You are the cyclist!

« Yeah that’s me »

I just got into the natural warm pool. My legs are burning. The two other persons in the pool are looking at me, « I’ve got sun burned…it hurts my legs ». The woman looks at me « oh you are the cyclist!! » I can hear Laurent you have the cyclist tan… God the sun got my legs and my face. The warm water doesn’t feel that good on those parts but my muscles are saying thank you!

There was only one road to get to Hrvellavir. The whole camping passed me. As I’m putting my tent up, 2 Germans women’s come to me : « du bist da! Wir sind so froh! ». I look at them « ja es war hardcore ». And also thinking to myself you and your bloody 4×4 throwing dust all over the place. I feel absolutely filthy.

On the second day I took a small road that was bumpy « route tappe cul » it made me learn that you have to strap properly your bags otherwise you are like a cycling battery. Absolutely awful.

Plus, when your wheel knocks a rocks and the bag jumps and comes back hitting hard your bike, you get to fall down. Got so many bruises. Fell down a few times. I do have really good wheels but some parts of the road it just get into the ground. I’m getting better with my balance. Now, when it gets hard I stand up, makes the control of the riding better. You also have to be careful getting down hills. You think you can finally speed up, wrong. If you get speed than your wheels hit the rocks harder and that’s exactly when you loose control.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t take a picture of me going up those rocks hill but it would have done a pretty esthetic picture. Me, putting all my weigh on the front of the bike to do the balance otherwise the bike, because of the bags, just fells on it’ back.

I don’t know what was my speed… but this F35 road looked like unending. If only the structure of the road was the problem it would have been fine. But you have to add to the difficulty of the never ending 4×4 car driving next to you, the 4x4torous and the motorbikes doing a tour in the Highlands: full nightmare of dust coming into your face. As I was going a steep heel and 7 motorbikes passed me, the guide from the motorbikes who was driving a 4×4 slowed down : « Hey where are you going? I ADMIRE YOU! Really! Where are you going? » I looked at him like wtf? I’m like sweating like hell, eating the dust from his 4×4 trying to maintain my bike on this ground on a steep hill and he wants to have a conversation? Suddenly he realised the awkwardness of the situation « Hey doing a great job! Have a nice trip! I ADMIRE YOU ». I just whispered… » Thank you » trying not to breathe the dust coming from his car…

Finally in all of those little things I did acquire some experience. Now, I double check the map, is there water? Where will I stop? And I will try to make shorter trips. Everything is possible, but you have to take it « bit by bit ». I can hear my mum – mummies always have the best advices. They are the ones will call when we are sick, just to hear their voices makes us unsick. The magic action. Yeah healing in the warm pool, tomorrow is rest day.