Twenty seven riders set out from Westminster Abbey on July 27, all determined to cycle to Paris, some 240 miles away, raising money through sponsorship for the Cathedral restoration fund. Some were experienced cyclists; others had only recently ridden thirty miles in a day before they had the courage to face the challenge. But all of them finally experienced the joy and relief of seeing the Eiffel Tower in the distance and then riding into Paris to finish at the Notre Dame and be welcomed by friends and family.
Canon Edward Condry had encouraged people to sign up for the event by saying it would not be as demanding as some previous fund-raising cycle journeys. Even so, riding up to sixty miles a day on all sorts of surfaces including rough tracks as well as on gloriously flat former railway lines, and facing the long hills of northern France that seem almost flat when driving a car, was not easy. Fortunately, the weather was wonderful. What wind there was stayed at the riders backs.
The support team provided fantastic lunchtime picnics and the four hotel stops provided time for everyone to get to know one other. Along the route everyone encouraged everyone else. The team spirit prevailed. The cold beer in Paris had never been more welcome. The aches and pains were quickly overcome and the final total of the fund raising has already passed £20000.