Everyone knows that each year the Tour de France finishes on the Avenue des Champs Élysées (commonly known just as the Champs Élysées) so while I was riding in the mountains I began scheming up a way I could complete my own pilgrimage by doing the same so today I rode the Avenue des Champs Élysées. It was cool.
Many of you probably know that Paris operates a free bike service called Velo Libre with many stations around the city where you can grab a bike, ride it, then return it to either the same station or another one close to where you are going. After a bit of research we discovered anyone can buy a day pass for 1.70 euros, so today I did and used one of these bikes to ride the Champs Élysées. The bikes can most kindly be described as functional. They are very clunky, industrial strength (and weight) bikes with three speed gears, lights and a lovely basket at the front for your shopping. Not the coolest bike but it did the job perfectly.
The Champs Élysées is a famous avenue is in the heart of Paris. It is cobblestoned and is renowned for it's busy and somewhat chaotic traffic. It was indeed very bumpy and very busy. I began my ride by going up the avenue (and it is upward) towards the Arc de Triomphe before turning around to head back down towards the Place de la Concorde to meet Nicola and the kids for the obligatory photograph. I had to dodge a cars crossing lanes, others trying to park, and impatient drivers turning into side roads in front of me. I had taxis trying to pick up and drop off customers, buses cutting in, and pedestrians crossing regardless of what the colour the lights were. It was crazy and it was great and I loved every minute of it because here I was, little old me, riding on the Champs Élysées! I get it that anyone can do this but I don't care. For a cycling nerd like me it was super chouette!
After the photo at the Place de la Concorde, I rode around the famous green fountain there to make the right turn where the sprinters normally jostle for position for the final sprint finish of each year's tour. Today I was simply focusing on avoiding tourists stepping off the path in front of me. I then finished my own Tour Parisian-style by going across four lanes of traffic so I could make a left turn and return my
What an excellent and fun end to my riding here in France. It's all smiles in Paris.
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