Riding on...

Sequel of an episode started a long time ago in Malawi.
This is one of the final stages in the creation of MOMOCO i.e Malawi Orthopaedic Manual for Orthopaedic Clinical Officers. Interestingly it has been rebranded since as "Orthopaedic Care at the District Hospital".
The very last Malawi Ulendo blog will surely have to be about the epic journey that that was... Watch this SpacE!


CYCLE-RADIO 101! presented by Ashtin Doorgakant
EPIC BIKE NEWS FROM SADDLE-SORE ASH

Dear friends and family,
After some three months of serious training, interrupted only by overriding commitments such as those related to the book or on calls, my efforts have finally paid off. Literally! As you know, yesterday I rode the Shropshire Mynd… with the sense of awe it deserves. I’ll be honest, I never realized the beast that lay ahead of me until my penultimate training session. To those familiar with cyclo-jargon, that ride covered a whopping 75 miles with 4000ft of ascent. And that certainly took its fair share of teeth-grinding out of me. What I was going to reckon with next would be a 101mile mammoth, with over 7000ft of ascent. Take the second figure out and I could do that in my sleep any day, with that training. Put even half of 7000ft with 101 miles- you’re talking proper cycling. Not to blow my own trumpet, completing yesterday’s ride represented the “pinnacle” of my cycling career! The focus suddenly shifted from trying to get the best times or best stats on Strava . This time, it was about pure survival, i.e. being able to cross the finish line. And oh! did I think I wouldn’t make it after I bonked at 40 odd miles! I was told that this intense feeling of helpless hunger and heaviness didn’t tend to happen until at least two thirds into the ride. But here I was at the start of Kerry Hill, the longest-drawn of the entire event, which would stretch out for a good 14 miles, feeling like I would not last a single more. But before I knew it, the gradient let up and my energy bars kicked in. There has never been a more noticeable second wind in my sporting life…
The pun was intended here to introduce the concept of the weather in this, so far, fairly benign-sounding excursion of mine. But such was not to be my luck, especially if I had to demonstrate a certain element of hardship in order to rightfully earn the support of my sponsors! Not only was there rain for 75% of the entire ride, but it was of the very horizontal lashing quality at times, creating a particularly obnoxious glaze on my glasses, let alone when combined with sleet. Gale force winds would introduce yet another level of difficulty, with a certain predilection for the most inappropriate spots, that is the steepest climbs. There were those that went up to gradients of 20% and I wish I could claim never to have put a foot down but, being a mere human, I did so twice. But it was only 1 foot, while I paused. The second foot remained clipped in, waiting, eventually urging first foot forward again, not allowing there to be any walking- that would surely be cheating in a cycling event! That was the last drop of dignity left in me on those maliciously vertical sections. The last one of those unfortunately would not appear until well into the last 25 miles, giving my already depleted legs and back yet another bit of soul-searching to do in order to muster the strength to come through in one piece! The tail wind we were promised for the second section sadly never materialized!

… But here I am 24 hours later relating that story to you with a certain fondness! We’re all masochists on them 2 wheels! It’s as if I completely forgot how I came off at full speed twice, having misjudged the bend in the road and the limits of tyre-road friction. Escaping unscathed, miraculously. It’s as if I didn’t care about plodding on for 8 hours with cold and wet pants and socks. It’s as if I’d completely forgotten the desperation with which I awaited every distance sign to tell me I was that bit closer to the end! It’s like I hadn’t kept reminding myself throughout that “YOU HAVE TO FINISH THIS TO BE WORTHY OF THE SPONSORSHIP”, knowing full well it wasn’t true!
Yet, in the end, these are the very emotions that contrived to make this experience so amazing, and that added to the elation and satisfaction of completing it.
I owe you all a huge thank you for your support in this endeavor. Beyond the emotions that I’ve described in this “bike-blog”, no other could have kept me going more than the knowledge that so many people were behind me on the day and had faith in me. That’s you. But really, I needn’t to look far. Having been served the best carb-loading feast the night before and having the mightiest porridge delivered on a plate for me on the morning of the ride by Janet, while Nina put on her best behavior for me, is enough to remind me how lucky I am. I’m indeed lucky to have such a great bunch of people around me. This is to YOU ALL!
Thanks
Zikomo Kwambiri
Mersi Bokou

(Fundraise update: £1500 raised so far [less GiftAid]
The site remains open for another month if anyone’s missed the race deadline but still wants to contribute
http://www.justgiving.com/ashtin
If all goes according to plan, the book will be ready for release in Malawi next week- there will be a free e-book in due course. Look out for it: Orthopaedic Care at the District Hospital)