Official Ride #10: Lè Grand Finalè

The Champ Élysées. Those of you familiar with le Tour de France, will be well versed in the significance of the Tours final day 'processional' ride around the Champ Élysées and Place de Concord. In keeping with said tradition, we planned to culminate or journey with the same celebratory circuit. The big difference of course, the grandeur and spectacle of Le Tour closes off France's most famous thoroughfare.. all 10 lanes in both directions. Where as the 3 of us were not quite entitled to the same reservation (really?... Do they not know who we are??!) and were destined to battle it out on the avenues cobbles with the everyday Parisian vehicular traffic.

Organised Chaos, I'm sure there are many valid definitions, but if you want to see the origin of the the term.. spend a few minutes watching the 'live and let let die' vs 'kill or be killed' dynamic that is the mass roundabout at the Arc de Triumph. The hundreds of millimetres from carnage yet successful embarkations across the unmarked, sprawling intersection are almost as impressive to observe as the monument in its centre. I've decided that the game 'Frogger' was invented by a Frenchman it all makes sense now, Frog etc.. ha!

To stack the cards somewhat more in our favour, we decided that an early (6am ish early) Saturday Morning scream along the paveé would be our best bet. All lycra'ed up and with lights flashing we clicked in and took off on the shortest, flattest and by far, most metropolitan chapter of our adventure.

The early morning did indeed result in much less traffic. However despite the reduced traffic volume it would appear that the lights on the intersections every 100m or so are pre programmed, regardless of time of day. As such our 'race along the boulevard' was somewhat punctuated. This of course did not detract from the ride in anyway and as preluded to above, it had zero impact on crossing the non traffic-lighted, un marked and multi entry/exit Arc de Triumph roundabout.

Literally applying the 'he who hesitates loses' logic that appears to be the successful key ingredient, we victoriously scampered our way around the Arc on the journey both up and down the Champ Élysées.

We followed the Tours 'hot lap' (see pics) turning right toward the Palace, left and through the tunnel, left again across the Place de Concord and ultimately back onto the tree lined avenue. Lap completed, we stopped to take the celebratory selfie and strike the compulsory Cadel Evans bike aloft victory pose.

Hand shakes, man hugs and high fives.. Our Tour was now complete.

We celebrated with a lazy long Parisian alfresco breakfast, then it was back to the hotel to pack, checkout and prepare for the evenings departure to the airport and the long flight(s) home.

To fill the significant gap between checkout and airport departure, we spent the afternoon visiting the Tomb of Napoleon (little guy, big tomb) and the French War Museum. Wow .. Once again, like the Louvre, the almost incomprehensible actual existence of so many (non replica) pieces, this time illustrating the evolution of armour and weaponry, from not only 100's of years ago, but in the 1000's of years dating right back to the b.c's.
Incrediblé!!