As we meet in Trafalgar Square, we try to work out the most direct route to Newhaven.
Paul takes a last-minute look at the route map.
Looks easy enough on paper...
Mark relaxes in the sunshine. And would do so all afternoon, if that was an option.
Mark takes his bike for a test run around Trafalgar Square.
One more warm-up lap...
Paul takes to the saddle in Trafalgar Square.
This is fun. But will the pleasure fade as the afternoon progresses?
Mark prepares to present his first video diary entry, under Nelson's column.
Smiles in Trafalgar Square. How long will they last?
Shortly after 13:00, we're off to the perfect start. Just 300 km and we'll be in Paris.
It's a colourful ride through South London.
This is a bright and energetic wall in Streatham.
In the suburbs of London, Mark makes a wise purchase. An energy snack. And also a helmet.
As we cross the M25 and leave Greater London, we're finally on a quiet and scenic trail.
One transatlantic phone call later, we're about to get a shout-out on American radio!
As the sun sets, we still have a long road ahead of us.
Mark believes he's found his namesake, the village of Staplefield.
After an apparent wrong turn, and in total darkness, we decide to catch a train from Hassocks.
Although we were within 25 km of Newhaven, it was becoming impossible to navigate in the dark.
Hot chocolate never tasted so good. We're nearly in Newhaven, and just in time.
Paul enjoys a well-deserved dinner, as our ferry departs Newhaven at 22:30.
Mark is hungry for vegetables, as ever.
Cheers to a long, enjoyable and successful day.
It's going to be a long night, with the ferry due to arrive in Dieppe at 4:00.
Surprisingly, we're not the only cyclists disembarking this ferry at 4:00 in the morning.
Our nocturnal ride to the hotel takes us past the impressive 15th-century Château de Dieppe.
It's a late start in Dieppe, and Mark begins by removing his front mudguard.
We're really lucky on day two of our ride, it's another beautiful day.
From the hotel, we head back in to the centre of Dieppe.
It's a beautiful and rewarding descent in to the heart of Dieppe.
The seaside town of Dieppe has about 35,000 inhabitants.
Dieppe is twined with the English town of Grimsby.
It's a pleasant and quiet ride through Dieppe.
Mark checks the route plan, and we haven't even left Dieppe yet.
Diners enjoy lunch on a square in the town centre.
We head for the beach, along the quieter back streets.
The sun is high in the sky as we finally reach the beach.
The Château de Dieppe looks down on the beach below.
We cannot resist a quick cycle on the beach.
It's hard to pull away from the warm sunshine on the beach in Dieppe.
Just a few more minutes...
Mark contemplates the ride ahead.
The imposing cliffs of Dieppe.
If you look very carefully, you can see Britain... Maybe.
And, at last, we're back on our way.
The Canadian Essex Scottish Regiment suffered 121 fatalities in the Dieppe Raid of 1942.
The picturesque Port of Dieppe.
Dieppe is the leading port in France for scallop fishing.
Mark prepares to record another ""video diary"".
Passenger crossings to England became regular from Dieppe in 1889.
About 10 km from Dieppe, we join the "Avenue Verte", a disused railway line.
The Avenue Verte is a 40 km traffic-free cycle route, from Dieppe towards Paris.
The Avenue Verte is expected to be extended all the way to Paris.
A quaint cottage as the Avenue Verte takes us through a quiet village.
Mark crosses a road as the Avenue Verte takes us through a picturesque village.
We eventually stop for a late lunch on the Avenue Verte.
A small and distant village, just south of the Avenue Verte.
The disused railway would serve small villages between Dieppe and Paris.
Mark doesn't feel very satisfied by his light vegetarian lunch (a packet of crisps).
A last look at our lunchtime view as we get back on our way.
An old and intriguing building, beside the Avenue Verte.
A narrow stream runs between the barn and the cycle path.
Many villagers here take pride in decorating their houses with flowers.
Suddenly, a godsend, we come to a small hut selling ice cream.
And we quickly snap up the last bottle of water.
Here, the Avenue Verte runs parallel to an existing stretch of railway.
Towards the end of the afternoon, we're approaching the end of the Avenue Verte.
Mark enjoys the last stretch of the Avenue Verte cycle trail.
The Avenue Verte currently ends in the small town of Forges-les-Eaux.
The church of Forges-les-Eaux, on the Place Charles de Gaulle.
The picturesque Place Charles de Gaulle, in Forges-les-Eaux.
The high street of Forges-les-Eaux.
Flowers on the Place de la République, in Forges-les-Eaux.
The town hall of Forges-les-Eaux.
It's a tranquil evening in the countryside of Haute-Normandie.
Paul cycles as the sun sets.
Mark in the saddle, as we pass a small and isolated house.
Here are our first supporters.
It's a race against dusk to reach Gournay-en-Bray.
At sunset, we still have a short distance to reach tonight's hotel.
Paul plans the final leg of the journey, to Paris.
Another video diary moment...
Mark gets to sleep ahead of the final day of cycling.
It's a quiet Sunday morning as we wake up in Gournay en Bray.
A memorial fountain, dating back to the 18th century.
This is the Place Nationale of Gournay en Bray.
Gournay en Bray is a small farming town, with about 7,000 inhabitants.
A beautiful building in the small village of Cuigy-en-Bray.
The Notre-Dame church in Le Coudray-Saint-Germer was first built in 1215.
Coudray-Saint-Germer is a small village with under 1,000 inhabitants.
Paul takes a break from the saddle.
Paul is eagerly on the road to lunch...
The Saint-Rémi church, in the town of Marines, about 50 km from Paris.
It was time for a late lunch in this quiet square of Marines.
Mark contemplates the final stretch of road, as we head to Paris.
The church was built on the site of a monastery destroyed during the Hundred Years' War.
The small village of Us gives Mark a moment to contemplate his upcoming move to the USA.
Old buildings in the peaceful village of Ableiges.
This building sits just beside the railway.
A dovecote on the hill above Ableiges.
A monument in the town of Courdimanche, commemorating those killed during the Second World War.
We break for a few minutes in the hilly town of Courdimanche.
Courdimanche was fortified in the 12th century.
It's late afternoon in the busy riverside town of Triel-sur-Seine.
Finally we're about to cross the river Seine, which flows through Paris.
Triel-sur-Seine was busy, with market crowds on the riverbank.
The riverbank of Triel-sur-Seine, viewed from the bridge.
Mark enjoys the river air, as we try to decipher our map.
As the evening approaches, Paris still feels a long way away.
We see some interesting architecture as we pass through Villennes-sur-Seine.
Villennes-sur-Seine lays 30 km to the west of Paris.
We're frustrated by the closure of our path, due to widening of the adjacent motorway.
As dusk falls, we're rewarded with our first view of Paris. Spectacular.
It was worth all the effort for this moment. The Parisian suburbs lay below us.
We're in the Parc de Saint-Cloud, a 460-hectare park just beyond the outskirts of Paris.
The ride through the Parc de Saint-Cloud is very enjoyable, albeit rather dark.
As the evening turns to night, we finally reach Paris!
As we cross the Boulevard Périphérique, we're officially in Paris!
The Eiffel Tower proves a useful tool as we navigate Paris.
At just after 21:00, and 300 km after Trafalgar Square, we reach our destination.
Mark relaxes under the illuminated Eiffel Tower.
Paul finishes the ride under the Eiffel Tower.
So happy to be here!
It's been a long weekend, and a long day. But we're happy.
Mark cycles in front of the Eiffel Tower.
The Eiffel Tower, completed in 1889, is built on the bank of the river Seine.
The Eiffel Tower is illuminated to celebrate the French Presidency of the EU.
Now we just have to locate tonight's accommodation...
The Pont d'Iéna, leading to the Eiffel Tower, on the South bank of the Seine.
A beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower by night, from across the river.
The Eiffel Tower, viewed from below.
The Eiffel Tower sparkles every hour on the hour.
At 300 metres, the Eiffel Tower remains the tallest building in Paris.
The Grand Palais, a large exhibition hall built for the Paris Exhibition of 1900.
Never again are we staying at this youth hostel, in Clichy, just north of Paris.
The entrance of the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret.
The Moulin Rouge was built in 1889 and is located near Montmartre.
Paul cycles down the red carpet!
The current revue is named Feerie and features 69 songs, performed by 100 artists.
We're heading towards the city centre, via Montmartre.
At midday, we reach the picturesque Montmartre neighbourhood.
A café on a street corner in Montmartre.
Another cobbled street in Montmartre.
A busy square at the top of Montmartre.
The Sacré-Cœur Basilica, at the summit of the butte Montmartre.
The basilica was completed in 1914.
View of Paris from the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city.
Climbing the 130 metre-high hill was worth it for this view of the Paris skyline.
Mark enjoys the view from the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur.
It's all downhill from here...
As we complete our trip, the clouds roll in over the Paris skyline.
The Moulin de la Galette, now a restaurant.
Mark near the Moulin de la Galette, as we descend from the butte Montmartre.
The Café des 2 Moulins, made famous in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film, Amélie.
Inside the Café des 2 Moulins, workplace of Amélie Poulain in the 2001 film.
The café is named after the windmills Moulin Rouge and Moulin de la Galette.
Paul cycles past the Café des 2 Moulins, as we head to lunch in the centre.
We meet friends for a well-deserved lunch, just off the Avenue de l'Opéra.
We settle down for a relaxed lunch on the Place du Marché Saint-Honoré.
Sam, Elsa and another Sam, who join us for a leisurely lunch.
Mark and Paul toast their achievement. Cheers.
And we're soon back on the streets of Paris.
The Opéra Garnier, 2,200-seat Paris Opéra.
Paul enjoys the sunshine on the Place de l'Opéra, in front of the Opéra Garnier.
The Church of St Vincent de Paul, in the Quartier Saint-Vincent-de-Paul.
Mark cycles past the 19th century Église Saint-Vincent-de-Paul.
We reach the Gare du Nord, where we will catch our Eurostar back to London.
It feels good, as we cycle the last few metres in to the station.
We drop our bikes at the baggage terminal and join the Eurostar queue.
There are huge delays to Eurostar, following the recent Channel Tunnel fire.
Paul enjoys a celebratory ice cream, ahead of the Eurostar trip back to London.
After three hours at the Gare du Nord, we're ready to board our Eurostar.
We're back in London, but our bikes will be on the next train.
The Arcade at the recently-renovated St Pancras railway station.