[Grammar] Present Perfect

[MDaria]

I have a problem with Past Perfect. I don't understand why in those sentences (which are below) we use Past Perfect (why no Past Simple?). Can someone explain it to me? Thank you for any explanation.
Sentences:
This time last year I was cycling in the rain along the country road in France with a friend of mine. We had decided to go on a cycling holiday in Normandy. Neither of us had been to France before, but we knew some french from our time at school and we had managed to brush up on the basics.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I have a problem with Past Perfect. I don't understand why in those sentences (which are below) we use Past Perfect (why no Past Simple?). Can someone explain it to me? Thank you for any explanation.
Sentences:
This time last year I was cycling in the rain along the country road in France with a friend of mine. We had decided to go on a cycling holiday in Normandy. Neither of us had been to France before, but we knew some french from our time at school and we had managed to brush up on the basics.

The past perfect is used to indicate the timing of events in the past. In your sentence the reference time is the past, as indicated by "I was cycling". Actions that were completed in the past before the reference time are put in the past perfect. All three of the underlined actions were completed prior to the cycling.

 

[Raymott]

"We were riding in the rain and we decided to go on a cycling holiday in Normandy." - wrong. This would suggest that the decision was made as they were riding along, but (as I read it) this was their cycling holiday in Normandy.