Next Stop Paris

Today we get the Eurostar over to Paris. It proves to be a quick and relaxed service, once you get on the train. Checking in was total chaos, just like catching a flight... Serves us right for picking a Saturday I suppose.

Once in Paris we head straight to registration for the half marathon at Château de Vincennes where we need to collect our race numbers but first we have to have our medical certificates approved. So we join our second big queue of the day. This one is even longer and slower than the Eurostar one but eventually we are in.

They also hand out the race t-shirts although L gets a sexy girlie vest while I get the bog standard issue t-shirt. Not that a sexy girlie vest would suite me.

Then it’s time to find the hotel. This time the Holiday Inn has upgraded me and I have been given a bachelor pad (or suite as they call it). Which is nice, I suppose. It’s probably bigger than Daughter’s new flat is. Not that we’re really going to use any of it, as we’re only really interested in the bedroom.

We head out for a wholesome pasta meal but spoil the healthy façade with a couple of Pelforth Blondes. That’s as in beer, not a couple of local women to invite back to the suite.

Rather than hit the wine in the hotel bar, this time we’re on the coffee. For once the hotel room TV gets some use as the French are at least covering the cycling so we can keep in touch with what is happening back at the track championships.

(Saturday 5^th March)

A Right Good Spanking

L takes me for a pleasant  amble up Parliament Hill today, which is on Hampstead Heath, where in 1605 conspirators gathered with the intention of watching the Houses of Parliament go up in flames, giving rise to it's name. Then we head back to the Velodrome for both the afternoon and evening sessions. 

In the break between the sessions we attempt to find a decent pub but fail miserably. I’ve always wondered who placed the Olympic Park in a beer desert. So it’s pints of electrically pumped  London Pride and Velodrome Curry (rather nice actually) instead. 

On the track, Andy Tennant beats team mate Owain Doull for bronze in the Pursuit, while the women’s Team Pursuiters redeem themselves from a horrible qualifying ride yesterday to also take bronze. Mark Cavendish rides a decent Elimination Race in the Omnium to come in second but possibly shows his lack of understanding of the rules in failing to land the win. The start performer though in Jon Dibben, Cav’s rival for an Olympic Omnium place who bags a terrific Points Race win.

We are urged to stay behind to help in the filming of a Sport Relief stunt involving Michael Crawford and Bradley Wiggins. This mainly involves a lot of jumping up and down on our part as well spanking the bottom of the person next to us. So expect numerous court cases for trauma and sexual assault to be filed retrospectively some time in the next thirty years. The woman next to me is far too keen and aggressive with her spanking. It's a good job I'm not the litigious type.

After all that spanking we are too late to hit another pub so we have a glass of wine back at the hotel bar instead.

(Friday 4^th March)