137km
I remember stirring once in the night and it hurt. Then at 5.30am, I did wake up nervous. This was the big day...literally. The day we were to cycle 137kms and I was not at all sure how I was going to cope, physically and mentally.
Being the expert that I now am, what I have come to realise about cycling is that there is a lot out of your control! You can train, steer and pedal your bike in the right direction, even prepare yourself mentally, but if the roads are a patchwork of potholes and ruts, (like there had been for a couple of days) there is a headwind (as there was on day five and six) or you have not eaten the correct food and hydrated properly, you don't stand a chance.
Sometimes you have to do an unscheduled detour due to a road block!
So the water stops on long rides become a race to fill up your water bottle with electrolytes, eat the delicious watermelon, pineapple, banana, and peanut brittle.If we stop at a shop, we buy peanuts, crisps, M and M's, cans of coffee, coke, in fact just about anything that will fuel our tiring muscles and boost our energy and replace the huge calories we have been burning every day.
Before we set off on the well-anticipated monster of a day, Peter gave us a great pep talk and told us about a little boy PP with HIV, who, two years ago, had been too unwell to see the riders. In fact they thought he would die. He is now six and is doing well apparently and, little did I know, I was going to find out. Peter told us to think of the challenges that this young life was already facing when we were at our lowest point during the day.
What really helped me today was the growing experience of riding in a group. Some of the girls got such a great group together that we were zipping along at one point at 32kph. In fact the group was so good that boys joined it too!
We divided up the day into about 23km stretches and thanked every god we could that the roads were becoming so much smoother. On the whole (hole!) - the bumps and ruts and judderings have played havoc with joints, hands, and bums.
But mainly today we were able to zip along until a wonderful lunch at 82kms of Pad Thai and a whole coconut which we then cut open to scoop out the flesh. Divine.
Starting up again after lunch is always hard but we had a job to do as we edged ever nearer our goal of Yasthon and the orphanage. We kept our groups going and rotated to allow weaker or tired riders to rest behind others. The support of the team is magnificent. Today we had a couple of people in tears, a wrenched shoulder but we battled on. And on and on.
The stops also provide the necessary Hong Nam (toilet) which means Water Room. So you get a hole in the ground and a tub of water with a scoop to help you flush. At times my tired quads would protest at having to squat and I realise now that the boys in the gym in Auckland were not getting me to do squats for any other reason that to prepare me for the loos! Thanks Greg and Lawrence!
At one stop, the lady in the shop was staring at Danny the young and very fit boyfriend of young Emma Brown. "Very nice Farang (foreigner) - very high, very white!) White skin is de rigeur in Asia.
At 137kms, we pulled into the town of Amnat Charoen and to our surprise, there were some of the young kids from Home Hug that had been bussed up to meet with us.
We leaped off our bikes and ran to join the on the mat outside the van, all aches and pains of a huge cycle quickly forgotten.
The tears ran down my face as I looked upon these little souls, so young so sweet and innocent, whom we ride to support. This was a total surprise for Mae Thiew and she had really missed her children and they her. One of them approached me and gave me a hug, maybe because I was crying!
Yes it all hurts but we did some extraordinary riding today and I am so proud of us all. Tomorrow is the last day and we go to the orphanage after a short 70km ride for the end of the trip.
The evening was spent in a karaoke bar and I will never understand where we found the energy but the alcohol certainly numbed the pain. Needless to say, I got the show off the ground and everyone joining in and the highlight for me was Kiwi Andrew's rendition of "Itsy Witsy Teeny Weeny.." Classic.
Hi Nickie,
ReplyDeleteRicky from the plane here, your blog is amazing and gives me a really good sense of what you went through and achieved, well done! Hope the body has recovered now and you are back into the swing of things, they let me out of the airport in Sydney which was a dream result!
Was lovely meeting you : )