THE GOOD LIFE Cycling
want to feel as though I have earned the tasting menu that will be waiting for us at the end of the day, so I elect to see if I can stick it out over the longer distance. The group I choose to ride with includes British former pro Chris Lillywhite and an- other Belgian legend of the sport, Johan Mu- seeuw. At 55 and 56, respectively, each man still carries the look of someone preternatu- rally gifted with athletic ability. Lillywhite has the responsibility of leading the ride, and so sits on the front of the miniature peloton, churning away for hour after hour. Museeuw, who says he has come for the sheer fun of it and the chance to spend time with Merckx (as well, perhaps, as to furnish his burgeoning Instagram following with some aesthetically pleasing content from the event), is happy to lark around at the back and make jokes. At one point, he pulls up next to a stationary car and asks its bemused driver if he knows the best way to Paris.
Our group is also trailed by a support car, which is on hand to provide sustenance and top up water bottles when we occasionally stop. This being LeBlanq, it is a Porsche 911 in Michelin livery. Another group is followed by an Aston Martin, the car manufacturer being another LeBlanq partner. (After the weekend, I learn that one member of the group liked it so much that he bought the same model.) Following a fairly sedate start in the morning, sweeping past spectacular vineyards and through the rolling, verdant paysage, one or two members of the group decide to up the pace. I manage to hang on to their coattails, but begin to get cramp in my legs. Fortunate- ly, by this time, we have almost made it to a scheduled stop near the end of the ride – at the Laurent-Perrier estate. All of the four groups out on the road convene for a restora- tive glass of fizz before the final 10km back to the hotel. Having taken a dip in the hotel pool, I
make my way up to dinner, which is prepared by Raymond Blanc and his team. After a short but characteristically effusive speech from Blanc himself, we taste the fruits of his la- bours. The courses range from Blanc’s signa- ture ‘tomato essence’ – vital, golden liquid served cold in a shot glass – to a succulent beef fillet wrapped in nori. After dinner we repair to the hotel lounge for a discussion between Merckx, Museeuw and Adam Blythe, a former British national
‘Is it like
turning leſt on a plane?
Can you ever go back to
economy class?’
champion who retired young, at 30, and now has a successful career as a TV commentator and pundit. After the interview, I ask Merckx what made him better than anyone else. He pauses, then calmly states: ‘You worry that you won’t be the champion.’ The last day of the trip coincides with
Paris-Roubaix – one of the most prestigious bike races in the world (Merckx and Museeuw are both former winners). It has earned the nickname ‘The Hell of the North’ because of a uniquely difficult course which sends the peloton bouncing over long stretches of his- toric cobbled farming roads. In homage, our route – named ‘The Hell of Champagne’ – will take in a stretch of gravelly, rough terrain, although it is a modest 64km, compared with
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