Only 1050 kms to go!

We are finally on our way. After weeks of preparation, the team left Brussels today.

Before they left for Charleville-Meziers, over 50 Johnson Controls employees congregated at the Place du Chien vert in the Parc du Cinquantenaire to cheer the team on their way.Spirits were high as the team left the official start line and headed out of Brussels.

With the sun also out in force, the first stage covered 150 kms and headed south towards to the French border, through the Ardennes.
Despite not haven ridden as a group before over such a distance, the team quickly found their pace and were soon eating up the kilometres.

The undulating hills of the Ardennes proved harder work with some long steep climbs through winding roads.

But every climb has its upside (or should that be downside) as the crest of the hills were conquered and fast descents gave the muscles some much needed relief.

Fortunately traffic was light and only a few mechanical issues temporarily halted progress.

The French border was crossed unseen as the team made steady progress towards the overnight stop at Charleville-Meziers. So Day 1 was a success.

We arrived at our hotel in the early evening with everyone - and every bike - in one piece.

All of the riders are now sporting the start of a tan and with more sun forecasted we took the opportunity to stock up on water and energy gels.

Tomorrow will be a long trek down to Dijon. Before we sign off we’d like to thank all of you who supported us in Brussels and took the time to send us on our way.
You can monitor our progress with our real-time GPS tracking (see link in top right hand text box).

Bonne nuit


The postings on this blog do not represent the positions, strategies or opinions of Johnson Controls