Ugh, went downstairs today to find the bike box, but not the bikes, gone. Jimbo’s was sitting right next to mine and is untouched. Spending the last day in Paris scrounging for packing material to get to Scotland.
Steve, start pricing out a new box. I owe you one when we get home.
The boys left yesterday and Jimbo arrived today, thus beginning the second part of this trip.
The question everyone asks is “would you do PBP again?” Of course the answer is yes, but perhaps not in 4 years. The experience was about as epic as they come (though a similar event on dirt would be awesome) and both the physical and mental challenges, as well as the cultural and scenic payoffs were well worth the year’s effort. But the whole event came at a heavy cost in terms of time and commitment. We talked to our new friends Jonathan and Isabel, who live in Paris and they had to do little more than attend the qualifying brevets and then show up for PBP. Adding the international travel, with its cost and the additional anxiety to complete the event made it a multi-month process for us and we had to eliminate many other events from our riding schedules, let alone our relationships and work lives. Maybe in 8 years?
For now I am continuing to recover. We’ve been spinning around Paris in the days since the event to keep the legs loose. We all suffered physically from the event. We all had sore mouths, filled with cuts and cancre sores from the high sugar diet that fueled our ride. Our skin had all broken out from the 3 days without a real wash. Steve and I both suffered from extreme tightness and pain in our Achilles that we developed along the ride. Joe and I both were left with numb hands that have made it hard for me to type, hold silverware, and open doors. Muscle soreness goes without saying, though the totality of it was a bit of a surprise: everything hurt, legs, arms, back, neck both from pedaling and from holding the same position over the bike for so long.
The legs are feeling better, and my Achilles have loosened to the point that I don’t feel pain from general walking or spinning around. My hands are still numb, though the left has nearly recovered and the right is on the mend. It has to do with fluid pooling up in my hand and fingers so keeping my hand elevated alleviates most of the issue (but forgive me the occasional typo).
The weather in Paris has been spectacular since our return. Sunny and warm during the day, cool at night. Since the boys have left I have moved to an apartment in Belleville (yes, that Belleville), which is a totally different kind of Paris. It’s a bit of a little Chinatown and much seedier than the places we’ve been staying. That is good because food and drinks are cheap, and it gives me a chance to see some of the other Paris, more immigrants, dirtier, narrower streets, fewer beautiful people more real ones.
