#ChallengeSophie

[greyhairedcanuck2]

[themamil]

London to Paris in 24 Hours

Ever since I started cycling again London to Paris has been a permanent fixture on my bucket list. The idea of leaving a capital city and arriving in another really appeals to me, especially when you can end a ride at something as iconic as the Eiffel Tower.

The last 24 hour endurance ride I did was back in 2013 when I rode from Manchester to London in 24 hours and this year, with the backdrop of my AF (Atrial Fibrillation) I wanted to embark on a challenge that was more about endurance than speed, but that was sufficiently challenging enough to test myself.

So I started looking at London to Paris rides and felt that the 3 or 5 day events, whilst wonderful and a great challenge for some, probably wouldn't stretch me in the way I wanted to, given that my training rides are generally in or around the distance some of these multi-day rides do per day (certainly for the 5 day events anyway), and so when I saw the London to Paris in 24 Hours ride run by Challenge Sophie I instinctively knew this was the ride for me. 

Initially  I thought that maybe I could summon up enough people at work to embark on the challenge, and after an initially strong response (I managed to get 16 people to express an interest) many fell by the wayside and do there were 2 other Spotifiers and my mate Ash, with whom I had previously ridden London Revolution back in 2012.

With these numbers we had no choice but to go for the organised challenge option, although in hindsight this was the best choice by far as Sophie and her managing team did a superlative job at making sure we got from A to B - or in this case London to Paris.

On the morning of Saturday 5th May, I made my way up to London on the train from Farnham.

Upon arrival at Waterloo, I gingerly made my way to Blackheath to the start of the ride as although I had in my mind the general direction I needed to go, I only had a paper map (trying to preserve battery on my mobile). It was then that I came across a chap riding along with 2 rucksacks and it seemed pretty obvious to me that he might well be heading to Blackheath too. I was right, and thankfully Richard had his Garmin setup and was directing him, so I just rode along with him and we had a chat as we ambled along.

The original start point at Greenwich Observatory was moved at the last minute due to Parks Police instigating a policy of events having to be departed by 11am, which was too early for us, so we headed to the Hare and Billet pub and the green just opposite it where the start point had been set up.

I thanked Richard for his company and guidance and went to get checked-in which was a breeze. I read and signed the disclaimer, got my name tags for the bag and bike, got my jersey, and then went to get myself ready mentally.

About 10 minutes later I got a message from Ash who had just arrived and we started to contemplate the ride together and getting ourselves together as well as taking some very important selfies.

Then Jack and Tom (the other Spotifiers) appeared and we had a good chat with them as well as adding more critical selfies to the photo album.

This all got us a little closer to the off, but it still seemed like an age away so Ash and I decided to ride up to the Royal Observatory (I have never been) and to "start" the ride where it was originally intended to start. 

The views overlooking London were incredible, and it was strange to think we were in London given how rural it felt, whilst having the city within touching distance.

A few selfies later, and after an approach by a couple who asked what we were doing and whether our ride would be transmitted on the internet so they could follow us, Ash and I rolled out from the Observatory towards the new start point back at the pub.

Sophie then gave all 150 riders a nice speech about the virtues of doing the ride and how we were all there to support each other. It was very motivational, in an unpatronising and relaxed way, and then we were ready to roll out. We'd go in groups of 10 leaving at 1-minute intervals, heading south for Newhaven. There'd be 2 feed stops on the way down for this 95k leg of the journey, and the only stipulation and non-negotiable fact was that we had to meet the ferry in time. 

This meant being at Newhaven by 10pm latest, 9pm if we wanted dinner. Ash, Tom Jack and I were about the 6th group to rollout, and we left at precisely 3.15pm. As expected the initial London traffic soon consolidated a few groups into 1 larger group but the traffic was flowing and it wasn't as frustrating as I thought it might be.

It didn't take long before we were in more rural settings, and the newly formed group naturally begin to splinter as people found their rhythm and riding partners. Ash and I, through previous experience, have very similar riding speeds and so we kept as a pair and chatted, pinching ourselves that this was actually happening and how we had scored massively on the weather front. We were basking in the Spring sunshine, with the smallest of light breeze keeping us cool enough so as not to feel like we were overheating.

The first leg into Kent was fairly uneventful although it did have one cat 4 climb, the New Barn climb to Shampan and a short but fairly steep descent that I was very grateful that we were not riding in a larger group for, as it was a fast tricky descent that had we been in a large mixed ability group would have concerned me somewhat. 

We arrived at Crookham Hill in what felt like a flash but that actually turned out to take about 1 hour and 30 mins due to the stop-start nature of London cycling. 

Anyhow - part one, of leg one, done. Ash and I both felt good, and we had an understanding that we didn't particularly want to hang around for too long, given we had only gone 35 km by this stage and were only warming up, so we topped up the water, had a snack and carried on our way.

The 2nd leg to Maresfield was equally as relaxed, being in the rural north downs and enjoying the country lanes. The riding was still felt fairly easy and rolling, although we faced 2 cat 4 climbs (and subsequent descents) on this leg, fairly soon after we left Crookham Hill. Clearly, the legs were still fresh given all the training we'd done to prepare for the ride.

The ride was fairly indistinguishable in that it was rural, we were in the UK, and there were potholes everywhere. By the time we arrived in Maresfield, we'd been cycling for about 2 hours and 40 minutes and had cycled about 60k-65k. 

Again we felt good, we were beginning to chomp a bit at the bit because it felt like we just wanted to get the UK leg done so we could be in France. That's what we were looking forward to most.

So we headed out of Maresfield and after a while a caught up with the Lakes ladies road team who were doing a great solid ride like a powerful engine. Ash and I caught a break by sitting off them, but not too close as to upset them. I then decided we should do some work for them but I got my timing a bit wrong - or they just decided they didn't want to grab my wheel, and we dropped them. As it was this was only about 3k from the Newhaven destination so they probably figured we were being childish boys and racing for the finish...

We arrived in Newhaven after 3 hours and 50 minutes of leaving London at around 7pm. 

We were one of the first few to arrive at the local hotel/restaurant complex still feeling fresh and relaxed after the first 95k. We sat around for 30 minutes until the restaurant was ready to serve dinner and then had a hot meal. 

This was a good opportunity to get changed into some warmer clothes since the sun was beginning to sink and we knew that we'd get a lot cooler on the ferry crossing. Unfortunately, there were no dedicated facilities to change so I darted into the loo and managed to swap my short-bibs for my longer bibs, change my jersey and I felt a bit fresher just from doing that.

At around 9.30pm we rolled out of the complex towards the port to go through customs and to board the ferry. The sun had set by now and the sight of 150 bikes with flashing red lights was quite a sight. Boarding took a while as the passport control seemed a bit confused on how to deal with 150 of us, and I was quite surprised (not in a bad way) at how rigorous the checks were. Quite a few of the cyclists were pulled to the side for bag checks, although I wasn't one of them. Then there was further waiting until we were ready to board the ferry which we did at around 10.30pm.

Once on the ferry, we were directed to leave our bikes stacked up against the wall in an area that was free from cars. I could see the apprehension of many of us who were not quite sure about stacking our beautiful carbon bikes together, and some sought alternative places to rest their bikes so they wouldn't be exposed to the risk of damage, but in most cases were directed by the staff to stack their bikes. "Oh well", I thought,  "I'll have to take a leap of faith here, and given that this event had been run 5 times previously, I assume there was no real issue here.", and I was right. As it turned out I didn't hear of anyone's bike going missing or having any damage so all was good.

The ferry crossing itself took about 5 hours (I think we were about an hour late leaving) and most of us managed to get a couple of hours shut-eye even though the temperature dropped significantly on board. 

Ash had brought his space sheet from when he ran the NY marathon and it was incredible. Literally, within 2 minutes of putting it on my legs, I was like a boiling leg. Amazing!

We arrived in Dieppe and it was a cold, misty morning. The sun was just threatening to rise, but there was a huge debate between us on what suitable clothing would be for the next leg. We were all checking our weather apps and quoted temperature ranges from zero to 10 degrees! In truth, we had no idea and had to be guided blindly by each other and our instinct. I must have changed about 3 times. Neoprene overshoes went on an off to be replaced by the thinner waterproof overshoes (to act as a windshield). I went from 4 layers down to 3. I'd intended to ride the first French stage in the full-length Lobster gloves but was persuaded to drop back to fingerless mitts. Mind made up it was time to reclaim our bikes and disembark. 

Again immigration took its time and we all gathered on the roundabout outside the ferry port, had a pastry and topped up our water and readied ourselves, questioning if we had made the right clothing choice.

Sophie gave us another pep talk. This was clearly her favourite leg of the ride and the plan was to roll out of Dieppe for this first leg in France as a single 150 person strong peloton.

The sight of this monster rolling gently and almost silently out of the port was a sight to behold and in the atmospheric mist layered port town, with the sun rising on our backs, it was pretty emotional.

Ash and I elected to wait to the back of the group before setting off as we didn't really like the idea of being in a bunch given how many cyclists of mixed ability and experience there were. We needn't have worried, but it was nice to just roll out at a mild pace and take in the spectacle of the group.

About 10k in I realised I had made a mistake with the gloves. It was just that bit too cold for fingerless mitts and my hands began to suffer. Not terribly (I've had far worse), but enough to require blowing to keep warm and enough of a distraction to realise that I needed a pee.

After about 15k Ash and I decided to up the ante a bit as we needed to warm up a bit by putting in some more effort and so we gradually moved forward through the stretch out group until we had met the lead group still being led admirably by Sophie. By this point, I was at breaking point and need a pee break so Ash and I stopped and once relieved, started the chase back to the group. It's amazing how far a group can go in the space of what can only have been about 2 minutes. Anyway, it took us about 15 minutes to chase back to the group and by the time we did it looked like Sophie had dropped the flag and we were able to push on at our own pace which was great because I still needed to warm up somewhat.

As such, we arrived at the first breakfast stop in Buchy as one of the first groups and tucked into fresh baguettes, cheese, and coffee. We were in France!

What is interesting is looking back at the route and seeing that the 45k to Buchy was basically one long drawn out climb. It certainly didn't really feel like that at the time and I suppose 200m over 45 km you are not really going to notice that anyway.

I made a bit of a faff of having to take my pills, changing my glasses lens, shedding 2 layers, filling up one bottle, then the other, but made the error of deciding that I would leave it to the next stop to change out of my long bibs, and I totally forgot about the overshoes I was wearing. I'd spent too long faffing and I could see Ash was getting restless to get on so I gathered myself quickly and we left Buchy. 

This next leg was probably the most enjoyable from a riding point of view. We had some wind assistance, the road surface was beautiful so we were rolling lovely and fast. About 3-4 km into the stage Allesandro, "Captain Canada" as I called him, caught us. He'd identified us as someone he wanted to ride with and had seen us make a swift departure from the breakfast stop and had dropped everything, and jumped on his bike to chase us down. Shortly after this, we caught up with Philip and Dan, and Chris, and it was this group of 6 that would ride together for the rest of our journey to Paris.

Captain Canada was a student and clearly sporty. He had or is representing Canada in multiple sports, and is a sprinter. Even so, the strength of youth meant that he was eager to provide the pull for our train and was like an enthusiastic puppy throughout the ride.

Philip was pure engine. I learned that he regularly does 300km club rides so this was really just like any other ride for him. What was astonishing was that he more than did his share at the front, but when it came to the hills he just disappeared. It was incredibly impressive.

Dan, well Dan was amazing. A few years ago Dan had a heart attack. 3 years ago he rode this exact challenge and was the last person to roll into Paris. Last year he rolled in but was 30 minutes outside the 24 hour time target. And yet here he was rolling with us, the first group in the ride, heading for Paris and ready to smash it. Amazing!

Chris, clearly sporty and very fit, was less experienced as a rider but did a nice job of riding with us, although occasionally would veer a little which kept us all on our toes.

For most of the time, we rode 2 abrest in a rolling formation so we all got to chat a little with each other and get to know each other a bit. We were riding well and there was good energy in the group, especially on this lovely second leg which felt like a gift.

We arrived in Les Andelys on the Seine after the long stage descent with a short sharp climb followed by a final descent and arrived for the second stop of the French leg and a quick snack.

Unfortunately because we'd made such good time the day bags hadn't arrived yet, but waiting wasn't an option so I pulled off the overshoes (finally) but it meant that I was stuck with the longer bibs for the duration and I didn't get a chance to change my top for the final roll in to Paris, but in the end that didn't matter. 

The next stage from Les Andelys to La Roche-Guyon followed the Seine as much as it could and was, therefore, the flattest leg of the ride. We just rolled along, enjoying each others company, the weather and the smooth hole-free roads. This 40k leg took us over 200k and 19 hours of our ride. So after some soup and bread, we rolled out on the penultimate leg, beginning to sniff the finish line.

This was probably the hardest leg of the entire ride. 90 miles in on the day and we were now faced with 2 category 4 climbs. One at 90 miles and the other at 100 miles, with only the lure of lunch to pull us up the climbs.

On the climbs, as agreed, the group would splinter and regroup at the summit. Philip would just disappear, closely followed by "Captain Canada" who was clearly torn between dragging up us mere mortals and having a crack at the climbs. On the first climb, he hung back with and encouraged me up the hill which was very kind. 

On the second he did for a bit, but the lure of lunch (understandably) was a greater pull, but I am grateful for his support.

I was pretty pleased with my climbing. The AF has for a while made me question my engine capability, especially on climbs, and it's only when you ride with others that you get a real sense of how well you are going.

This leg also had the worst 15 minutes of the ride for me. Having reached the summit of the 2nd climb I started looking for the sign for lunch. The road had flattened but was a false flat with a small incline, which as anyone who is on the point of bonking will know, if just purgatory, especially when you know lunch is there somewhere. 

This road just went on and on and on. It was reminiscent of the top of Box Hill which has a similar situation when you reach the summit and believe you are going to have the joys of a descent imminently and this road just goes on and on. Well, this was it. I started getting paranoid that I had missed the sign. I couldn't see anyone in front of me or anyone behind me and for a moment I felt pretty isolated. 

Thankfully I then saw an arrow, not THE arrow, but an arrow anyhow, and I knew I was still on course - but praying I hadn't just missed the stop entirely. I hadn't. it eventually appeared and lunch has seldom been more welcome. Ash, Chris and Dan rolled in shortly afterwards and we were back as a group. 

So near Ecancourt, and with the lure of Paris now very much within our sights and the knowledge that we had the steepest descent as our next challenge, we rolled out form lunch having carbed up and refilled our bottles.

I wasn't entirely sure of the route and how we came into Paris because at one moment it seems like we were in the middle of a forest and trees and then very quickly we came to be in the outskirts of Paris. It was noticeable to because the quality of the roads diminished somewhat too and we started to see the off pothole, something we hadn't seen for well over 100 miles.

We crossed the River Seine twice and then finally, teasing us from over the rooftops we saw the Eiffel Tower. Agonisingly close. We were going to do this and we had over an hour to make the finish line. 

The feeling was pretty exhilarating and we hardly noticed the Paris traffic as we neared the finish line. We crossed the Seine once more with the Eiffel Tower right in front of us. It was there. We'd done it! Well, not quite. The route took us left after the bridge and we had to ride around the "back" of the tower until we finally, riding in as a group of 6, found our finish. Job Done!

We'd arrived 22 Hours and 50 Minutes after leaving London. We'd done it! The goal of 24 hours, whilst not the only goal, was one that I wanted to achieve. Finishing outside the time limit would feel like a job half done. Unfinished business. But I knew I could safely tick this one off that bucket list. There would need to be no return (unless of course, I fancy doing it one day).

Sophie's mum was there to give us our medals, a drop of bubbly (I abstained) and best of all a BIG hug. It was lovely and very much in the spirit of the ride and the way it had been organised. In fact, I got 2 hugs from Sophie's mum. I didn't ask for the second one, but it was very welcome nonetheless.

Post ride was a bit of a haze. I felt jet-lagged but euphoric which created this slightly giddy feeling. We each took the obligatory photos in front of the Eiffel Tower. The ultimate image of the London 2 Paris ride, regardless of how many hours or days it's taken you. 

I was trying to take in what we had achieved, but not being able to completely lose myself to my thoughts because we still had things to do like contact loved ones, ride to the hotel, get checked-in, get our bags and deposit our bikes for the return home, have a shower etc.

At about 7.30 we all started naturally mingling in the hotel bar. Sophie was there chatting to everyone, congratulating everyone and looking pleased as punch. She gets to know everyone on her ride and you can tell she lives for this. That she lives for getting people to be the best they can and achieve things they never thought they could. It's a very very worthy thing she does and should not be underestimated. I should also say that this point that she was more than ably supported by her incredible team who made sure everything ran smoothly and did it with humour, energy and style - which is tough to do when you realise that they'd been up probably longer than we had, and would be for a lot longer than we were that night in order to get our bikes back to London for the next day. At 8.30 Sophie told us that the last riders were just approaching the hotel. Instinctively everyone got up from the bar and went outside to greet them. We cheered. We whistled. We celebrated. We were as one again. Everyone had made it. What a great feeling!

Then we dined as a group in the evening. We congratulated each other. We toasted each other and Sophie gave a lovely talk, bursting with pride, and offering prizes to individuals who had really achieved massive things. Dan got one of those prizes. I was pleased as punch for him. He doesn't need to come back if he doesn't want to!

I was also incredibly lucky to be supported by very generous friends and family and I managed to raise around £300 for Alzheimer’s Society. Alzheimer’s and dementia have had a profound effect on Louise’s family with both her parents affected by it in a devastating way. I hope the funding of research can continue and this goes a very small way towards that, but as always, I am hugely grateful for the support.

I obviously tracked the ride and although I suffered a couple of Garmin tech issues which meant I lost over 10k of the ride, here’s what it looks like generally.

London to Paris in 24 Hours was a GREAT experience. Definitely a one-off bucket list ride. I'm so pleased to have done it and the thought of it still feels a little surreal. Sophie and her team have done an incredible job to create an event that makes riding 300km in 24 hours both accessible and enjoyable. The camaraderie was great - but I expected it would be, and the genuine support, encouragement, humour, and compassion from everyone who participated in the event is all very humbling. People have achieved dreams and ambitions that might have seemed completely out of reach, and they've done it with smiles on their faces. If you are tempted, sign up! You won’t regret it!

Would I do it again? No. Why? Only, because I've done it now and I want to do something else. I'm thinking London - Amsterdam - Brussels in 24 hours. What do you think Sophie? Fancy laying that one on? I'd sign up. ;-)

[sandrospodcast]

Sophie Radcliffe: I’m passionate about creating change in the world

In 2013 at the age of 27, Sophie Radcliffe decided to turn her back on working in an office, to follow her dream of a life of travel and adventure.  Until that point she felt trapped by her office job, thinking that she needed to do that job every day to earn money.  The life she now leads proves that with the right attitude we really can make our dreams come true.

The day she gave up her job she started training to be an endurance athlete and writing a blog.  Shortly after, she won the Big Blog Exchange competition and shortly after winning that, she was approached by her first athletic sponsor. In 2014 she became the first and only person to cycle the Alps and climb the highest mountains in 8 Alpine countries. She is now a successful blogger, marketeer, endurance athlete and motivational speaker.  She is quite clearly practicing her own philosophy, which is ‘One life, live it’.

Sophie talks to Sandro about how she found the confidence to leave behind her old life to embark on her new adventure and how she hopes she can inspire others by making people think, “if she can do it, so can I”.

Twitter / Instagram / Facebook: @challengesophie www.challengesophie.com Trailblazers Instagram @wearethetrailblazers Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l5ADXecr_M

Click here to listen:

iTunes: http://ow.ly/WJpP50t6jKu

Stitcher: http://ow.ly/eCoe50t6jK

[topgoprovideos-blog]

5 of 7: Today in Spain is a day to support women, celebrate women, encourage … #IWD2016 with @challengesophie 5 of seven: In the present day in Spain is #InternationalWomensDay, a day to help ladies, have a good time ladies, encourage ladies and encourage the change for equality.

[mybolivia]

La Paz, Bolivia. :@challengesophie #bolivia...

La Paz, Bolivia. :@challengesophie #bolivia... on https://www.my-bolivia.com/la-paz-bolivia-challengesophiebolivia/

La Paz, Bolivia. :@challengesophie #bolivia...

La Paz, Bolivia. 📷:@challengesophie #bolivia

Source

[coturesocial-blog]

Located in the remote Swedish village, Jukkasjarvi, 200km north of the Arctic Circle and next to the shores of the frozen Torne River, sits the ICEHOTEL. After 26 years of rebuilding the hotel every single winter, the Ice Hotel 365 was built to stay the entire year around. The property is a fairytale fantasy castle for those searching for the ultimate eco-luxury and a reversed ‘cold’ reality. But the surreal experience starts with your arrival at the airport. The hotel can send a dog sled taxi upon your request to pick you up and start your unforgettable holiday. Did we mention the entire hotel is made out of pure waters of frozen Torne? And of course, there’s always a celebrity or two to spot…

When visiting the ICEHOTEL, you can choose from sleeping in traditional ‘warm’ cabins or ‘cold’ ice rooms  where temperatures can drop to -5 degrees Celsius. For the ultimate luxury experience, you can opt for the new concept deluxe suite 365 which is furbished with a sauna and a bathroom, and most importantly, individually sculpted by artists all around the world. Reindeer furs cover the expansive bed, so you don’t need to worry about not feeling cozy. Did we mention you’ll wake up to a smell of hot lingonberry juice at your bed table with a sauna session awaiting you before breakfast? If you’re still worried that you’ll turn into ice overnight, the ICEHOTEL recommends only spending one night in their cold rooms and they provide a detailed guidelines on how to properly dress for your night there. Phew!

Past celebrities include British model Alice Cornish, television presenter Lorraine Kelly and adventure athlete Sophie Radcliffe. All the girls seemed to enjoy their icy stay in the cold room as well as the many activities that the ICEHOTEL provides.

Don’t worry if you can’t afford to stay in one of the ice rooms. The ICEHOTEL welcomes visitors during the day in order to showcase its breathtaking art installation. So nothing is stopping you from bossing the Instagram game even for a day! Looking for fun while visiting? A day of dog sledding or horseback riding is a perfect way to explore the Lapland landscape with its majestic creatures like the moose.

After a long cold day exploring the beauty of Sweden, head over to the hotel’s restaurant for some traditional dishes with a modern twist. Don’t worry; the restaurant is housed in a cabin but its meals are still served on delicate ice dishes. Better eat fast before your plate melts! So what can you expect from a traditional Swedish restaurant? Prepare for delicacies such as a Moose Carpaccio with lingonberry and Parmesan or Reindeer Fillet with root vegetables. And we can’t get over their dreamy deserts made of chocolate and berries that provide an exquisite end to the day in this fairy tale castle.

The area of Jukkasjarvi is home to the reservation of the Sami people who are a Lappish tribe living nomadically on this land for centuries. Just like other tribes, the Sami have their unique culture, own language and are known for being reindeer herders. If you want to learn more about their culture and traditions, try handling a reindeer sled or try savouring suovas. This is a typical Sami dish made from smoked reindeer meat with mushrooms and lingonberries and can be eaten raw or stewed.

If you’re still up for some fun, head over to the ICEBAR and enjoy some cocktails from ice glasses while sitting on carved ice-sculptured fine furniture. Show off your inner Elsa while sipping fine vodka and dancing to world class DJ’s on a snow-packed floor. Is Sweden too far away? Don’t worry! The ICEHOTEL builds several ICEBARS every year as a permanent addition to one’s nightlife where you can enjoy the same atmosphere. You can find these in London and Stockholm. So what are you waiting for? Get celebrity snapping in the most heavenly place on Earth.

Cr: Instagram @icehotelsweden, @alicekcornish, @challengesophie. Website  www.icehotel.coM

Travel is…staying in an Ice Hotel and living like a Snow Queen Located in the remote Swedish village, Jukkasjarvi, 200km north of the Arctic Circle and next to the shores of the frozen Torne River, sits the ICEHOTEL.

[sucubis-blog]

#IWD2016 with @challengesophie 5 of 7: Today in Spain is #InternationalWomensDay, a day to support women, celebrate women, encourage women and inspire the change for equality. From ripping longboarders to an endurance trail blazer, we next head to @goproes to meet @challengesophie. Tune into @goproes to hear how Sophie takes life by the horns and pushes the limits of adventure. #gopro #L4L #F4F #travel

[weallthinkit-blog]

#IWD2016 with @challengesophie 5 of 7: Today in Spain is #InternationalWomensDay, a day to support women, celebrate women, encourage women and inspire the change for equality. From ripping longboarders to an endurance trail blazer, we next head to @goproes to meet @challengesophie. Tune into @goproes to hear how Sophie takes life by the horns and pushes the limits of adventure. #gopro #FF #beautiful #adventure #followback

[paddlefit]

#Repost @bellagiowatersports ・・・ SUP Board training next to the Gigantic #VillaMelzi #bellagiowatersports #lakecomosup @bellagiowatersports @villamelzi @challengesophie @paddlefit @paddlediva @supthemag @oar_board__sup_rower @lakecomofoodtours @lakecomoweddingplanner That's Italy 🇮🇹🚣🏽🇮🇹🚣🏽

[moodifoodi-blog1]

Mountains, snow... We are still #openallwinter. #challengesophie @adidasoutdoor #followback #action #random

[pristiq50mg-to-buy-blog1]

Mountains, snow... We are still #openallwinter. #challengesophie @adidasoutdoor #photo #beautiful #adventure #amazing #action

[nutribulletreviews0]

WomensFitnessuk: RT challengesophie: Confidence is something we have to work hard at and nurture 🙌 … https://t.co/kw5wW173QQ

WomensFitnessuk: RT challengesophie: Confidence is something we have to work hard at and nurture 🙌 … pic.twitter.com/kw5wW173QQ

— Michelle (@toerismeutrecht) March 1, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/toerismeutrecht March 01, 2017 at 11:43AM

[themamil]

London to Paris in 24 Hours - The route

I got an email from Sophie of ChallengeSophie this morning giving some detauls about the ride to Paris on the 5th of May and it included the Garmin routes that we will be taking to find our way to Paris from London.

It’s great to see but suddenly makes this challenge SO much more real and I am beginning to get really excited about it.

The route starts at Greenwich Observatory in London and heads to Newhaven which is just under 94km and with just over 900m of climbing.

The 2nd leg from Dieppe to is just shy of 115km but only has 550m of climbing, although it's a gentle climb all the way from Dieppe for the first 50k.

And then there's the final leg from Vernon Bridge into Paris and to the Eiffel Tower which is just shy of 87km and climbs just shy of 600m.

So there it is, London to Paris, within 24 hours. I think my early season training (just shy of 1800k completed to date) will come in pretty useful as this one is all about endurance and not about speed. It should be a great ride and I for one cannot wait!

[toughgirlchallenges]

(via https://soundcloud.com/toughgirlchallenges/tough-girl-sophie-radcliffe?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=tumblr)

[topgoprovideos-blog]

No gym? No days off. member takes on a beach in paradise while visiting Maui…. No fitness center? No days off. #GoProFamily member @challengesophie takes on a seaside #exercise in paradise whereas visiting Maui. 🌴 🎬: @dahawaiian_scooterguy • • • #GoPro #Hawaii #HERO5 #GoProKarma

[themamil]

London to Paris in 24 Hours

London to Paris. 24 hours. It’s been on my bucket list ever since I rode from  Manchester to London in 24 hours in 2013. Since then I’ve been considering how I might do London 2 Paris in 24 hours. 

The small details of the English Channel, foreign lands and unknowns have always added an extra edge and complexity to the contemplation of doing this ride. It’s not so easy to be recovered if you are in the middle of nowhere somewhere between Dieppe and Paris when your French is at best “Pigeon”.

In 2017 our London office took part in Ride Adland , a virtual BKool-based cycling challenge against other advertising industry companies (we came 9th out of 24 in the main challenge), and this is when I realised there were quite a few keen cyclists around in the company.

So I summoned up the courage and penned an email to everyone on the distribution list that read:

Hello everyone. I've grabbed this list from the Adland event distribution list so apologies if this isn't remotely interesting to you.

I've been stewing an idea about a company cycling challenge and wanted to gauge interest to see if it was worth pursuing.

As the title suggests the idea is to cycle from London to Paris in 24 hours. Whilst on the 1 hand 300k in 24 hours sounds like utter madness, it's totally achievable with some training.

General idea would be to depart London London Office at midday on a Saturday between May and August (for best evening light and conditions) and get to Newhaven and take the midnight (or so) crossing arriving in Dieppe at around 4am giving us about 8 hours to get to Paris in time for Sunday midday. The route to Paris in France would follow the Avenue Verte which is a purpose built cycle track that goes all the way into Paris.

In terms of organising we could either just sign up to an organised event or we could organise it ourselves and save some cash (probably).

That's about as far as the idea has got. I'd like it if we could incorporate it into some of the Impact initiatives we run at Spotify and raise some money for a good cause or 2. Maybe Spotify could assist with some elements of it - like branded kit - or utilising our impact day or something.

So for know just reaching out with the idea and see what kind of interest there is.

Thanks a lot, Rupert

Weirdly, (because I was quite pumped about the idea) after I sent the email out I forgot about it. Normally I’d be apprehensive about responses (or lack of them) but due to workloads and year-end I threw myself into work and forgot about it.

The response was encouraging, very encouraging, beyond anything I could have imagined. By the end of the day (about 4 hours later) I had 7 people saying yes, and by the end of the Monday after the weekend the number had gone up to 13. With an additional yes through Slack from a colleague in Stockholm taking it to 14, and including myself taking it to 15, it looked like this might actually be on.

Given the time of the year I was going to let it ride until the Christmas break and then in the New Year start the planning process with aplomb. It really could happen!

Well in some ways I shouldn't be surprised but when we got back post-Christmas and New Year, the numbers came crashing down. It’s fair enough. I was trying to find the right balance between organising the event and stumping up cash and the balance fell firmly into the “let’s just pay to get on a ride”, and with the numbers that were committed it ended up being the only option. 

Certainly, there are companies out there that will lay it all on for you, but you really need a lot of riders to make the economics work.

So, in the end, there were only 3 of us from Spotify who were able to commit to the ride, and an old friend and riding partner Ash - with whom I rode the London Revolution and a brutal ride I called the Yorkshire Terr(i)or (geddit?).

We signed up to the Challenge Sophie Sportive which will see 150 riders take on the challenge and we leave London on Saturday 5th May, head to Newhaven where we will catch the ferry to Dieppe, and from there ride to Paris along the Avenue Verte. It’s a perfect ride, 300km in total, and well worthy of the challenge.

I’ll be riding for the Alzheimer’s Society and hope to raise a little money (£1 per km is my target). We lost my father-in-law to Alzheimer’s and my mother-in-law has been badly affected by dementia. It is the cruellest of diseases and I have witnessed first hand how it destroys people and the knock-on effect it has on their family and loved ones.

If you’d like to support me for 1 or a few more km then I would be extremely grateful. You can do so by clicking the image below to my VirginMoneyGiving page or visiting this link.

Thank you, and I’llbe sure to keep you up to date on my challenge on this blog.