London to Paris and back is Somme achievement!

The team from Leighton Buzzard Cycling Club cycled from London to Paris and back last weekend in aid of Carers UK and the Young Carers Network.

Jason Horn, Craig Martin, Rob Nelson, Vince Barron, Derrie Maher, Carl Keen and Joe Hurley arrived back exhausted in London on Sunday after setting off four days earlier from Greenwich Carers Centre.

With Iain Holloway-McLean, Tom Nicols and Toby Maloy as their support drivers, they braved the traffic from London to Folkestone, and took the Eurostar over to France, where, said Jason, the roads were “smooth and empty for the most part and a joy to ride”.

“The evening found us cruising into St Omer and the long-awaited steak, chips and beer,” he said.

Day Two saw the going get tough with an unhelpful headwind, plenty of hills and few unplanned “detours”.

But spurred on by the beauty of the Somme, they arrived in Paris close to midnight.

“That might sound romantic but the reality was somewhat different,” said Jason.

“The traffic was manic, red lights stopped us every few metres and the final 10 miles took close to 90 minutes.

“Top marks, however, to our support vehicle drivers who navigated us safely to the Eiffel Tower.

“When we arrived at the hotel the restaurant was closed and so we ended up eating McDonalds in the street and Haribos in a garage forecourt – very elegant.”

The next morning saw them cycle along the Champs Elysees and get into the competitive spirit with a ‘team time trial’ on 30 miles of rolling road, before arriving at their hotel.

On the final day the team made it to the Eurotunnel by the skin of their teeth, and then had the South Downs to deal with once they were back on home turf.

“Eventually we saw the towers of Canary Wharf in the distance,” said Jason.

“There must have been a lot of dust kicked up in that last 100 metres as we all seemed to have something in our eyes, and the welcome sight of my two boys and wife along with the overwhelming sense of achievement took over.”

The team’s efforts were supported by Butlins, Maxifuel, Leighton Buzzard Road Cycling Club, Polocini and Volvo, and you can still sponsor the riders by visiting www.london2paris2london.co.uk