Epilogue

It's been a while in coming, and inevitably it's far from worth the wait. But here it is, my last blog entry...


All physical form gained on the Tour as been lost somewhere beneath Birthday parties, May Week and Glastonbury. My cycling kit lies rotting and still in my paniers in my parisian flat and will probably be unusable ever again. The bike lies disassembled after I drunkenly took it apart for a bet. But, the memories are still there. (Cue wretching in disgust from several readers I'm sure).

All that remains is for me to thank you all for spending your valuable time reading my ramblings, and to thank those of you generous enough to donate to Save the Children in the form of sponsorship. The total stands currently at £2,350 , an amount which will make a huge difference to many lives. So, thank you all again. Ed xxx

(If you wish to make a donation and haven't yet done so details are online at www.justgiving.com/edstourdefrance)

And now, the ends is near...etc.

Here it is, the last entry (until the inevitable epilogue).

Today I travelled out from Versailles to Jouy en Josas (my old stomping ground) so I could see just how far I've come over these last few months. The answer is about 6 kilometres. Now that is a bad joke.

Either way, I triumphed French administration (at least for a while) today, defeating my old landlord by recovering my deposit, and conning the French police into thinking my passport had been stolen rather than carelessly lost.

Aside from such frippancies (is that a word?), I'd like to conclude this entry, and indeed my Tour with a rather disgustingly soppy message. My friends and family already know me as a rather soft and sentimental git, so this should come as no particular surprise to you.

If I've learnt anything over these last ten weeks it's this...

Give everything your all, and fuck it if it's not enough - sometimes you're gonna have to take the train.
Look after yourself, but never forget those around you. Friends, family, and the people you meet on the way are what makes life worth living.

So thank you to you all. Whether it's been by text, phone call, facebook abuse or whatever, I couldn't have done it without your support. And thank you to to anyone reading this who I met along the way, Daniel and Sonia, Jacques Isabel and Eliza, and all those whose name I didn't catch, but tooted me and cheered, bought me a pirates of the caribbean fun cone, or offered me a free Opel Corsa, thank you all.

I told you it'd be soppy, but there it is. I've missed you all dearly, and can't wait to see you. X

Easy

Well, I'm in the last week, and my adventure is drawing perilously close to its end...meaning I shall soon have to confront the real world of landlords, exam options, dissertations and the like. On a more positive note however it brings me all the closer to parties on the Champs Elysees, in a field by a river, at John's Ball, and at Glastonbury. La vie is indeed dure...

It'd be unfair if I didn't let you all know the results of the weekend's special, though I'm sure you can guess them already. Superman was ALLEGEDLY faster than a speeding bullet. I am OFFICIALLY faster than a train. Ok, a regional train. Travelling over lunch time with an awkward change.

But the fact remains that by the time Hammond and May made it into the station, I'd had a shower, looked around Deauville, and got bored of waiting. I will point out that in that time I however did not attack any ladies with a suitcase. Unlike Chewstep. Tut tut tut.

I'm staying in Rouen for a rest day here, as it really is rather pretty. However until I get to look around I really have to get through some of the couple of months of admin that's built up...nightmare.

I'll try to post another entry before it's all over...until then, a la prochain x