After months of riding his bicycle on his own most Sundays, and sometimes getting really lost! my husband found a group of cyclists who ride every Sunday Morning starting at 7:00 a.m. He is in hog heaven. The early riders (as I call them) usually complete about 150 km and finish around noon with sandwiches and beer. Then, at least in one riders case, they ride on home and take a long nap!
The group is actually a social club, and a cycling club and we are in full swing of the social events. Last month we volunteered to staff water stop for their annual ride, and the following week we lent our tandem and helped set-up the tables for a public open house to attract new members. That event was followed by a huge dinner and dance, as it was the 40th year of the organization.
This year, SMUS introduced what will definitely be a recurrent event. On this Sunday morning, instead of the petite villages and rolling countryside, a group of 20 French riders and two americans rode through the streets of Paris on an early Sunday morning, seeing all the major monuments. This is the best way to see Paris!
We started at the SMUS house (Saint Maur something something)led by Pierre (the route author) through the Bois de Vincennes and into Paris through Saint Mandé and then Nation. We mostly stayed on the Paris bike path, which is a little tough for the americans because we were riding the tandem. Think Mac Truck compared to the usual street bike.
As the route progressed the skies also cleared and the traffic stayed quiet on this Sunday morning. We didn't miss a monument. There we were climbing up to Montmarte, for un petit café where we spent some time at Sacre Coeur and glided back down. We cruised down Blvd. Haussman past the Madeleine, into Place de Concorde. From there then towards the Arc de Triomphe along the Champs-Elysée. We rode through Trocadero and then the big thrill was riding under the Eiffel Tower. We saw a Scout Jamboree in the park around the Eiffel Tower, and then took a break at Hopital des Invalide. We then headed east and went past Rodin's studio and back across the Seine.
As Notre Dame sailed by, we headed past the Louvre to Place de Vosges and Bastille.
The route headed back to St. Maur through Bois de Vincennes where a group of non-riders had prepared a 4-course meal for the group, bien sur, it's all about the food and drink. The day didn't end until we had then all ridden back to the SMUS house for dessert - madeleines, champagne, and some kind of Portugeuse digestif. After that! we all rode home, full but really tired.
