Day 14 A'Luoi to P'Rao

“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.” — Arthur Conan Doyle

That quote has always been a motivation whenever I feel the weight of the world upon me — I get on my bike and I ride. Today was different. I wrote this as I sat in the support van suffering from an old hamstring injury, unable to join the team.

After yesterday’s shock of climbing hills in 43 degree heat, the heroes and heroines in Lycra were well prepared for today. Some carried massive bottles of water while others stuffed their tiny little bike bags with food. John, as usual, ate several plain bahn mis.

In the early hours of the morning, I watched all 18 riders clad in the official H2H kit ride off to conquer the mountains in the central highlands of Vietnam.

It was a surreal feeling, watching from the sidelines, in the comfort of the van. And as the sun rose, the heat came with it.

Going towards Prao, many cyclist sought shelter under the sparse shade the trees offered as the sun reached its zenith. Some cooled their overheating bodies in the tiny waterfalls that dotted the area while some rode on, motivated to reach our destination before the heat became too unbearable.

Mostly, the riders looked way better than they did yesterday. Davide, our second time H2H rider said that he “quite enjoyed the ride” while quite a few remarked on how much easier it was riding eventhough it was a longer day with higher elevation.

This journey would be tremendously difficult and almost impossible without the invaluable aid of our support van driver, Mr. Cuong (who entertained me with his funny jokes), our mechanic, Thu, and the DHL van drivers: Thanh, Tan and Minh.

In fact after 30 km in, Thu the mechanic took out his bike and rode with Sabrina, accompanying her until she reached the other riders. He continued riding, leading the back group now and then.

The sun hid behind the clouds at around 2pm, offering the riders better shade as they made their way deeper inland, towards the town.

It’s an odd feeling sitting in the support van knowing that I’m mentally prepared for the ride but physically, my body wouldn’t allow me climb hills. Once I’m mended though, I’ll be back on the road with my team.

Tomorrow is another day and with it comes other challenges. Everyone is getting stronger, the physical changes are more obvious now. The thing to remember is that, if you’re able to conquer this mountain, you’ll be able to ride through the next 14 days with minimal problems.

Distance: 103km
Elevation gained: 3,129m
Waterfalls climbed in: 4
Dogs/pigs/cows petted: 3
Water stops made: Countless

- Jules


We would like to give a very special acknowledgement to DHL. They’ve been a sponsor of H2H since our inception nine years ago. Many people are familiar with DHL-- they provide international courier, parcel and express mail services across the globe, but they’re more than that to H2H. Every year they generously provide H2H with a support van and staff. One of the staff, Mr. Thanh, has been with us for six years, making him an invaluable resource for the riders. Mr. Tanh, Mr. Tan, and Mr. Minh regularly go above-and-beyond for the riders: Driving up and down the roads making sure every rider is hydrated; loading and unloading luggage; helping to find lodging; providing each year’s group with their years of experience and local knowledge. This ride would be far more challenging without DHL and the crew they provide. If you need to ship anything securely we highly recommend DHL