We all have to speak in public at some point. It could be a wedding, a funeral, a work presentation, an awards evening… a few people LOVE it but the majority of us get nervous, get through it and then have a mix of relief and adrenaline once it’s over.

This morning I had a new experience in the field of public speaking.

On the day we set off for Monte Carlo my son, Sam, made a sign (“Go Team FN”) and waited for us to pass the Wandsworth roundabout on our way out of London to Portsmouth. Not surprisingly he was late for school that morning. When he did arrive the teacher suggested he tell the rest of his class where he had been. Wearing the cycling hat I had given him when I passed and holding the sign he’d made he told the room that his Daddy was cycling all the way to France. (I did point out later that he should have added the word “south” as to merely get to Normandy wasn’t all that hard.)

Therefore when I received the invitation to go into his class and tell them all about the ride I followed in my sons footsteps and prepared to stand up in front of a room of 30 five year old children and attempt to engage them. The school pulled a fast one this morning as I strolled in dressed in my Lycra and wheeling my bike. “Ah,, Mr. Wright. class 4 b and 4 c are interested in hearing about the ride… please set up here. Two minutes later I had 94 Five year old children looking at me expectantly.

It went well. The format was;

§ The bike ride. What we did and what we saw. Big shout out to Marmots
§ The bike and kit.
§ Lessons learned
It strikes me that the lessons learned are not just relevant to Five year olds

1. Aim big. You’ll be surprised what you can achieve if you try.

2. Always wear a helmet

3. Do things with people you don’t know. Be open to new friendships and adventures.

4. Do things for other people/charity. You’ll get a lot out of it

(the second one is fairly cycling specific I agree)

A big thank you to Sacha for the helping me get the pics blown up for the kids. (and yes the map you selected was better)

It’s fair to say its been a long week. It seems like a month ago that we set of from London. It’s been hard, challenging, painful but also a lot of fun and an absolutely amazing experience (not to mention diet plan).
A different hotel every night, your every need thought of and taken account of before you’ve even realised it. The routine, the team spirt that only comes with shared experience and goal will all end tomorrow. And I have to admit I’m a little sad.

However for experiences like this to work they have to end. The important thing is you start them.

We’ve been told it’s a relatively easy run into Monte Carlo tomorrow but I don’t believe them.

See you at the casino.

Today we cycled 94 miles from Moulins to Montbrisson. Tomorrow the hills start to come into play as we cycle 98 miles to Grenoble. We past the half way point today, in terms of mileage, which was a great boost. Temperatures have remained high and the promise of a pool at the hotel tomorrow should see everyone peddling that bit harder.

The scenery has been stunning with our route taking us through at least half a dozen towns or villages a day. To stop a take all the photos I’d have liked to is not possible but the below is a good example.

I’ve also been struck by the fantastic way we’ve been received. After I had my accident I popped in a local tabac to regroup and the staff and customers immediately began dressing my wounds and force feeding me arnica pills.
Earlier today a couple of us stopped at the top of a particularly tough hill. Within minutes a local gentleman had us in his kitchen filling up our water bottles and wishing us luck. He mentioned something about my belly being a little too big for such a ride but I’ll put that down to translation issues.

Looking forward to a good night sleep but know I will be dreaming of the hills to come……

Feeling great 26 miles into day 5. Well earned slice of cake and cup of tea. You can take the cyclist out of England…..