London 2 Paris 2017

By great demand our annual ride to Paris has been decided. Those are the date to pencil in your diary 16th to 18th of June. We will ride just over 300km of lovely rolling roads at an easy pace giving the opportunity to stay altogether.We will maintain throughout the journey the  "NO DROP" policy.

Dates of departure is 16th June from Ealing to Newhaven Ferry Port,approximately 105km.On the way there we will have a pit stop before reaching a nice restaurant to refill before jumping on the ferry.

The ferry ride to Dieppe is about 5 hour.As soon as we land in France we will ride along the famous "Avenue Verte",the old Paris to Dieppe rail track.

We will ride nearly 200km that day with stops along the route to refill and chill.

On arrival in Paris at Eiffel Tower we will do our photos before heading to the hotel.A quick shower to get ready for a lovely meal & a bit of socialising in the Parisian Suburbs.

Around Paris!!

We will return to London on the 18th of June with Eurostar.

The price is for £ 250 which include:                                                                    

• 1 x Driver/Mechanic to accompany the group 
• Support Vehicle to provide mechanical and emergency assistance as required
• Baggage transfer from UK to France
• Bike return from Paris to London
• Hotel 3 star (twin/double occupancy) on B&B basis
• Ferry outbound including private cabin(twin occupancy)
• Eurostar
• Special Edition SaddleDrunk Jersey 

If you like more info or you would like to join us please email us at ride@saddledrunk.com.

SaddleDrunk Team.

LONDON 2 PARIS 2016

As promised we are back for our famous ride.THE L2P "SADDLEDRUNK" RIDE.

Enjoying an Ice Cream in Isle St.Louis

Please find the following links to our 24 Hour London to Paris Challenge.  I would suggest the following dates:

1.       June 10rd- 12th 

24 hour ride from London to Paris taking place over a weekend totalling approximately 180 miles (288 Km) and 7,500 feet (2,300M) of ascent with an overnight stay in Paris before returning via Eurostar to London.  Participants will ride the classic London to Brighton route then on to Newhaven where they will catch a ferry to Dieppe before continuing on to Paris.  Participant bikes will be brought back to London by Viva Velo. 

Ability level: Commuter cyclists and upwards.

Loving is Caring.

Leave London Friday lunchtime and arrive back London Sunday.

VIVA VELO will  provide:

• 2 x Ride Captains (at least one to be First Aid qualified)                                                                    
• 1 x Driver/Mechanic to accompany the group
• Support Vehicle to provide mechanical and emergency assistance as required
• Baggage transfer from UK to France
• Bike return from Paris to London
• Hotel 3 star (twin/double occupancy) on B&B basis
• Ferry outbound including private cabin(twin occupancy)
• Eurostar
• Special Edition SaddleDrunk Jersey 

For any further details please contact staff at VIVAVELO or email at store@saddledrunk.com.

All of us here at SD Team wish you Merry Xmas.

SD Team

Stretching at the Station.

Trempe' Velo a Paris.Part 1.

Ciao a tutti,I hope you are well and enjoying the summer with plenty Kms in your legs,and the virtual cabinet loading up with badges.

Last Friday we departed from London to Paris again with our second group. This time was challenging. Hence the fact that today guest blog riders/writers are Craig Skinner & Chris W. two  of the "Magnificent 7". 

Craig celebrating his arrival at the Eiffel Tower

Why did you do it?

My primary reason for doing the London to Paris ride was to raise money for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, but also to push myself as a cyclist.

I began raising money for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research through cycling challenges following a diagnosis my sister, Kirsty, received of Leukaemia in 2012. She's shown an incredible amount of bravery in the face of everything that's been thrown at her and I'm so unbelievably proud of her. She went through so much chemotherapy and in 2013 she had a peripheral blood stem cell transplant, with a donation from me. This was successful and she's now doing really well.

Research into new treatments is so important and donating money to charities such as Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research can really help save lives. At the time of writing I’ve raised £751.74 from the London to Paris ride and would like to thank everyone who generously donated.

The weather radar before departing

What did you do to prepare for it?

Lots and lots of cycling. Often joined by lots of wonderful fellow Saddledrunk members. That, and I baked a big batch of flapjacks.

How did you find it?

The weather was the biggest challenge on the ride, leaving me shivering and with my teeth chattering for quite some time. Sadly the extreme weather conditions meant that we couldn’t complete the entire UK side of the journey as it was too dangerous but we pressed on regardless, hitting more bad weather when we arrived in Dieppe. Around the 100km mark in France the sun came out and slowly but surely we began to dry off and warm up.

Everything was very well organised by Papa Stef and he took care of us incredibly well, even handing out extra clothes from his heavy rucksack to those of us, like me, that hadn’t prepared for quite such bad weather. He also had pre-planned stops where we could load up on croissants and espresso. The countryside was also very pretty and the roads are nothing like those in the UK. No potholes!

In Newhaven at the Ferry Terminal.

Would you do it again?

Absolutely. Especially as we sadly had to cut it a little short. In fact I think my last words to Stef before riding home were, ‘I want to do the whole journey again’. The ride also left me with a burning desire to cycle abroad more - this was my first time - and my head is full of possible ideas for future rides.

What was going through your mind during the ride?

I can’t say it was always good things as the gusts battered us, the rain beat down and grit flew up in my face flying down the Avenue Verte but cycling with a really nice group quickly banished any negativity from my mind and for the most part I was just so happy to be part of the ride. And to know that my doing it had led to so many generous donations.

Arriving in Paris was a thrilling and wonderful experience too and one that was made even more special by the surprise appearance of my mum, who had got a passport and travelled to Paris from Cornwall to meet me at the finish. I had absolutely no idea that she was going to be there - her and my girlfriend, Katy, had managed to keep it a secret for some time - and was incredibly surprised and moved.

Andrew raising Money for Tommy's Charity

Next on line is Chris W.

London to Paris had appealed to me for quite sometime after witnessing friends and work colleagues complete the pilgrimage to the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. So when the opportunity came about to do it with the SaddleDrunk guys I couldn't miss out, especially arriving in the city on the final weekend of the Tour de France.

I had been keeping a close eye on the weather in the build up to our own grand depart and the forecast was not in our favour, the great British summer decided to drop a months worth of rain in one day. The conditions were so bad a decision was made to get the train to Brighton for safety reasons. 

Having only managed a small amount of riding on the first day in some terrible conditions, the real riding started when we arrived in Dieppe. Fuelled by coffee and croissants following our first pit stop, the sun finally made an appearance and we could really appreciate the beautiful countryside and pot hole free French roads. We really put in the effort and the kilometres were passing by in no time. It was a welcomed change to see how respectful the French motorists were of cyclists, giving us plenty of room when overtaking. 

We had a lot of laughs and jokes along the way and there was a great sense of achievement when we reached the capital. We felt as though we were the stars of the TdF with tourists asking to take our photos underneath the Eiffel Tower! We capped off a great couple of days with well deserved beers and wine over dinner. 

Stretching at Gare Du Nord.

I have to give a huge thanks to Stefano for organising the whole trip (and assisting with that puncture at 5am!!), I have taken some great memories with me and I look forward to doing more Saddledrunk organised trips in the future! 

ook out for Part 2 of the ride.

Thank you to Craig & Chris.

A very well done to the riders.

SD Team

Chris,Stef,Craig,Ale,Val,Derek,Andy.

London 2 Paris 24 hours Challenge Kit review

Stuart has volunteered to provide us as with a review from various kit given by our sponsors.

Achille's Draw of the event

Lezyne Lights SuperDrive XL:

When putting kit together and upgrading/ buying various parts for your bike,  lights are something of an after thought. We would much rather have better gears,  wheels and frame then to spend money on a decent set of lights.  This was my view before I was given a set of Lezyne lights for our trip, I must say they have changed my opinion.
It wasn't until the night slowly crept in on us that we benefitted from the most powerful lights I have seen on a bike.  With three of us cycling tightly together on long , dark winding roads our bodies and minds began to feel tired. Our decision making and cycling technique began to waver and I believe our safety would of been compromised had it not been for the illumination that these lights provided us.  
At one point I was leading the group and had slowed down to let the other two catch up,  as they approached from around a corner I found it hard to distinguish if it was a car or my team coming towards me such was the brightness from the lights.  The back light also gave drivers approaching considerable warning of our presence and this safety bubble of light that Lezyne had created kept us peddling in confidence all the way to Newhaven.  
If you're planning an endurance trip or commute on busy roads then I would recommend switching your old lights off and upgrading to Lezyne.  Think about your safety. Thanks to Rory from Upgrade Bikes UK distributor for Lezyne.

WTB Volt  Pro Saddle :

I switched my saddle to a WTB for our trip.  This saddle gave me ultimate comfort and support and wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone looking to replace or upgrade their current saddle.  I was riding a Boardman mountain bike my team mates were on a road bike and Dahon foldable and all used the same WTB saddle.  We were all comfortable and we're able to cover some serious mileage over two days without feeling the dreaded saddle sore setting in. 
Very good saddle. Very good value.

WTB Volt Pro Saddle

WTB Saddle Tech

Biotex High Performance Underwear:

The Italian company BIOTEX provided us our clothing for the ride  and I cannot fault the products. I wore a sleeveless base layer top which prevented wind at the front and the vents at back allowed body heat to escape.  This prevented me from overheating as the ride progressed.  The start of the day was cold and chilly and by the end our ride the sun was beating down.  At no point did I feel too hot or too cold and this speaks volumes for the craft and attention to detail that BIOTEX put into their products. I also used arm and leg warmers which gave me the flexibility during the ride as to when to use them. As soon as the sun came up I could remove them in under a minute without the need to change bib completely. 
Other products of theirs I used was the neoprene overshoes and a wind/rain protection jacket. As someone who feels the cold in the toes the covers offered extreme protection from the wind and my feet were kept warm.  The Jacket went on as day turned into night and kept the cold night chill away from our bodies perfectly.  Another really good point about this top is how tightly it packs down into your kit bag.  For something that can be folded up into the size of your hand and is light as a feather it offers really good protection against wind and rain.  Anyone thinking of buying  lightweight, stylish jacket need to look at BIOTEX via the SaddleDrunk online store.

Biotex Vest

Thickslick Tyres by Freedom Bicycle:

Free from puncture

Freedom provided some great tyres. The thick slick compound it has great rolling capabilities make any road condition smoother, any holes like a flat oil sea and mainly free from puncture.

I definitely recommend to any of you riding across damaged road, or surfaces.They have an amazing grip on wet also.

Nonno Pippo:

When Stef informed me that his father in law was joining us on the ride I was a little intrigued to say the least.  'Would a sixty two year old slow us down in some way?' Was my initial ignorant view.  
Firstly after meeting this quiet unassuming man I realised it would be a pleasure to ride with him and was excited to see how he would cope with the demands of the trip. 
I cursed myself time and time again during the ride that I even doubted his fitness and ability.  As the night set in on our way to Newhaven it was then I began to fully admire the technique and level that Nonno could deliver.  
His cadence was constant and he gently pulled away time and time again.  
At one point I was struggling to keep up, with one turn of the head Nonno realised  my breathing and posture was in decline so gently eased off the throttle to accommodate my needs.  
He could of gone on several times in the trip and probably enjoyed the speed more but he put the needs of the team first and I feel honoured to have been able to peddle alongside him for a couple of days.  
Top man.

Stewart Ramsay from W5 Physio:

Not enough words to describe the great, astonishing and efficient post ride massage.

He came out in the morning from London. He waited for us at the Eiffel Tower. Then he came to the hotel to give all of us the massage. Just speechless. Flabbergasted by his great character. 

Then he whisked away back to London. Thank you very much.

All SaddleDrunk team and riders are really thankful to those who supported us and sponsored us for this epic ride.

Many Thanks