He finished, like the true stars, in Paris. Mr Francis, who works in pharmaceuticals and is married with a three-year-old son, said: “I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. I like cycling but I’ve never done anything serious. I once cycled to Southend down the A13.
“The worst bit was the finish at the Arc de Triomphe, I had to weave round 12 lanes of traffic.”
While he was on his Carerra Virago in Liège, a sports fan asked for a photo, then added: “I’m sorry I don’t recognise you but good luck.”
At a fete in Feissons-sur-Isère he was interviewed about his race chances. Johnny Watson of DLKW Lowe, which made the Halfords ad, said: “We wanted to see what the average Joe could do. Dan did really well.”
