Day #9 How I made it to the half
Článek je k dispozici i v češtině 🇨🇿.
On the last day I got up in a distant village on a bus stop that didn’t get any investment from the Europen Union. There was a man waiting for a bus, but he was too afraid of me, so he stayed out in the rain. But I don’t bite and I don’t even eat brains. I hoped I would have a nice ride to the CP2, but the race wanted something slightly different. I threw everything away, I didn’t need any of it. I removed even the bottle holder that I broke on the first day. I felt prepared for everything. And I was terribly wrong…
I was a little worried about food. I ate all my proviant yesterday and I hoped to find something really soon… I was so hungry. After 30 kilometres I reached Václavov village, where there was something between a mini-market and a pub. A met other racers there. I even acknowledged that a woman biker is ahead of me—only about one hour.
The improvised fashion
I had a fast snack, something to drink and I went to Jeseníky. It started raining. Luckily only a little and my light jacket was perfect for it. Soon I entered the coniferous forest and everything changed. As I was getting higher and higher, it was getting colder and mist was everywhere. The rain got heavier. When I was biking an uphill it was OK, but on downhills it was horrible. I wore every single piece of clothing I had, but I still felt like an icicle. I tried to hide in a wood cabin and figure out what to do.
The first problem was that in that cabin it was colder than outside so I had to act quickly. I made only one, but powerful upgrade. I chose the driest socks I had and put them on my hands. It was an instant relief. I was still feeling cold, but my hands were in warmth, so I was able to brake. It was a key feature in downhills. When I had to push the bike to the hill again, it provided the needed warm. I headed to Dlouhé stráně.
Beleaguered by mist
The beautiful view was nowhere. Only an ugly grey mist. But what could I do? Anyway, I was freezing and I wouldn’t have the time to admire the view anyway. It was nice that in the power plant Dlouhé stráně, there was a fast food. I got some hot dog and hot tea to warm myself. It didn’t help. I was freezing during the drinking. I finished rather quickly and continued on a long downhill.
It wasn’t so bad after all. It stopped raining and even the sky got clear. I was getting more courage and stopped using brakes so much. I didn’t have much choice. I already lost the rear brake and I didn’t want to destroy the front one too.
And then it happened—an ugly downhill with heavy and wet logs. Several times I almost fell from the bike. And then I actually fell. It was for the first time in the race. Several kilometres before CP2. I broke the bike horns and made one beautiful, purple, massive bruise. I was so pissed. Just to be sure, I pushed my bike down. Then I biked through a small town, but I didn’t really care. I just wanted to be in CP2.
The main thing is to not kill myself
The last hill was ahead of me. I used my pedals and … crunch. My rear derailleur tangled with the wickerwork of the wheel and that was the end. I tried to fix it, but the best I could get from the bike was a rotation of wheels and two light speeds. I couldn’t use them on a plain. Luckily after one uphill, there was only one final downhill. Full of logs so I was pushing it down. I arrived at CP2 exhausted and disappointed. At last, there was a warm cottage and cheerful crew.
And that was the end of it. 500 miles was enough and at last, I got a special T-shirt. In that night I had two dinners and I was really happy. And full. And I could sleep between four walls. At least, I thought. Turned out that other bikers snored louder than a chainsaw. I couldn’t stand that. I grabbed my sleeping bag and went out. It was raining there but it was better than inside.
To the home
Most of the bikers continued on their journey—to the coldness, to the rain, to the wilderness… I was glad I didn’t have to. I said my farewell to CP2 crew and started my short way to a railway station. It was weird. All time I had to check my GPS if I was on the right track and after a few seconds I realised that I’m not in the race anymore. It stuck with me for several days. I was even waking up in the night thinking I’m in some dark Slovak forest.
With Adrian, the British biker, we travelled together to Prague. I was seeing him for the several past days and he was as exhausted as I was. I wasn’t jealous of his long journey to Yorkshire. I was glad that my home was in Prague, only a few stops on the metro from the main station.
Just a note—the train to Prague was delayed.
It was a lifetime adventure, which only a few can experience. Now I need to pause and let the dust cover my bike. One thing is for sure—one day I will return to this race and I will finish the full path of 1000 Miles Adventure.
- 94km
- Distance
- 2,010m
- Elevation
- 11:11
- Duration
Strava activity1000 Miles Adventure 2015
- Day #1 How it all started
- Day #2 How I was afraid to go through the tunnel
- Day #3 How I was going to use pepper spray for the first time
- Day #4 How I biked through the territory of cows and shits
- Day #5 How I was constantly challenging myself
- Day #6 How I threw my bike to a scarp
- Day #7 How I escaped from Slovakia
- Day #8 How I coudn’t trust my GPS
- Day #9 How I made it to the half
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