Sore bums and numb thumbs and two toes that appear to have died.

Day 6......
Its almost surreal to think that we have ridden over 650km and made it half way across Sri Lanka, on bicycles. Seriously?? What was i thinking. 

This is what I was waiting for, this is what all the anticipation and excitement was about and now here I am, at Chaaya BLAAH (that's another story in itself) in Trincomalee and looking back at the past five days it all seems like a blur. A blur of mental trauma, physical torment, teeth gritting, legs spinning, heart thumping, skin searing riding. 

We began day one at 4.00 in the morning outside independence square. A handful of our near and dear to see us off. A mixed bunch of hardcore riders and Charlene and me. Two totally unprepared, inexperienced rookies; Taking on a challenge that most hard core riders would think twice about. This is a classic, living breathing example of the bliss of ignorance. Both of us combined had spend less time ( in our lives) on a bike that most of the other rider had done one week. But here we are.. me looking like the Pillsbury Dough boy in my bike gear. The start is rather inauspicious for me. After all the careful preparation, checking and re checking, i drop my light and it dies. I guess I ride in the dark from today. 

We roll out at a sedate pace. and we are off. Will spare the details, but basically speeds were manageable and we chugged along without too much grief. My heart rate never got below 135 and I consoled myself by thinking of the calories I was burning. By mid morning, the sun started to become a factor. Still a few clouds around but my body likes air-conditioning and shade a lot more than heat and direct sunlight. I was feeling a bit like Dracula... felt my skin burning off and smouldering.

Yasas Hewage, our ride leader had planned stops every 30km. This meant every hour and a half or so we stopped to ice ourselves, hydrate, eat PBJ sandwiches provided by his amazing wife Ajani and the brilliant support team of Shivi and Caryll from Leo Burnett. 
The 30 km was a welcome break. While this was good for the early part of the ride as the day got hotter we stopped more and more frequently; me feeling like i was run over by a cattle train, and the others looking quite unconcerned. I was hurting. Burning, searing, scorching and just plain exhausted. 10 days of this shit?? Fuck my life. What the hell was i thinking. I seriously must have fallen on my head as a child. No one voluntarily puts themselves through this. 

We complete day one, reasonably easily. C and I have now done our first 100+ ride and feel confident but I still have heebie jeebies at the thought of whats to come. 

Day two.. We make it to Hambantota. Its 42 in the shade and I an absolutely dying. I feel the life draining out of me. I ask my self my name, my date of birth, my address, i make lists, I recall events.. all in the hope that i can tell myself, my mind is going blank and i need to stop. My mind was fine, but my body; that was another story. 

i come up a hill in Hambantota town. The new highway complex and just lock up. Cramp. Doom. i hobble off the bike and after much ice and water i manage to get back on, and ride another 20 or so km and cramps. This time both legs back and front and I collapse. C, Yasas, Sajith and Ajith were near at hand and immediately set about resuscitation. Well... more like recovery but that sounded more dramatic. I was flat on my back under a 'andara' tree on the side on the Katharagama highway. locked up in cramps and in absolute agony. 

Again, ice, jeevani ( re hydrant) water and some leg rubbing and i was up. Back on the bike and riding. made it to Weerawila junction and cramp again.. this time i just grit my teeth and rode on. White light and searing pain and tears popping out of my eyes, i rode on. Ever bit of road seemed to be a fucking hill and grainy surface. This was hell. I needed to quit. I didn't have to put my 50 year old beat up, battered body through this. I had nothing to prove to anyone. Every rational thought i had was to call it a day. But i rode on. I have no idea why. I hated myself and loathed the fact that i was in such bad shape and just pushed on. 

I got to Yodakandiya junction and went down like a sack of 'bathala'. Sprawled out in front of a tuk tuk stand, with incredulous looking tuk drivers and ladies going shopping staring at me like i was an alien. Well... a 97kg, greying, balding man, in lycra, sprawled in the middled of the sidewalk, writhing in pain... what do you expect. 

The van driver from Aqua was near at hand as were C and Ajith but I made them go. I decided to call it a day. Enough was enough. My plan was to come back in the evening and finish the ride. I just lay there with ice on my legs and sucking down fluids. i was done. This was potentially the end of the ride. i was sad and angry but decided to call it a day. 

Standing up, i felt no cramps. I was about to load my bike in the van when i thought, lets push on to see how far i would get. I hopped on the bike and set my self mini targets. I know this road and part of the country well. I thought i would get to Tissa tank. Then the rest house. Then Priyankara hotel etc.. I passed the rest of the crew having a 'thambili' stop along the way. The looks I got were priceless. I was cheered and whistled on and i just plodded on. my mind a blank. My legs on auto pilot. i thought of life, of death of how good or bad a father I was. Of my family of happy of sad and just rode on. It was the longest half hour of my life. 

Two hills to go and then a long down hill to Katharagama. I was within spitting distance. i can do this. i was still riding out alone. I had less than 3 km to go. two more hills and then down i went in a heap; legs locked and body one big mass of cramp. I was a few meters from a small boutique on the side of the road. Some old men scuttled out and helped my onto a chair. i was stiff as a plank. Sucking down what was left of the water i had. No other riders or support car in site. I was in agony. Then i see them come. Peter in front as always and the rest trundling along I wave them by telling them it's almost done and then the van, ice and instant relief comes to me. 

Ravi, one of the riders decides that he has had enough and quits. I called him over and told him we only had two hills to go and that we could do this. I said i was going to do it even if it meant pushing my bike. He changed his mind and joined me. We hobbled onto our bikes, got on the easiest gear and as Yasas had told me, and just 'spun'. Kept spinning till we passed the first hill. Bottom of second hill and 200 meters of climb left before i was home and dry and down i went again. Flat on the ground. Usual drill. Ice, Water and up again. Struggled on and hit the top of the hill and bliss. I had made it. I grinned to no one in particular. Tearing up a bit.. but over the moon. The down hill was bliss. 40km+ and all the way to the hotel. I passed Sanjay who had had a puncture, C was there as well.. and rode on to the gates of Mandara Resort. The team is there to greet me. I had made it. I got to the gate and for one last time, I collapsed in a heap. 

That was the barrier i needed to cross. the point where had i stopped, i would never have made it this far. It has fortified my belief in my ability to take pain and to push myself and i am now riding with new found confidence and pleasure. 

We encountered an elephant in Buttala who blocked out way for half an hour. Long meandering down hills in Monaragala, and scorching headwinds in Arugam Bay. We sang rugby songs through Muttur and ate amazing Vadai in Kalmunai. We laughed and joked and 'spun'. 

Charlene had a nasty crash in Buttala but has been an absolute 'discovery' on this ride. Her grit and determination to keep pushing in spite of her injuries has been incredible. She keeps me going. Always there to help when I need it and just energising the entire team with her infectious 'buzz'. 

Malik and Kimali were a fun addition for two days. Koluu and Ranil have been great company as well, entertaining and supportive. 

Cheryl and Shivi worth their combined weight in gold and Shamlan, chipping in with invaluable support. 

Today, we eat, swim, sleep, read and clearly... some of us blog. We are burnt, tired, sore and in a considerable amount of pain but we are here. We have made it half way and we are living. We are blessed to be able to be a part of something special like this. We truly are. This is where I wish i believed in a god. I would have someone to thank.