Round and round we go

Stage 28
Day Total: 90km
Total Time: 1:38:37
Average Speed: 12.3km/h
Average Heart Rate: 161bpm
Maximum Heart Rate: 172bpm
Average Cadence: 88rpm

(The above time and averages are for the 20.25km/1355 meter ascent time trial out of the Gorge)

Falling asleep last night proved challenging: my tent was set on a bit of a slope; my ribs were aggravated; fellow rider Ruth was having a go (verbally) at a handful of male riders with a battery of “F*#K Off” derivatives. Yeah man. Life on tour.

The day kicked off on a high note with a breakfast surprise of scrambled eggs. It’s not so much that you crave the taste of eggs so much as the novelty of consuming something besides grain, peanut butter, or bananas. In all seriousness, quality protein at breakfast, when available, makes a tremendous difference in how you feel on the ride and today was no different.

The only timed section for the day would be the 20.25km hill climb out of the bottom of the Blue Nile Gorge. This meant we could (and did) ride leisurely to the lunch stop at 49km before descending to the bottom of the Gorge. Paul and I set off early and were quickly joined by Meghan. She rode past us and was 30 meters in front when a small group of sheep crossed the road. Unfortunately one of the smallest of the members made some wayward, unpredictable movements and she collided with it. She hit the pavement hard, cracked her helmet, but carried on riding. My father rode with her for a few kilometers when she stopped to vomit, an obvious indicator of a concussion. She would be OK but wisely did not ride the balance of the day.

We ambled along gently and were hailed by Kendra and Steve just 1.5km before lunch. In no hurry, we stopped and joined them for a delicious coffee before hitting the lunch truck. Lunch was crowded, so we moved along quickly to the 20km descent into the bottom of the canyon. The road wound in a serpentine fashion down the walls of the gorge allowing for dynamic vistas and memorable photo opportunities. We stopped a couple of times, but the balance of the descent was spent in total focus as the road was steep, very uneven, and littered with the usual donkey/horse/people carrying large loads on their backs/broken down vehicles. One’s arms screamed from unrelenting use of the brakes.

A bit of cooling off at the bottom, putting on of the headphones, selection of the playlist, and I was off. Not much to say – it was long, steep, hot, and difficult. Interestingly enough however, it felt pretty darn good. The wind punished us at points but rewarded us at others. All in all, it was much like the long, steady climbs back home: Lookout Mountain, Lefthand Canyon to Ward. The 18 and 19th kilometer hurt me a bit, but I carried on and crested the top in 1:39. Timing issues continue to plague the race with a significant number of disputes and discrepancies being noticed. Fortunately for me, the originally reported time of 1:49 was corrected, but it is a bit of a chore to have to manually pour over the results on rest days to ensure your times are accurate. These issues have driven at least 2 racers to quit the race and remain only as expedition riders. Hopefully this will all get ironed out soon.

Camp was in the compound of an international aid organization on the rim of the gorge. We showered up and hiked down to watch the final riders of the day crest the summit. Very, very nice…