An unwelcome sense of nerves drifted through the camp during our morning ritual of small talk, groin stretching and luke-warm ‘porridge.’ This was because we were fully aware that this was to be our toughest day yet- even taking into account our 120k the day before.....
On we pedalled, towards the ‘Ho-Chi-Minh Highway,’ and were approached with the refreshingly beautiful sight of green-rolling hills. However, these picturesque hills soon took on a much more ugly shape- in the form of a 1,300m mountain- with nothing but our lonely dusty trail to guide us over the 12% gradient. The views were indeed stunning the higher up we climbed; and the number of rest stops (cleverly disguised as ‘picture stops’) also increased.
Over 2 hours of constant climbing later, we reached what we believed to be the ‘top’, only to find the 'distance signs' had lied to us, and as we went round the next bend, we discovered we had a further steep climb until we finally reached the true summit.
The 2 hours hard work of climbing was duly rewarded with a rapid 10 minute downhill pursuit, where the unique scent of brake-pads melting was clear to smell. This beautiful road, however, led us straight into a valley floor- where the only way out was up another 10% climb over an equally impressive mountain. This tested our mental strength to the limit, and the many passing lorries made it a very dangerous riding on some very testing terrain. Again, the views from the top were stunning- and we could see our road stretching out into the mountains.
An enjoyable 10k decline gently bought us into the small mountain-town of 'Dak Glie' - a tiny settlement inhabited by some very interesting people. The receptionist (an absolute behemoth of a woman, who clearly struggled with the concept of good manners - or any manners for that matter) at one point even tasted some of our pasta, only to spit it out back into our bowls! So we filled our bellies and settled in for an eventful night’s sleep - where we were introduced first hand to the ancient Vietnamese art of karaoke, conveniently happening next door... either that, or the dying cat parade was passing through town! www.justgiving.com/ride4education
No comments:
Post a Comment