To celebrate Ripcor's 10th anniversary, we decided to do the first ride founders Treve Ripley and Sean Cornell rode together London (Loch Fyne in Ascot) to Paris.
Day 1- Loch Fyne to Newhaven
We started early doors outside Ripcor's dedicated clubhouse, AKA Loch Fyne in Ascot. Teams were sent off in waves to keep disruption on the roads to a minimum. Long flowing roads with a few climbs and multiple punctures lead to my group arriving at Newhaven last, but we made it in time for the ferry, which was our main worry.
Day 2- Dieppe to Beauvais
Day 2, we compared shoes early on and set off from Dieppe loosely following an old railway line which runs straight into Beauvais. Long straight roads were our friends for the day, leading past fields of crop and animals.
Occasionally met by small villages, farmer's shops, coffee stops and chateaus, there were plenty of opportunities to stop and admire the scenes around us.
We arrived in Beauvais accompanied by yet more beautiful architecture and a great bar to prop up in until the rest of riders arrived.
Day 3- Beauvais to Paris
Our final day, the homeward stretch into Paris, the opportunity to celebrate Ripcor's 10 years with all groups riding the majority of the ride together, Teams leading out their strongest sprinters for the town sign sprints, regular coffee pauses and chats and banter all the way.
Coffee stops were frequent, in an attempt to extend our final glory day of riding into the French capital. a moment to mix up with people you may not have seen much on previous days. The roads into Paris became congested and busy, but the excitement levels were high. All 37 of us made it on one piece (just) to achieve a ride set out by the two founders 10 years ago.
Chapeau Ripcor
