August 15, 2014
Thank you!: You answered the call
Morning eventually came and I staggered bleary eyed into the kitchen where Sasha asked me cheerfully if I had slept well. 'Not really actually, no.' I sat at the table and ate some breakfast and as I did so the cat appeared and jumped up onto the chair next to me. 'Oh funny that, you had no interest in coming into the kitchen last night did you?' The cat let out a big yawn, stretched and curled up to take a nap. 'Yeah, it's alright for you isn't it? You haven't got to go and cycle 130 kilometres now.'
The evening with Sasha had been really great but any positive effects this had on my mood were cancelled out by the negative effects a second sleepless night had on my aching body. To add to this the road became very hilly beyond Krasnoyarsk and there was a long climb out of the city. I had hoped to find a summit sign when I finally crested the peak but the only sign there was this one:
As well as all the climbing I also had a slight headwind and I only managed to cycle 94 kilometres that day. And the hills and the headwind continued the next day too, and I only cycled 107 kilometres. I was really struggling now, falling behind schedule, I was not batting at the required run rate and only doing what I could to stay in the game.
The following morning I woke up early hoping to put in a big day and quickly took the tent down. Then I noticed that I had a flat tyre. Now fixing a flat tyre is quite an awkward thing to do without a makeshift beekeepers costume on but it becomes very time-consuming with one. I set to work anyway and as I did so some very dark clouds came over the horizon accompanied by thunder and lightning and I decided the only thing to be done was to put the tent back up before I got hit by the deluge. This I did, and then I got the puncture fixed but it was still not raining and it seemed that the thunderstorm was passing to the side of me and I was safe. So I went out and took the tent down again and started cycling. And then it started to rain. A lot.
I should probably add that I'd lost my poncho a few days earlier and had no waterproofs at all. You can imagine what a happy mood all of this had put me in by the time I reached the flooded streets of the town of Kansk a few hours later. I stumbled upon the market there and spent more than I probably should have done on some waterproofs, at which point it stopped raining and presumably wouldn't start again for six months.
This was a real low point now. Behind schedule, lacking motivation and looking like a drowned rat I stopped to use the Internet. A few days earlier back in Krasnoyarsk I had posted a message on this very blog, some of you may remember it, explaining my struggles and asking for messages of support and inspiration from anyone who might be reading it. Some might consider it fishing for compliments but it was really more of a plea for help, a call to arms. The response that it got almost brought a tear to my eye as I stood in the street with my laptop stealing the wifi from the local swimming baths. Message after message of kind-hearted words of encouragement, it was such an incredible boost, just when I needed it most. I realised that I was not alone with this challenge, I had a whole army behind me! Well, I mean, there were only about 30 messages, not enough for an army really. I had a whole platoon behind me! A platoon of 30! Well, I mean, one of the messages was from my mum, and she would be useless in any kind of combat situation. I had a whole platoon of 29, plus my mum, behind me! I was uplifted! And by the way, I think all of you should start calling me Sergeant from now on (not you mum.)
I'm sorry, I would like to thank each and every one of you individually, but to do so would take more time than I have online at the moment. I would like to give a special mention to Paul Markham for his fantastic vampire joke which made me laugh. Vampire jokes are always welcome on my guestbook. Also thanks to Deborah Acosta for her great advice to 'cycle, eat, sleep, repeat.' It was great advice, I mean, I like to cycle, I like to eat, I like to sleep and I like to repeat. It really made me feel like I could do this. I mean, I like to cycle, I like to eat, I like to sleep and I like to repeat. It really made me feel like I could do this. But the best message by far came from Kathy Panton who wrote:
I'm in Hong Kong and I met three girls on bicycles a few days ago. They are heading north (I assume they mean Mongolia but I didn't ask. They might have just meant Kowloon). I told them about you and they promised to watch out for you and change direction if they meet you. So watch out for them - there can't be that many cyclists in China and Mongolia: I'm sure you'll meet them!!!ps - they were all very pretty.
An inspired message Kathy! I believe this may very well be a clever ruse on your part but an ingenious one nevertheless. You have seen my weakness and exploited it for my ultimate benefit. Three pretty girls on bicycles looking for me somewhere in China or Mongolia was exactly the thing to get me moving at great speed towards China and Mongolia. Brilliant! Thank you!
With all of the inspiring and motivational words, and particularly the thought of those pretty girls, I burst forward with renewed energy and made it to 150 kilometres that day. The next day I went even further, 160 kilometres, and followed it up with 140 kilometres the next. To continue the cricket analogy, what I had just done was hit three sixes off successive balls, and the second one had actually gone out of the ground and down the street, and a man had to be sent to look for it. It was game on again!
Incidentally I shall be played by England legend Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff in the metaphor.
Thank you all once again, your kind words and continued support were the reason for this turnaround in fortunes. Absolutely, it was all down to you! I mean, the fact that the wind changed direction also helped, but still, I am very, very much obliged to each and every one of you (unless you didn't send me a message, in which case I'm not, and you can drop and give me twenty!)
15/08/14 - 94km
16/08/14 - 107km
17/08/14 - 150km
18/08/14 - 160km
19/08/14 - 142km
Today's ride: 653 km (406 miles)
Total: 25,943 km (16,111 miles)
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