This morning began with the alarm going off and having left it on the other side of the room, me doing my best to kill it with the power of thought. Didn’t work. My feelings last night of looking forward to today were replaced by ‘In the name of Jesus, Mary and the wee donkey why the hell did I sign up for this.’
Shortly after, the group were massed outside the guest house and loading the support bus to take us to the start point for the day where we bought a selection of baguettes, cheese, yoghurts and cereals and had breakfast by the roadside before setting off to cover todays planned 75km.
After the first section of 21km at what felt for me to be breakneck (or legs) speed along tarmac we stopped for a brief rejuvenating break then started down a dirt road for the next 16 km stretch. This brought us to a small but busy market village where we bought the obligatory bananas and washed them down with rehydration salts diluted in our water bottles. The weather had actually been kind to us so far today staying overcast although still warm and shortly after starting the third section a fine rain descended having two affects. Firstly it kept us blessedly cool and second it kept the dreaded dust down. Having struggled so hard through the first section I was actually pleasantly surprised to find I was coping ok. The road was wide, straight and flat and although sticky from the rain the country side and the surprising number of large and very ornate temples in such a remote area meant enough distractions to keep the mind off the fatigue.
After a light lunch we headed off the main (dirt) road and on to what in England would be a farm track but in Cambodia is a B road. Some very deep pot holes, lumps and bumps actually made it more enjoyable as we kept a decent pace and had a little fun with the terrain. The next 16km went much faster then I’d expected, then it was on for the final push as the road eventually flattened. After about 5km I took my first tumble of the ride although not thankfully serious. The two riders ahead of me had to brake suddenly and although I stopped just short of them the gravel caused a skid which left me leaning as I stopped. This shouldn’t have been a problem but my right foot didn’t come clear of the peddle strap. Following the ‘oh s***’ moment when you realise there’s now nothing you can do, gravity took over. I glanced down at the road. The road glanced back and obligingly offered to break my fall. Not too much damage other than grazes, some bruising and a little embarrassment which was soon forgotten as we hit the last section of today’s ride and eventually our overnight stopping point at which point I was perplexed to find that I wasn’t fit for collapse but actually felt pretty good. Must be getting used to this legs going round and round stuff although I don’t want to speak too soon, still a long way to go. Oddly enough I sustained worse bruising on the undamaged arm overnight when a mosquito bite (I’m hoping it was only a mosquito anyway) left a bruise about twice the size of a 50p piece. If anyone ever thinks they are too small to make a difference try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.
Having quickly showered we convened again to head by bus to visit an orphanage on the outskirts of town. It was started and is run by an American couple, Cathy and John and was an impressive operation. They housed, tutored and looked after 240 HIV positive children on site and had other sites based across Cambodia. Their outlook was incredibly positive and the children were happy, well looked after, being properly educated and were given genuine opportunities to integrate back in to society despite their illness and the stigma that unfairly accompanies it. Very glad we stopped off there to see them and I hope they can continue in the long term.
After dinner we retired exhausted to bed with our alarms set once again to wake us before the sun rose.
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