The days have gotten progressively harder. In the beginning it was small hills, humidity, and dusty roads filled with speeding trucks that set the bar for what we found difficult; that and putting down more miles in a day than most of us were used to. Then things changed.
Our first truly trying day was a 72 miler to Dong Hoi. It started with cold rain and ended in a gusty storm that brought our bikes to a full stop against the force of driving headwinds. At 20 miles we were soaked to the bone and climbing up and over a minor mountain pass. The upside was that we were kept warm from the physical exertion. The downside came on the down side. We rode our brakes coasting a few miles downhill while the rain blurred our vision and the windchill dropped the temperature to what felt like high 40’s (fahrenheit). It was painfully cold in bare legs, waterlogged shoes, and soaked clothing. And it was dangerous for a few of us. A few riders complained they couldn’t fully control their brakes because of numbness in their hands. Two of our riders were feeling the effects of the day and were forced to finish the day in the van.
But, I don’t think any of us were prepared for what we experienced over the past few days.
We were warned about the heat and gradient. We were told to bring extra water and food. We all heeded this advice. It was sheer torture.
The sun showed up with a vengeance. It had it out for us. It intimidated the clouds and cleared the sky of any obstructions to it’s rays. The highest recorded temperature I saw read “100 F -- Feels like 111 F”. In celsius that’s 38 and 44 respectively.
The mountains were what they are; mountains. But why the builders chose to construct roads on such impossibly steep grades, I have no idea.
The last three days have been spent in this heat and these hills, with the first of the three being the hardest. The heat smacked us down. The slopes set our legs on fire. We banded together sharing food and water while huddling under the elusive shade. It was impossible to cycle more than a mile up that hill without a reprieve from the sun. It went: cycle 1km, search for shade, stop again. I’ve never been so close to heat stroke. Looking around at the faces of my teammates afterward I saw I wasn't the only one. We all shared stories that night about the comfort, care, and generosity of our riding packs.
That’s how it’s been for three days, 145 miles, and 18,000 ft. of elevation gain.
It's been tough, and today we lost a member of our team due to an old leg injury. She's been struggling through the pain but just learned that if she keeps going she may not fully recover. This morning she took a bus to Danang to see a specialist. Surprisingly she's not giving up. Her plan is to do some physical therapy over the next few days and meet up with the team later in the week to complete the ride. I'm so impressed by her commitment to this charity.
Many of us have been challenged in ways we failed to anticipate. We’ve felt irritable, angry, vulnerable, and elated. Our bodies are doing things that surprise us, and we're doing it for the benefit of underprivileged Vietnamese children.
This team is full of heart and I'm proud to be included with such an epic group of people.
- Ray
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