, and are willing to take risks to follow what they believe in. 

But most of my inspiration comes from my friends, and often I’ll do things with them that I never would have contemplated on my own. For me, the moral support from friends is invaluable.

My ideal day is about being on the bike, with a close friend, in the countryside somewhere on a sunny summer day, with a flexible route and in no hurry to get back home. Writing this in February is filling me with much longing! 

Cycling and mental health event at Rapha Manchester: 
22nd February 6pm - 8pm

Sarah will feature in an article by Emily Chappell in the Spring issue of Casquette magazine.


Twitter: @Opiumia
Instagram: @opiumia5
Blog: www.bikesandbrains.com

Other cycling voices

Annia Modlinsky

Rebecca Charlton

Emily Chappell

Geraldine Glowinski 

Hannah Bussey

Maria David 

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


Related posts
Another year, another trip to Paris! Part 1 - Avenue Verte

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

Paris en velo! Arrivee fictive