Day 2: Tuesday 3rd April 2012 Killarney - Spanish Point Approx 112
Day two was one of the longest and most difficult days of my life. Cara and I paid a price for bringing our dog (Fauna) with us as the dog had been sick and woke us up several times during the night. The rain poured down outside as we ate breakfast and I still didn’t have cycling shoes. My body was exhausted after the chaos and exertion of day one and I was disorganised.
By the time I processed my situation about and decided to go and invest in a new pair of cycling shoes the rest of the team were ready to leave so I told them to go ahead and very optimistically told them I’d catch up with them soon.
(Very happy with my new cycling shoes and covers)
The big lessons of the day were about equipment and a little cycle nerdy so skip this paragraph if you aren't a cyclist! I wore a waterproof hiking jacket to keep the rain off which would later prove to be a mistake. I learned that hiking and cycling jackets are not interchangeable and that trying to cycle in a hiking jacket is like trying to cycle in a sauna! How I wished I’d bought one in The Cycle Superstore before I left. When I put on my new cycling shoes I also realised how bad my old pair had been. It turns out that by skimping on costs ten years ago when I bought my triathlon shoes it cost me a lot in terms of cycling technique and therefore speed.
An hour later I was on the road to Tralee, very happy with myself, with my lovely new shoes and rain covers. I was making great time and thought I could turn the day around! Approximately twenty minutes from Tralee a text arrived from the gang which let me know that they were only five kilometres ahead of me. I was delighted at the news and stretched forward onto my tri bars to speed up and catch them. Then I heard a hissing noise and realised I had a puncture in my back tyre. Then it dawned on me - I don’t have a pump with me! Oh no!
I replaced the tube with a new one and prayed for a cyclist to pass by to help me. I rang our back up team and confessed my silly mistake. They were with me about forty-five minutes later and in the meantime I had become borderline hypothermic. After almost an hour in total of being stopped I was shaking uncontrollably and sat into the back up car; put the heating on full tilt, got some warm clothes off the girls and drank a cup of tea. The Mizen to Malin dream was in jeopardy because of another silly mistake - I couldn’t believe it. The gang ahead had left McDonalds Tralee so I decided to imagine myself sitting in McDonalds, feeling warm and having made ground on the team. I needed a new, achievable target and despite how I feel about McDonalds food that one suited just right. Imagining the heat of the restaurant helped me to keep my focus off feeling so cold.
I eventually made it to the restaurant and quickly re fueled and got back on the road so that I could make an inroad into their lead. I text them to say I was leaving and a text came back immediately to say they were only ten kilometres ahead. I was delighted and tried to speed up again but in my haste I got lost leaving Tralee and ended up adding on even more distance to catch up. The gang must have speeded up because I seemed to get further and further from them as the day went on. We had a ferry crossing to catch at one point so I fueled up on the bike and cycled as fast as my legs would carry me to catch them. When all hope was lost of me catching the ferry I started to worry about having to finish my cycle in the dark (with no lights and little reflective gear).
I tried calling Cara who was in a backup car to arrange a plan to meet them and get some supplies. I was soaked, hungry and struggling to stay motivated. My phone died as I said hello so I was faced with a forty five minute wait for the next ferry, a 50k cycle and the possibility of cycling alone for the rest of the day.
When I arrived at the port I was overjoyed when the sun came out. I was able to dry out my clothes as I waited for the next ferry. I used the time to stretch, rehydrate and form a plan to make it home. I was desperately cold. When the ferry arrived I was delighted to find out they had a warm lounge and shop. I fueled up again and managed to get enough life out of my phone to tell Cara my plan and that I was going to try a shorter route to Spanish Point than originally planned.
(Above Cara brings Fauna from Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind on her first boat journey)
Once off the ferry things started looking up. The rain stayed off and I made reasonably good time. The shortcut turned out to be gentle and without too much traffic. Eventually Cara caught up on me with about fifteen or twenty kilometres to go. I was able to sit in the car and take some salts and fluids on. It is amazing how much life it gives to be fussed over for a few minutes! I was soon ready to go again and I had to because it was starting to get dark.
The last hour was a real battle to keep my mindset positive. With ten kilometres to go I was starting to lose the battle and my mind was drifting toward thoughts of pulling out of the trip. I said a little prayer for inspiration and almost immediately hit a bit of a downhill which I was glad to see. As I sped up a horse appeared from out of the blue in a field next to me and ran along beside me which really lifted my spirits. It was one of those magic moments that I’ll really remember from the trip.
I was thrilled when one of the guys came back to me and in an act of real sacrifice cycled the last seven kilometres again along side me. I was able to focus on the conversation rather than the fact that I had been on the bike for almost ten hours. I received a round of applause from the gang who were waiting to order their dinner when I arrived at the hotel. I was grateful for the reception and the thought of a meal but when it arrived I was just too tired to eat it. I think my body just decided that it needed a sleep and couldn’t manage another process!
After 2 very rough first days it was time for a serious debate about whether it was wise to continue with Day 3..
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