It has been a real challenge

3,000 miles done.  To raise money for Beating Bowel Cancer and to raise awareness of bowel cancer I said I would cycle the equivalent of the distance to Kazakhstan this year.  Last Saturday afternoon I hit my 3,000 miles target.  That was day three of my ride from London to Paris and, half way between Abbeville and Beauvais, I reached my goal in beautiful French countryside on a clear day.

With Lauren, Gareth and Pete

It feels fantastic to have done it.  I only started cycling in April 2014 and doing 3,000 miles in nine months represents a lot of training, a lot of evening and weekend rides of considerable length and a lot of hills I have climbed up on my bike!

The pinnacle of this has been my ride from London to Paris from 10 to 13 September.  It was an amazing 265 miles.  I joined three of our supporters - Lauren, Pete and Gareth - along with riders raising money for other charities, to share the experience.

The first day was a ride down to Dover, then a ferry to Calais and a short spin in the dark to our hotel. It was a good day, as we got to know each other and stretched our legs for the days ahead.  Day two took us out of Calais into some glorious riding along the coast with an almost immediate steep hill that gave us some outstanding scenery.  It turned out to be a tough day of 85 miles, partly due to a navigating error that gave us an unexpected steeper hill, that we all absolutely loved tackling.  Day three was 63 miles to take us within an easy ride of Paris for the next day.  Lunch was a merry affair, as by then we all knew each other pretty well and the banter was in full swing.

The final day was due to be a 50 mile ride into Paris, easy for us by then.  However, at 30 miles we made the judicious decision to take a pause due to torrential rain that would have made the next 15 miles on cobble stones dangerous.  So, we hopped onto a train (an experience in itself), got the hotel and then rode for 9 miles through Paris city centre to the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.  Iconic photos duly followed.

The whole ride was an amazing experience.  My legs were thoroughly tested and I felt like I had become the cyclist I had been training hard to be.  New friendships were formed as the inevitable bonding took place during rides and over post ride dinners.  And we had a laughter filled and Armagnac fuelled final meal to celebrate what was, after all, a great achievement.

Now, what's next?  Suggestions on a post card please!

It's all to help Beating Bowel Cancer continue its work - supporting everyone affected by bowel cancer, campaigning for change and raising awareness.

All support/donations very welcome.  You can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/Mark-Flannagan5