Day 10, Stage 8
Andorra La Vieilla – Saint Girons, 176.5km
Pre Ride Video Diary
We rode from our hotel to the start point of the ride which was all downhill and a fun way to start the day. We went through a tunnel with speed cameras (we didn’t notice any speed limit on the way in) and there were 3 flashes as Robert, Damian and Dale flew past.
Today was absolutely beautiful. The most awesome scenery ever and great for bike riding. I have found all of the climbs to date far easier than I thought they would be but I don’t know if it is just because our minds are occupied with this amazing scenery and it is taking our minds off the severity of the climbing.
Our first climb of the day took us to the highest point of the tour at 2408m and above the snowline. We celebrated with a few photos then sought out our hard-earned descent.
The reward for our effort was huge as we had a massive 35km downhill. I couldn’t decide whether to put my head down and bottom up and go as fast as I could or whether to sit up and take it all in. There ended up being quite a bit of traffic so we just rode along at the same pace as the traffic and took in the amazing scenery.
I was getting shivers on the descent, not from the sweat on my chest turning into icicles from our downhill speed which is usually the case but from the most amazing scenery I’ve ever cycled through. There were a lot of cyclist out again and it would be great if this was your Saturday morning ride every week.
We have actually been quite restrained on the descents thus far as we don’t want to overshoot a corner or hurt ourselves. Dale set a challenge and a reward for the first person to reach 80kph but we haven’t really strived to achieve it yet. So far Dale has reached 79.5, Damian 69.9 and Marika 59.5. Dale has been held up by so many cars I’m sure he will reach 90 if he ever gets a clear road.
Stage 8: On The Road
I feel really sorry for Robert who has joined us for 3 days and has had nothing but bike trouble. He had four punctures today and it was driving him crazy (although a quick repair job at the end of today’s stage will hopefully fix the problem).
The climb up Col d’Agnes (third climb of the day) was absolutely beautiful. Not too steep and again a bit easier than I thought it might be. I’m so glad we didn’t come up the other side as it was very steep.
Marika followed us up the climb and when she joined us up the top we found out that she hit the deck twice on the way up! Once her front wheel got stuck in melted tar which stopped the bike in its tracks (you could imagine what speed she was going for that to happen!) and the other time she hit some loose ground on the side of the road when she moved over for a car. But, she got up both times and continued on so she is showing plenty of determination and fighting spirit which is motivating the rest of the team.
The final descent was extremely steep and it had a very rough surface with lots of loose gravel on the road. My hands were sore hands from braking so often. It was also late in the day with lots of shadow and sun glare which made for a nasty and tricky descent but the scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed soaking it all up. Nobody aimed for their top speed in these conditions.
The “Bonjour” count was way high today as we crossed paths with hundreds of friendly cyclists. We were enjoying the vibe and were all racing each other to say Bonjour first to passing cyclists.
It was over 35 degrees Celsius today so it was really tough going but we made sure we were well hydrated.
There have also been a lot of people nearly giving themselves whiplash trying to get a look at us as they go past as we must look like a professional team with all of our matching jerseys. It’s quite funny to see the anticipation on their faces and then the disappointment as they realise it is just a group of “nobody’s”.
Post Ride Video Diary
Crohn’s Fact
For many individuals the detrimental effects of Crohn’s can damage their personal and social relationships, impact starting a family, compromise their professional career and diminish their overall quality of life.
Crohn’s Profile
Name: Sonja
Age: 45
Lives: Stoevring, Denmark
Age of Diagnosis: 24
My Story: My story starts in 1982 in Aarhus, Denmark when I was 18 years old. I was living a wonderful life with good friends, lovely family, was active competition fencer travelling around Denmark, Poland and Germany for different fencing contests. Suddenly I started to get a lot of pain in my stomach, I could not go to the toilet and went to my GP, who gave me some medicine to deal with the problem, and it worked, but the pain kept coming back and over time I got diarrhoea, had to go to the toilet 15 - 20 times a day and lost 30kg. It took the doctors 6 years to find out what was wrong with me. It was so hard physically and psychologically not knowing what was wrong with me.
In 1988 they found out that I had Crohn’s and I went through my first surgery. After that I had three more operations and two minor operations. I have to go to the toilet 10 to 15 times every day. I have to take medication everyday Puri-nethol (mercaptopurin). I have rheumatism pain nearly every day, sometimes more than others so I also get painkillers. There are days where I have to stay home because I need my toilet that badly - it is not fun when you cannot reach the toilet in time. I have to sleep in the middle of the day to get enough energy. Today I do not work, I had to retire with a pension when I was 35 years old. I am married and have three kids aged 18, 16 and 6 years old. My family and some friend are helping out when I need it. I try to help others with Crohn’s here in Denmark. I also teach nurse students how it is to live with Crohn’s.
My message: Crohn’s can be so difficult and frustrating to live with. There are so many side effects like pain, malnutrition, social loneliness, loss of education (because you can’t go to school). Kids can not be normal like other kids, they want to but they are too tired, have too many pains. There are so many side effects with the strong medication we get. I hope that one day I do not need to go through more operations and take medication every day.
Today’s images can be viewed here
Sponsor Profile:
Sponsor Name: Ferring Pharmaceuticals
Sponsor Level: Project Partner
Sponsor Website: www.ferring.com
Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a Swiss-based research oriented company that specialises in products in the fields of Urology, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Women’s Health. Ferring’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) treatments enable adults with IBD to live a normal life.
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