Stage 5 day 1 (Tues 15th May)

Nancy to Chalons-sur-Champagne (103 miles). Less than 5 hours sleep is perhaps not the best preperation and trying to force courses of breakfast down before 6am also goes against the grain a bit! So Group 3 rolled out in relatively good conditions, not quite the same blue sky as the previous day and in the knowledge that rain had been forecast. I soon realised how quick this group might be as we rolled at a "slighter" faster pace than I'm used to and it didn't take very long to pass the first 2 Groups on the road. 2-3mph average doesn't sound a lot and it was good fun rolling through the first 40miles til our lunch stop (10am!) at around 19-20mph average. A welcome stop to refuel & the food didn't disappoint. The next 30 miles were a bit tougher as the morning's exertions were starting to have an impact as I drifted off the back on the climbs, all because I couldn't keep that pace up. Sleepy towns, some uninspiring countryside and the company of John Savidge, who was also suffering the same fate, lead the way to an impromptu coffee stop in a town (whose name I didn't even see) but at least it had people and spotting 7 bikes together on the right hand side wasn't difficult. The remaining 30-35 miles were to tell a different story as the head wind increased, the rain that was forecast became very apparent & the uninspiring countryside that typified Day 1 continued only to be broken up the occasional wind farm. Some practice of a rolling peloton helped pass the time but in truth my legs started to struggle and as soon as I hit the front of the group from the fourth time onwards, I just went backwards every time and as Graeme was quick to point out (and correctly) it was like a parachute had been pulled. Only I thought he was referring to the "boil in the bag" jackets, that we were issued with, filling with air..... So when he shouted "tuck in", he meant "stick to the wheel in front" and gave me a gentle push to assist. I, on other hand went to pull down the back of my jacket.....Muppet!!! So the nickname "Parachute Bob" was created. Not long after, on one particular climb, I felt like I was going backwards and was given 2 helping hands, literally! Lee on one side & Graeme on the other, each having a hand on my back as I cycled up in a very slow 1st gear. Weather conditions aside (the rain hurt at this point), it's times like this when you have to dig deep....very deep! It wasn't the only climb til our destination and whilst I had a chaparone to keep me company & provide moral support, the effort was all mine. I wouldn't have had it any other way. Arrived at 3.15pm and was able to shower, wash gear, find food, rest up & reflect on the day's achievements knowing that many others would be suffering more than I. My roomie for the week didn't get back til 6.15pm! Somehow, the thought of trip to the caves at Bollinger followed by dinner made the recovery process a bit easier! Bollinger is a champagne house that does not open it's doors to the public, so to have the opportunity to taste some of its wares & enjoy a delightful meal was a great privilege. It didn't disappoint. Getting the chance to enjoy the company of Graeme & Lee in a more relaxing location was pretty good too!! I only saw him at dinner but Servais Knaven (former Paris-Roubaix winner & current Team Sky DS) was the ex-pro that joined the Slam. Coach back to hotel and the thought of sleep was really welcome...albeit with the alarm set for 5hours later. Zzzzzz