Back on track, or so it seemed, we were off to look for some water to fill our bottles. So far so good for a few kms as we were on a nice cycleway on the main road. A random guy seemed determined to tag along and advise us which direction to go, and not entirely helpfully it turned out, as we ended up carrying our bikes over some undergrowth to try and pick up the wrong cycle path. Merci monsieur!  Finally, with water bottles refilled and male cyclist dispatched, we were off. The roads out of Le Havre were flat and great easy riding. We utilised our Regents Park skills to take it in turns at the front to take on the ever so slight head wind and were easily embracing this riding on the wrong side of the road lark.
In the zone, we were suddenly aware of Mark at the side of the road shouting 'ferry!' at us. This wasn't the half way stop, what was going on? Well yes indeed, there was a small ferry to be taken across the river. As we boarded, the second group arrived just behind in time to join us on this little watery adventure. It seemed no-one had spotted this on their Garmins and so it was a lovely little distraction as we arrived into the town on the opposite side. Mark yet again proved himself a winner as he announced that he had some water, bananas and crisps for us. "Crisps!" everyone shouted excitedly. He had remembered how we had craved salt the day before - go Mark!
About another 20kms along the road, our official stop on this section was the tiny town of Montfort-sur-Risle. The sky was looking ominous as we cycled towards our ever welcome white van. Mark explained however, that this very typically quaint cafe didn't actually sell food (also typically French!). As we pondered what to do, we could suddenly feel large drops off rain starting to fall and so, decision made, coffee it was! The heavens absolutely opened as soon as we got inside and we could only feel for our fellow cyclists who were out on the road in the midst of it. Sure enough, as we were on our second coffee, they arrived looking rather bedraggled. It has to be said the cafe were very accommodating giving us bowls and plates for our own snacks. As the weather cleared though, unsure what might happen, we started to head off on the second section to Evreux. We were now officially half way through the entire trip! About a further 20km on, Mark waved us down in a lovely little village called Le Neuborg. Although we were unsure if we wanted to stop, when we saw, or rather smelt a little bakery selling cheese and ham baguettes, we were sold. We sat down in a square outside a church and were captivated by a local wedding that was happening. Time for a slightly more picturesque group shot, and with the sun now shining too!

And so onto the next push to Evreux. Well this was to prove to be a nice easy section, mostly cycle path, which was a nice welcome relief, and an opportunity for some chatting and even a team selfie on the go. Of course there was the inevitable final hill into our hotel at Evreux - mais oui, but we were all in high spirits when we arrived. Another very familiar group shot!

How lovely it was to check into a hotel and have your own shower and a proper (non-moving!) bed. After a freshen up we were ready for some real food. We were told that the hotel wasn't serving food that night and so the closest place was a steakhouse about a 25min walk away. Well that's nothing of course for athletes like us, yes, we agreed a walk would be nice. I have to say, though, this was weirdly the hardest part of the whole trip for me. I started to get really bad stomach cramps on the walk to the restaurant which had be almost doubled up. I realised in hindsight that drinking coffee doesn't agree with me, and particularly not two strong espressos! I started to perk up after some food though and then a taxi back and bed was a welcome end to the day.
The next morning we all gathered for breakfast and spirits were high as we were all ready in our specially kept Liv kit for the final day. The first section proved to be a bit on the windy side and so we recruited our peloton style riding again so that we could all take a turn at the front. The roads in France continued to be a treat to ride on, smooth, relatively clear and with mostly considerate drivers. By this time we were breaking down the mileage into 'Regents Park chunks' - so 20km to the next stop became 'just over 4 laps of Regents Park to the next stop!'. There was also a quite welcome distraction when a few guys cycled along with us for a few km telling us they were on club sportive and were impressed to see 'so many women cycling' They were even more surprised to hear there were another 10 of us in groups behind us! Our little separate groups were again to prove to be useful as we arrived at our much anticipated 'Crepe stop' in the village of Garancieres. The owner was very friendly and welcoming to four of us, however not so much when he heard there were 14 of us in total. Not enough 'oeufs' apparently (bit of an oversight for a crepe establishment me thinks?). We decided to employ a tactic of eating as quickly as we could so that hopefully we could do a tag team style effort, and all in our Team Liv kit he might not notice the people inside the kit had changed? Hmm, perhaps not - we shot off before he got too grumpy. 

This was it, we were on the final leg! There were some of those inevitable hills of course which always seem to be there straight after lunch. We were grateful for our lovely ham and cheese galette for energy. Our main thoughts now were about the Eiffel Tower and how we could ensure we were all regrouped together for the final few kms. Mark was tasked with finding a suitable stopping place, and more importantly with finding some celebratory champagne for us! As we cycled through these final towns before Paris though, we were very aware that we were getting into more populated territory. Mark texted us with a possible location in Marly-le-Roi, but we overshot it, and so Mark (tracking us on the handy Life 360 app) was in pursuit of us in his van. It seemed the hills on the second half had split the groups a bit and so we should find a coffee stop. We were now on the edge of the Parc de Boulogne and so decided to settle there and have a drink and look aimlessly for a toilet (the woods!). We could literally see the Eiffel Tower peeking through the trees now, agonisingly close. As the final group came along the cycle path we set off en masse, definitely feeling very 'Tour de France' as we entered the main streets of Paris resplendent in our Liv kit. We had to restrain ourselves from stopping at every opportunity along the river to take a photo with the Tower in the background, and so within about 20 minutes, we were here!  Our ever faithful driver Mark was there, parked right next to the Tower (what are the chances of that in this climate, in a white van??).
Now, here were some proper photo opportunities, we were so proud! This had been more than most of us had ever cycled, and we had made it in style - no accidents, no injuries and only about 6 punctures between all of us along the way. What an achievement!
Mark relieved us of our bikes to take back on the ferry as we went for some food before the Eurostar home. Here Sandra and I were presented with a little handwritten note on a napkin from the lovely team telling us that a Champney's spa voucher was to follow as a thank you.
Aww, thanks Team, it's been a pleasure, where to next is the question??

As I like to keep myself challenged and trying new things, I thought it was about time for a new experience. What better way to do this than with the help of my friend Cat, who has recently established a new business called Your Wardrobe Edit, designed to help you with your style and your confidence.  Cat, like me, comes from a background in design. She had studied Contour Fashion and went on to be a lingerie buyer in both the UK and US. After working in many charities, she went on to study Personal Styling at the world renowned London College of Fashion. From here she found she had a passion for helping others to rediscover themselves.
​How many times do we go through our wardrobes thinking there is so much there and yet nothing feels quite right? Sometimes this feeling is perpetuated by personal circumstances and a general feeling of being a bit lost. Your Wardrobe Edit offers a personal one-to-one consultation where Cat helps you to review your existing wardrobe in the comfort of your own home.

Of course as is the case with any nnoodl type activities I have done, the apprehension is always unfounded. This was no exception, and although I nervously opened the door to Cat, immediately explaining to her why I was wearing what I was wearing (why??) she immediately put me at ease.
We sat and had a coffee and talked through what the process would be. Cat ran through my questionnaire and picked out some of the key things I had said. I had become stuck in a bit of a black rut, and although I felt my work wardrobe was functional, it didn't really reflect my personality. I wanted to try and get more outfits that would translate from day to evening, and also to bring out some more of my slightly quirky personality. She picked out key words like 'professional' and 'bold' from some of the language I had used. She explained how this session was not intended to make me throw away most of my wardrobe, but instead to look more carefully at what I wore, how I wore it and consider better options. She said that there would be no pressure to get rid of anything, and she would definitely not be taking anything away with her. This was not going to be a Gok Wan detox, but instead intended to make me think more mindfully and make conscious decisions when buying clothes in the future. She explained how we would review my wardrobe together, and talk about clothes that work for my body shape, colours that make me look brighter and healthier and make me feel more confident. 
 
As we ventured into my bedroom Cat wheeled in a portable rail and asked me to hang on it all of the items I had put aside as having recently worn, or that I wear regularly. My first little task was to pick out an outfit that I would wear for an important work meeting and put it on. I chose an a-line beige and black check print skirt with a slight sheen to it, along with, yes, you guessed it, a black fitted top with a sweetheart neckline. Cat asked me what I liked about it and I said I liked the sit and the pattern of the skirt, and the fact that the top was quite fitted and gave me more of a waist. Cat agreed and said how the neckline on the top suited me too. However, she explained how black was quite a draining and also ageing colour. Eek, in my advancing years, I can't be having that! She picked out a purple coloured top and asked me to hold it against my face and then try it on with the skirt. I immediately understood the difference, as Cat explained how I have quite cool colouring and so colours like this, and blues and greens would be more flattering and less harsh against my skin tone. Cat then delved into my overstuffed wardrobe and started to pull out pieces and asked me what I thought of them and when I wore them. Some I could easily explain, and Cat hung them up on the rail with the other pieces. However, I was suddenly very aware of LOTS of clothes that I couldn't remember even owning, and had never worn. I was also already starting to question why I had bought certain items. I think I had fallen victim to the old 'that looks nice in the magazine/on the model' routine, but hadn't considered what it actually did for me.
We trawled through a sea of black as I tried to justify to myself why I had so many items in this colour. Also, some of them had clearly seen better days, showing the tell tale bobbling that many overworn items have. Cat reminded me of the word 'professional' that I had used and gently reminded me that clothes that looked washed out or ageing, would not be portraying that image. We started to amass a series of small piles of:

1. Items that needed alterations or repair
2. Items to keep but remove from my day to day wardrobe (apparently my Miffy Christmas jumper fell into this category)
3. Items to be sent to the charity shop
4. Items to be disposed of

​We had a short break and I was already feeling very positive about the experience. Cat explained that this last part of the session would be ‘quick fire’ and as she pulled items out I very quickly allocated them one of the above piles. This was VERY interesting as I amassed a huge pile of things to either dispose of or put to the charity shop! Cat admitted that even she was surprised at how ruthless I was being.
As we re-visited some of the kept pieces, Cat helped me to look at them differently. We looked at how I could team different skirts and tops together to work better and there was a huge revelation when I realised that high-waisted trousers are very flattering on me as I have a long body. We also picked out a great little combination of a navy blue shirt with stars on it teamed with a red skirt. Both items I had worn individually, although I had previously struggled to pair the shirt with anything. This we jokingly called the USA outfit!

Cat bagged up the clothes I had assigned to get rid of but reassured me that she would not take them away with her. I still had a cooling off period! Ah, but I was to be the model client as I quickly (well actually very slowly as they were very heavy) got them out of the flat the same day.
Now here was one last final detail that was to prove quite telling. Cat then put ALL of my kept clothes back in the wardrobe with the hook of the hangers facing me, or the ‘wrong’ way round. As she explained, as you wear them, turn them back the right way and observe how many of them are still the wrong way round in a month or two. Very interesting, and I’m not going to tell you the result of that so far!
But it doesn’t end there, Cat does a great follow up service and so she emailed me the following week with a comprehensive overview of our session. The main take away from my session was to start looking for alternatives to black, and how navy is much softer. Rather than just chucking out the black I have though, she suggested I break it up a little with one of my many pieces of jewellery for a softer effect. She went over the shapes that flattered my figure, and reiterated the trouser shapes including some really helpful links to retailers who sell the shapes, colours and styles I should go for. 
This was such an interesting experience, very different from anything else I have done and has really made me think. Each time I reach into my wardrobe for the 'safe black' option, I think twice and usually choose another colour. People have actually started to comment really positively on some of my outfits and I haven't even bought anything new. I highly recommend this - thanks Cat!