14N09W24BBC_01 Well

What is it really like to ride these roads? In a word, difficult, beyond belief in parts. I would consider myself to be a reasonable cyclist, not the worst and by no means the best, pretty average. I can happily keep up with a club ride and often ride 80-100km on a morning hilly ride. None of that prepared me for the terrain here. It is spectacular but 50km here on these roads with all my kit, takes on average 6 hours for someone like me. Many people I have met on route have had the same experience, overestimating their daily mileage. Each day I set off early, usually at 7am to avoid the main heat of the day. Riding on dirt gravel roads that are washboard all over with no smooth surface in site. After 20km my legs are screaming and the climbs have usually begun. Today the climb was not too long just a short 12km on really tough, rough rocky roads. Parts made the Paris Roubaix route seem nice, at least that had some tarmac. My fingers were becoming numb from the vibrations, cars passing kicking up dust when they pass, making it hard to breath. Stopping at a stream to refill my camel bag with filtered water was light relief. After 7km of climbing and being on gravel roads for 28km and 5 hours, my right knee started to give me pain. My whole body telling me to stop. My mind telling me to keep going, remembering how much work has gone in to getting me here, I push on. Enjoy it I keep telling myself. But my body is telling me different. No one tells you how hard these climbs are. Much like tough days in life, they too shall pass. I reach the summit and start the decent. Then my brain has to kick in, one mistake on this downhill, on these roads and I will be thrown off with broken bones. Out of the saddle and I started the decent, my legs screaming, my hands now numb, my brain arguing with my mind. Finally we reach the campsite and tonight it’s next to a bar. Sitting with my friends having a beer, meeting other cyclists makes the day all worth while. Until tomorrow.Read more