We’re almost there. That’s the last big step towards Paris – the Queen stage. Suddenly, you realise just how fast the time has flown. It’s incredible. Today – and this particular stage – perfectly embodies that feeling. It wasn’t short, and not particularly long either. Even so, we made such good progress that there was time for longer breaks – along with the necessary “mini-breaks” to keep our water and calorie intake up in the heat, of course. 😉

A bit of a tailwind helped, as did the fact that today’s route was relatively straightforward. Just like yesterday, the elevation changes were well distributed along the course, with a mix of ups and downs. After a bit of a shaky start we left the town. Ahead of us: the countryside. We managed as a group to carry the momentum from the descents right into the climbs. It’s also possible that the training effect from the last few days is starting to kick in.

And we enjoyed the expansive view; the distant horizon remained visible for a long time. On either side, there were simply fields. It might seem like it would get boring, but it didn’t. After all, you keep chatting anyway, and the time just flies by. And all the time our motorbike riders gave us such a great support. Always securing us on our way, anticipating and mitigating critical situations so that we only had to ride. Along with our Service Team they just made it easier for us to manage our daily stage. Thank you so much for that! 💛

Anyway, today’s group – which had been reassembled once again – seemed incredibly well-coordinated. And this on the penultimate day. 😉 The theme for the groups today was “Parents vs. Non-Parents” – an interesting twist. There isn’t much else to say about the route itself, other than the fact that riding through French villages and small towns is really a nice experience. Somehow, everything looks prettier, friendlier, and more charming. There is hardly a place that isn’t adorned with flowers, at the very least. The architectural styles differ from what we’re used to back home, too.

There was plenty of beautiful scenery again, including some stunning panoramic views. I hope to enjoy this at a more leisurely pace on a solo tour someday; unfortunately, the tight schedule doesn’t really allow for that right now. Still, I’m left with many wonderful memories – of great people and beautiful landscapes. Perhaps a few clips and photos can capture some of that. But on this day there wasn’t much of a chance for pictures. But for some clips.

Instead of landscapes, it was time for some selfies with some of my special buddies on this tour. From all the good people from this year’s team I had most of the fun with those guys.

There are much more buddies and good friends – I just did not manage to get a selfie with all of them. I’m sorry. 😔

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And then, same procedure as every year. 😉

In the evening at the hotel, the “Secret Santa” campaign was revealed. This is a nice gimmick lasting for the entire tour. Everyone would give a small gift to one randomly selected person during the tour. That can be anything. Nothing big. A gesture, a snack, a paid drink, a compliment. Or something creative. If possible, daily. But not necessarily. The trick is to not get caught and to let the other one think about it, who could it be, making this gifts. Since this will “match” exist for seven days that can be done strategically by giving hints.

Last year, on the last day, I have sent a hint in a self created crossword asking for the capital of Kenya as one of the questions. Who else would do so? 😉 Who else in the team does have a relation to this country to pick “Nairobi” out of so many other words that could be used instead? Since I liked the idea of providing a small crossword and I wanted to re-do this. But some people may remember. I thought of bringing this onto a “new level” by a little trick: to swap with someone else for two days out of 7. As a result 2 people got the same crossword and they had to think twice who’s their “Secret Santa”. It has worked well and was fun to all of us. However we all had fun when solving who did have a “match” with whom.

Another nice tradition is to decorate ourselves as well as our bicycles for the last day. Especially for the moment to enter the final meeting point for all teams: the Stade-Vélodrome Jacques Anquetil. Last year we mounted a “Berlin Bear” on our helmets, this year a disco bowl. I found the bear much sweeter to be honest. However, it is fun though. Also, the lametta on our handlebars. With that we were ready to ride to Paris. And for today: ready for the bed. After having signed our traditional cards. 😉 Each member does have one and may receive a note, a greeting, a compliment by other members. What a nice memory. We will receive them the next day, during our dinner in Paris.

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And as always, I never tire of highlighting the good cause involved. Simply put, we are raising funds for the German Childhood Cancer Foundation (Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung), which in turn supports local projects, affected families, and cancer research.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who has supported my personal campaign, “Cash for Kilometer,” and – by extension the German Childhood Cancer Foundation. I encourage everyone else to do some good as well. I am riding not only for myself and the families affected, but also on behalf of everyone who is backing my efforts to help others. You can find the details on how and where to get involved right here.

Last but not least:

Map of the day, stage seven: St. Quentin (F) to Senlis

Statistic of the day