London To Paris options

[Big Ron]

Hi All,

I am keen to take part in an organised London to Paris ride in 2011.

I want to fund raise for a charity but have no particular affiliation to any one Charity or organisiation.

Who has undertaken this event or knows about it?
Who runs a good well organised event?
Should i be looking to sign up with a Charity directly or with someone like Skyline who organise the event and allow you to nominate your own charity?

Any recommendations?

thank you very much.

Ro

 

[Brains]

There is a company that runs cycle events on behalf of the British heart Foundation, the most famous being the annual London to Brighton run. I seem to remember in their brochure they also do a London/Paris run


Have a look in things llike the CTC magazine as there are regular adverts for that run.

Having said which, why london/paris ?

There is a nice route which goes down to newhaven and then on the 'route verte' from le havre to Paris
or
The 'normal' route that the charity runs use in the heavy traffic run through Kent to Dover.
The A2 Motorway is legal to cycle on, however I would not recommend it and it would not be nice
The the boring run through 200+ miles of flat northern France

France is a wonderful country to cycle in, but the bit between Calais and Paris is about the most boring bit of the entire country

 

[zigzag]

start from london in the afternoon, go to newhaven, take a ferry to dieppe (have a nap in ferry), start cycling early morning and reach paris by the evening. plot the route on small roads via google maps. i think i might do it next year before pbp.

 

[smith4188]

France is a wonderful country to cycle in, but the bit between Calais and Dover is about the most boring bit of the entire country

And the wettest ;-)

 

[willem]

Why join a crowd if you can go on a great solo tour?
Willem

 

[buggi]

i went with Action Medical Research 3 times (they have 4 routes that take 4 days and do one route that takes 3 days) and it was really well organised. i hear that the British Legion are well organised too, and they get a better reception!

 

[JackE]

Would agree with Brains about the beauty of the Dieppe to Paris route. Three of us did it twice (from London) and, by organising it ourselves, all the money raised went to our chosen charity.
Last year a friend did the L to Dover/Calais to Paris route with an organised group. There were around 150 riders and cycling through the Pas de Calais they were led along fairly busy main roads with motorcycle escorts. That amazed me as I have cycled through that lovely area on very quiet roads. He didn't enjoy it that much. He put a lot of effort into fundraising and just felt part of a "herd" of cyclists.

 

[ianrauk]

ping Stuaff, he has done this with (I think) the Royal British legion. And is doing it again next year.
There is a thread somewhere about his experience on this years ride. Probs in the Charity Rides section.

edit: Here you go. Link to Stu's post about London To Paris ride.

 

[StuAff]

ping Stuaff, he has done this with (I think) the Royal British legion. And is doing it again next year.
There is a thread somewhere about his experience on this years ride. Probs in the Charity Rides section.

edit: Here you go. Link to Stu's post about London To Paris ride.

Yup, intending to do the Legion ride again in 2011. It'll be September 1-4. If you want to do an organised run rather than DIY, look no further. Organisation was superb, excellent accomodation and support throughout, and the fees are very reasonable, particularly as some other rides don't offer the same advantages.. None of this 'raise £xxx and then the charity gets the last chunk of it', the RBL's money is kept entirely separate. And no other ride (except the Tour.....!) gets the approach to the Arc d'Triomphe all to itself.

The roads we went on weren't boring at all IMHO - route went Calais-Abbeville-Beavais-Paris.

 

[Brains]

And the wettest ;-)

Corrected. (Not via the tunnel!)

 

[Big Ron]

Yup, intending to do the Legion ride again in 2011. It'll be September 1-4. If you want to do an organised run rather than DIY, look no further. Organisation was superb, excellent accomodation and support throughout, and the fees are very reasonable, particularly as some other rides don't offer the same advantages.. None of this 'raise £xxx and then the charity gets the last chunk of it', the RBL's money is kept entirely separate. And no other ride (except the Tour.....!) gets the approach to the Arc d'Triomphe all to itself.

The roads we went on weren't boring at all IMHO - route went Calais-Abbeville-Beavais-Paris.

Thank Stuaff - I am off to have a look at your posts and photos. Ro

 

[rich p]

Why join a crowd if you can go on a great solo tour?
Willem

Maybe he likes company

 

[GM]

I did it last June for the National Autistic Society. We went via Portsmouth/ Le Havre/ Evreux/Paris. Its an amazing experience,it was run by Classic Tours who organize a lot of Charity events. I would recommend every cyclist to give it a try. I think I counted over twenty different Charities doing it last year, and I know they get booked up very quickly so now is the time to start looking for one that you like. Good luck!