The aches and pains are setting in but thankfully so are milder weather conditions. As the peloton prepares to arrive in Cannes tomorrow, the headwinds, torrential rain and heavy legs have been replaced by smoother conditions, and roads, as the pace picks up.

Keeping humour front and center, Simon Keating, a Senior Transport Engineer from our London studio, has been keeping us all up to date on progress as they cycle closer to the 1500km point and the race’s conclusion. After a challenging weekend that was overcome thanks to morale boosting chats building new friendships, it was a case of mind over matter for Simon and his fellow cyclists. Nearly there Simon, well done and keep going! For more insight into Simon’s weekend, see below…

Day Four

Day four I managed to complete all four stages, a total of 220km and no mean feat considering the horrific conditions we were battling against. The professional Paris to Nice race was cancelled but we managed to keep going, albeit literally cycling sideways at points as we went head to head with brutal winds. The sleep deprivation is catching up to us all today, and with more rain and cold expected to continue it does feel like an uphill battle (quite literally)!

Day Five

153km completed and the cumulative Ks are adding up as the suffering continues. The days are split into mentally ‘digestible’ 55km sections, the distance I usually ride back home. The only way to get through the day is to take it section by section and listen to your body and the body is screaming in places! When things are tough, chatting to the friends you have made along the way is good for waning morale. It was another difficult start this morning dealing with the aches and pains but the more favourable conditions (it was still raining but after previous conditions it seemed much milder) and so the faster pace was a welcome distraction. The next section is 70km so mentally challenging when the day is 264km long. The importance of sleep for recovery remains vital so catching up on some much needed shut eye as I sign-off for the evening.

To support and donate to Simon’s Just Giving page, please see link below… 

Simon Keating is fundraising for Club Peloton (justgiving.com)