Distance detail: Racing for memories
The Girl In The Georgette is back after her TCR adventures last year. Currently on the TransAm Bike Race across America, she gave us her thoughts on the 'why' of ultra cycling.
TYPE 1 FUN - PLAIN, SIMPLE, UNCOMPLICATED FUN. SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD LOOK FORWARD TO DOING.
TYPE 2 FUN - FUN ONLY IN RETROSPECT. SOMETHING YOU MIGHT EXPECT TO CAUSE DISCOMFORT.
AM I A CYCLO-PATH?
I think long distance cycling events are like child birth (not that I've ever given birth- but there seem to be similarities!) Throughout the event I wanted it to be finished but the instant it was over I had forgotten all the pain and in its place were with these bouncing shiny memories. Well that's how it was for me. No sooner had I arrived home from last year’s Transcontinental Bike Race (TCR) but I had signed up to the Transamerica Bike Race 2017 (Transam).
The TCR was difficult and draining; I've never been so exhausted in my life. Against all expectations however I finished and in the aftermath I reflected on the race - it turns out that the good memories far outweighed the bad... in fact even the memories of moments I know were terrible (climbing the Albula pass in the sleet, no hotel vacancies at the bottom of the Grosse Scheidegg, re-routing through the Dolomites when the route became a downhill ski run) were good. This race was serious Type 2 fun.
And even more than that, it turned out that memories from type 2 events are more powerful and profoundly fulfilling than type 1 fun. In this life where every year passes me by like a freight train and each week blurs into the next it's nice to do something that invokes such powerful emotion that I know it will stay with me for a lifetime.
So my reasons have changed and now I'm racing for memories.
It's impossible to talk about ultra distance cycling without mentioning Mike Hall. A brilliant man who was killed doing what he loved earlier this year. The founder of the TCR, Mike has inspired so many people to ride and he has left a legacy. He pushed the boundaries of what I thought I personally could achieve. I still remember lying in an Airbnb in Montenegro with food poisoning on the way home from Turkey watching 'Inspired to Ride' which documents his Transamerica win and thinking a) this man is a total legend and b) I need to ride that route. I was completely inspired and it seems I am not the only one.
I wonder if these grungy heroes of long distance cycling appear more real than the stars of the Tour de France as every cyclist can associate with that feeling of being exhausted and hungry.
'Dot-watching' in conjunction with social media has made it even easier to join in the adventure and support the riders. And more riders than ever are signing up to take part in long distance audax events with no prizes other than the knowledge that you made it round the course and didn't quit when the going got tough.
NOTES FROM THE ROAD
I decided to head off on a micro adventure for training purposes. I had heard great things about the North Coast 500 (NC500), which was launched when Mark Beaumont rode it in one push a couple of years ago! No traffic, decent climbs and stunning scenery meant the Scottish Highlands seemed like the ideal place to train for the Transam.
Day 1 Inverness-> Shieldaig. Climbing - The Bealach na Ba in the Applecross peninsula
Day 2 Shieldaig-> Ullapool. Early starts - I love feeling like you're the only person awake . The route takes you out between lochs in Beinn Eighe.
Day 3 Ullapool-> Durness. Hitting the wall - Tactics – 1st take a low gear and spin. 2nd, snack time – slow release carbs, then fast release sugars. 3rd, break it down – 5kms at a time. Finally, I repeat 'ebbs and flows, ebbs and flows”.
Day 4 Durness-> Wick. Beauty in nature - Little beaches, pure white sand and clear turquoise water had me questioning if this was the Scottish highlands or the Maldives!
Day 5 Wick-> Inverness. A ten minute downpour of tropical rain and hale. But as quickly as it started I rode out of the other side into pure sun and blue skies!
REFLECTIONS ON THE NC500
Expectations play a huge part in what we can achieve and our mindset with which we achieve it. If someone had asked me to eat cold pizza and sleep in a bush during the NC500 then I would have laughed in their face but during the Transam this is how I expect to spend my evenings- and so hopefully I will enjoy (and endure) those adventurous nights! Perhaps expectations are what keep us grounded and locked into social norms.
Live the moment - enjoying the journey is integral because when it is over all you are left with is memories and no one wants to remember staring down at the road for endless miles wishing for a hot meal and a comfy bed...