London to Paris Cycle for Prostate Cancer - Day 1

London to Paris Ride Begins!

The adventure has officially kicked off! The team of brave Splunkers set out from Splunks Paddington office in London this morning, embarking on their three-day, 375-kilometer journey to Paris, all in the name of raising awareness and funds for Prostate Cancer UK. Day 1 has been full of excitement, a few mishaps, and plenty of determination as the riders push through the first leg of their epic journey. 

The Calm Before the Storm

The day started early—really early. Phil was up at 04:45 AM, getting himself ready and making his way to the Splunk office just to give himself that extra challenge. There, the riders gathered for final checks and a motivational send-off from Splunk's own Gordon Morrison. He delivered a beautiful and inspiring talk that truly set the tone for the day, rallying the team and filling them with the energy needed to tackle the road ahead. With their hearts full and spirits high (and lycra donned), the team mounted their bikes and set off on the first leg.

A Few Bumps in the Road

As the riders hit the road, the first stop came with its fair share of stories. Rudi’s group had a “no clip-out” policy, so essentially no unclipping from the pedals…which, predictably, led to some precarious stops. Poor Rudi had quite the ordeal, losing his pedal nuts, but that's not all! He also narrowly avoided disaster when a cute puppy slipped its owner and decided to cross the road right in front of him. Let’s just say, there was a lot of tire squealing, adult words, and black belt cycle handling, to ensure neither the puppy nor Rudi collided.As you can imagine, by the end of the first leg, Rudi was reconsidering his love for cycling, with talk of selling his bike and stating he is much more of a cat person.

Meanwhile, Ed’s group had their own unique experience, involving an encounter with a less-than-friendly “white van man”. Apparently, cycling in a group doesn’t sit well with everyone, as the team faced some colourful language and even had eggs thrown at them! Kyle, on the other hand, seemed unphased, pushing off into the distance with a notable comment about his professional cyclist muscle tone and how they were all in awe.

Ismael’s group didn’t escape the drama either. Within the first 30 minutes, one of the riders had a minor mishap, forgetting they were still clipped into her bike and taking a tumble. Luckily, no serious injuries, just a reminder of the learning curve that comes with these long rides. Gordon stepped up as the group’s leader, and despite some early hiccups, the team pressed on, celebrating the fact that they’ve already crossed the £9,500 mark in their fundraising efforts.

The Road to the Pub and the Second Round of Stories

After surviving the first leg, the second stop brought more adventures. Cesar found himself on the wrong side of a bee’s stinger, right on the way to the pub. Iain had a close call with a mad cameraman, filming from his motorcycle. Then, just when the group thought they’d had enough excitement, they encountered a pothole that almost took them all down! On a brighter, slightly bragging note, Gordon’s group made it through the legs without any falls or punctures. However, the lure of the pub proved too strong for some of the team, who decided, they quite rightly deserved a cold beer after a long day of cycling.

Real-Time Data at Your Fingertips

As you can see, the ride even on the first day has been very, very, eventful!! Now we didn’t just have the verbal stories around punctures, potholes and stops, we have data and we’re using Splunk’s powerful data analytics platform to track their journey in real-time. This isn’t just your average ride; we’re capturing data on each rider’s speed, location, lead rider status, and even the height they’ve climbed throughout the day. With all this data at our disposal, we’ve created a fully public dashboard that allows anyone to follow the ride as it happens.

Want to know who’s in the lead? Curious about how many meters they’ve climbed so far? You can find all this information and more on the dashboard. It’s a dynamic, real-time view of the riders’ progress, bringing you closer to the action no matter where you are. So, if you haven’t already, head over to london2paris.livehybrid.com and check it out. You can follow along with every pedal stroke, cheer them on virtually, and stay updated on their progress as they push toward Paris.

The Journey Continues

Day 1 has been a rollercoaster of emotions, near-misses, and unexpected challenges, but our Splunkers have shown incredible resilience (and data resilience through dashboards). The journey from London to Paris is no easy ride, but with each pedal stroke, they’re getting closer to their goal and making a significant impact for Prostate Cancer UK.

As we wrap up the first day, I encourage you to keep following their progress. We’ll be updating the dashboard with the latest data insights, so head over to london2paris.livehybrid.com for real-time updates. And of course, come back here tomorrow for Part 2 of the blog to see how our riders are holding up as they continue their journey.

Once again, let’s wish these inspiring Splunkers a speedy, smooth ride! May the road be kind to them tomorrow, and may the wind be at their backs.

See you tomorrow!