To bring the thread full circle, and for those who contributed and any others who might be interested (hello
@uphillstruggler 
) I thought I'd report back on my London - Paris experience.
Setting off last Thursday from our office in Farringdon, 50 of us (split into 4 groups) went off at 15 minute intervals. We were the first group and it was such a relief to head off past the Houses of Parliament and finally get rid of that nervous energy! With a first pit stop in the beautiful surrounds of Richmond Park - i gradually started getting to know my 11 team mates.
The first major milestone was crossing the M25 and getting out into the beautiful rollling Surrey Hills. This is where the joys of having an organised support crew really kicked in, as the boys would be waiting with the van at agreed stops, loading us up with water, bananas, Haribo. A wonderful pub pitstop led to the challenge of the South Downs. This was brutal! Steep, exhilarating descents down massively shaded lanes followed by the punishing climbs. Proud to say I conquered every climb except one, where I had to jump off the bike, heart pounding. (only 3 of the 12 managed the climb)
Another milestone came as we passed Havant, and a sight of the blue seas of Pompey. We also seemed to stumble on the scene of a major crime investigation, as the seaside cycle lane teemed with the boys in blue. With remarkable forethought, we collected a pile of £2 Argos towels in Portsmouth, 'borrowed' showers in a local gym and headed off refreshed for a massive plate of carbs in Gunwharf Quay.
A billiard table sea saw us calmly traverse the Channel into Caen, and Day 2 kicked off with a gorgeous gentle roll into the Normandy countryside.
The French do roads well, it must be said. Silken tarmac, relatively uninhabited by cars......and our group shattered the French tranquility with our shouts of excitement and impromptu singing. A short summary of Day 2 - 100 miles, beautiful village stops, a rising thermometer (which saw tarmac melting in the latter part of the day), a much much need McDonalds milkshake stop which powered us through the last 15 miles of the day.
Day 3. The big day and the 70 mile roll into Paris from the wonderful small town of Evreux. Similar terrain to Day 2, wonderful scenes of patchwork fields everywhere you look, but by now my knees were feeling it!
I'll put this down to slightly ill-adjusted cleats (and in hindsight, I perhaps could have timed my purchase of brand news shoes a little better than 3 days before the trip). Nevertheless the adrenaline saw me through, and the wonderful effect of 'drafting' which I had never before experienced. By now, our group had become a tight, highly unified unit. 12 bikes, nose to tail, all a matter of inches away from the bike in front. Churning out the miles like a train. Fantastic experience!
As the temperature nudged over 30, and the sweat began to flow, the scenery became more gritty and urban. It would be churlish to denigrate the planners of this trip - hours of work had gone into the route mapping - but we did push the pedals a little harder to escape some of the more run-down areas of the Parisian suburbs, and the burnt-out cars which decorated some of the roads.
A pit-stop just outside the Palace of Versailles to bathe in a lake of Orangina and we were off. After the Palace and the glorious gardens, we met with another team at the Bois de Boulogne. Formula 1-eque spraying of Prosecco, and downing of Kronenbourg, it was time for the final procession to the Tour Eiffel
What a moment. Gliding to the famous tower, 50 of us resplendent in our matching cycle jerseys. Truly a life experience to remember. The obligatory photos, group shots, indivdual shots holding our bikes aloft like a latter day cycling gladiator.
I think in summary, as you can tell, I loved the ride. What I will say, and to bring us back to the reason I started this thread; I really feel I made the right choice buyingthe road bike. I still ride my hybrid regularly, so I can tell the difference. The roadie made things so much more easier, in particular the climbs. But more importantly, it was just massively more enjoyable...some of those group sprints were just such a pleasure!
Hope you enjoyed reading
That can be a challenge if you're tired and/or sore, the weather is pants or all of the above.
