The day finally came when I joined the team on the road. After a pleasant afternoon meeting everyone yesterday we saddled up at 6:30am to tackle what looked like a tough day on Mapmyride. Although this segment was only 73km it was anything but easy. It involved two big ascents totally over 900m which would have been tough on their own however throw in searing sunshine, 42 degree heat and not a lot of shade and you have the makings of a brutal day. That is the only way to describe it, brutal. Great way to get initiated into the team.
The day started out well as we cruised out of Hue and headed to the mountains to pick up the Ho Chi Minh Trail on the Lao border. The initial hills were gentle but as the heat increased so did the inclines, the never ending relentless inclines. The team quickly split with John ‘The flash’ Payne streaking off and leaving us in the dust, arriving at the hotel hours ahead of anyone else. Apparently, he found the heat motivating and just wanted out of it as fast as possible, can’t argue with that logic.
The rest of us split into about 4 groups and slogged our way up the hills stopping for shade and water where we found it along the way with a few river and waterfall wallows thrown in for good measure. By kilometer 50 though it was taking its toll. I’m not ashamed to admit to taking the van along with about 25% of the team up the last 15km of climbs. As we ascended the last stretch in the van loaded with heat stroke victims and serious leg injures I was grateful for the ride and in awe of those that persevered, it got a lot harder at the top.
We all arrived at the hotel by about 2:30pm weary but in good spirits. It was a fun first day getting to know the great people that I will finish this ride with. Everyone was so supportive taking care of each other and making sure no one was left behind, and everyone was hydrated. I’ve done some tough rides in my time including some epic long and mountainous off-road rides but today was by far the hardest of them all. The best news is tomorrow is meant to be even harder with even more unforgiving hills. Bring it on!
I’d like to dedicate today to my dear friend and best biking buddy Toni Hänninen who supported me early in the H2H fund raising. He is a hill climbing monster and would have laughed his ass off at me today. I promise to make you proud before this is over Toni.
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| We found shade! |
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| Isaac chilling in a waterfall |
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| The heat! Oh, the heat! |
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| Cooling off in any available body of water |
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| I think this about sums up how we all felt about this day |
We'd like to dedicate today's ride to our sponsor Family Medical Practice. They are Vietnam's leading international-standard medical provider offering the best and latest in healthcare and emergency services. They have also provided nation-wide humanitarian aid on several occasions, read about it here. Drop into any one of their hospitals or clinics in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, or Danang.
We are also grateful to Family Medical Practice for training our team in First Aid. Their training came useful today in the recognition and recovery for heat exhaustion.
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