Day 4: Thursday 5th April 2012 Approx 104K
(Above: We cut out some of the nice scenic routes on Day 4 in order to make life easier on the legs)
I woke up this morning wondering what all the fuss had been about the previous few days! My legs felt fresh after a good night’s sleep and plenty of healthy food. I also had time to organise myself a bit better which is foundational on a trip like this. If you forget to dry a key piece of clothing or pack something into your bike bag then you can spend eight or ten hours wishing you had remembered it. I had time before breakfast to sort out my cases. I worked on the assumption that I was proceeding but I didn’t make the final decision until after breakfast as I had promised myself the previous evening.
Breakfast was gorgeous and it was a relief to be able to sit down and enjoy it after the chaos with the dog and bus the previous morning. I felt pretty fresh and perky and as the other cyclists arrived they looked like they might have been feeling the opposite. I’m embarrassed to say I was encouraged by their tiredness! I guessed that they might have been feeling the effects of the cycling to date more than they had been letting on. I had gone 40k cycling in a pair of runners on day one, done day two on my own in the rain and barely managed to finish day three. Today there were no obstacles in front of me except the distance and weather which were to be expected. I was well organised and the distance was a little shorter so it had the potential to be a more restful day. I decided to ‘unquit’ and not even mention it to the guys.
(Some of the scenery on Day 4)
I’m so glad that I proceeded. The sun was out when we hit the hotel car park and three of us got on the road much earlier than we had done on previous days. One of the guys was struggling a little with injury and fatigue and he tucked in behind us for a while at the start. It felt like a relief that someone else needed help and that I wasn’t the one struggling at times!
(Similar distance to yesterday but it looks more impressive on the map!)
We worked closely as a team for the first two hours or so. It was wonderful. We cut the distance a bit shorter than originally planned because the previous day had been challenging for all in the wind. That meant we had a straight, but narrow, road with a good surface so we could put our head’s down (to avoid wind resistance) and really crank up the speed. The more speed then the less time spent suffering in the saddle.
(I still don't konw where this is but it was stunning!)
Cyclists will tell you that cycling like this, as part of a pack on a mission, is one of the most enjoyable feelings in the world. There is constant visual and verbal communication from the pack leader backwards and from the back of the pack to the leader. Leadership of the pack rotates so that everyone has a spell in the headwind up front and theoretically everyone gets an equal amount of time sitting in the draft (sheltered from the wind) which makes cycling considerably easier. Galway to Ballina are some of my fondest memories of the Mizen to Malin trip. We sang, discussed issues varying from theology to the use of raw egg whites to treat saddle sores and we even stopped for an ice cream at one point despite the cold.
Another cyclist joined us later in the day and it was fun to have another voice in the conversation. Somewhere between Castlebar and Ballina we came around a bend and saw a lake (see photos). I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the place. We pulled in at the side of a lake and just enjoyed the moment for twenty minutes or so. The effect of the beauty was interesting because we had been very focused on speed and our goal until that moment but the beauty of the lake disarmed us and we cycled casually for the rest of the day. We got soaked with rain a few minutes after our stop and the cold really bit in. We had already cooled down from our stop but thankfully the sun came out again and we continued towards Ballina.
Our arrival in Ballina was fantastic. A farmer driving an ancient tractor passed us with about 15 kilometres to go. Dave was leading the pack at the time and he decided to fully utilise the opportunity. We ended up drafting the tractor for about ten kilometres into Ballina. I don’t recommend doing this for many reasons but it was a hilarious experience and a welcome break from the howling wind.
We arrived at a stunning, modern hotel with a jacuzzi which was a real blessing to help the legs recover. If I was advising people on how to do it I’d definitely encourage staying in hotels with saunas and jacuzzis to help promote recovery in the legs. I was feeling very hopeful and knew that I needed to continue to take things one day at a time. If Day Five turned out to be as hard as day one or two then I still wasn’t quite sure if I was going to make it. I still figured that if I made it onto the saddle on day six that I’d somehow get through the day though.
Back at home Cara was taking care of Fauna who was as sick as.. well, as sick as a very sick dog! Cara ended up bringing her on a few trips to two different vets but they eventually sorted the problem out.
No comments:
Post a Comment