It was quite chilly again, and this was going to be an interesting day as we were heading for the Somme Valley, sight of the WW1 battlefields. Again, a nice little run out of town into the countryside and I made sure that I started with the leading pack to get a head start on those darned hills!
However, about 5miles in, I began to really worry, because my legs felt really really tired and I seriously thought that today was the day that I would hit my limit. I had not done many back to back training rides and I thought this was where it was going to catch me out.
The first 10 miles felt like a real effort and I didn't particularly enjoy them, but on reflection, I think it must have been that my legs were a bit tired and not warmed up enough. Once I passed the 10 mile mark, I seemed to settle into a rhythm so felt a bit better about the rest of the day ahead. It's quite scary feeling shattered after 5miles, knowing that there's another 75miles ahead!!!
I kept going at my own pace (setting off with a quick group might have had an impact too) and by the first water stop, my confidence had come back and was feeling much better.
We had a little more time today because the route was a little flatter, so there was time to stop and look at the WW1 cemeteries and take some photos. With the misty chilly air, it was very atmostpheric, a nice way to pay our respects.
It was a much more forgiving morning hills-wise. There were still hills, but they weren't as steep or as long as the previous days. Once thing we had started to notice was that the stop signs (which you HAVE to stop at in France) always seemed to be at the bottom of the hills, so you'd build up lots of momentum on the downhill for the uphill the other side, only to have to come to a complete stop before the uphill started! Very frustrating!!
We were rewarded with some beautiful sights in the Somme Valley though, so the hills and stop signs faded into insignificance.
I was really starting to get into my stride, and on the leg before lunch, was cycling with a couple of guys I hadn't cycled with before. This was one of the great things about the trip, you could go at your own pace and you would end up meeting lots of different people on each day.
Just before lunch, we hit a milestone - the 200mile mark! That meant that the countdown was officially on - only 100 miles to go!
Lunch was a lovely spot (as ever) and for a change, wasn't at the top of a hill!
Having refuelled on pasta and potato salads, I set off with Ruth and Fiona for the afternoon ride, but didn't hear them stop for a loo stop, so ended up with my own company up to the afternoon break stop. It was actually quite nice to take it completely at my own pace and absorb the sights around me. I soon caught up with the rest of the gang at afternoon break, which was by a really pretty little lake in the countryside - not sure why I was so confused by it!
Refuelled by French jelly babies (courtesy of the DA team who made a special trip to the shops for us!), I set off for the last leg. I was worried that if I stood still for too long, my legs would seize up, so I left the others at the stop and set off by myself.
They soon caught up with me though after a sneaky little right turn in one of the little towns turned out to be the bottom of another long hill! The run into Compeigne was quite nice though, and we headed towards our last hotel stop before Paris!
Still feeling remarkably OK at the end of the day, but my hands were getting really blistered and felt quite numb. I was very excited at the prospect of our last day, but not looking forward to the mile long hill we'd been promised!
Miles done: 78.45
Cumulative miles: 241.31
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