Day 3, Stage 3
Montpellier – La Grande Motte 196.5km
We are not a well-oiled machine at all!
The first 3 days have been characterised by being lost and getting agitated.
On the positive side it was Marika’s longest single day ever.
We actually pulled up 20km short of our destination as we ran out of light so will ride those kilometres tomorrow after the Stage 4 Team Time Trial.
Just before we finished for the evening we rode through a small town where all the streets were closed off and there seemed to be some sort of festival going on. We started chatting to a few people just as a massive cannon went off, scaring the daylights out of all of us. It turned out to be some sort of “mini” Running of bulls. We hung around for a while and chatted to a few locals which was good fun and even tried some of the most potent alcohol I’ve ever tasted in my life.
It was a welcome little break from the ride and a nice insight into rural French culture.
Crohn’s Fact
The burden of disability for people living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis is comparable to living with rheumatoid arthritis, severe asthma, or the amputation of an arm and disability due to Crohn’s is more severe than living with Type 1 diabetes or epilepsy.
Crohn’s Profile
Name: Melinda
Age: 41
Lives: Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Age of Diagnosis: 22
My Story:
It is very true in life that everyone has a story. Some stories are shared, others are not. Because Crohn’s disease is such a “shitty” illness many people are too embarrassed to discuss symptoms and stories with their peers. I have had Crohn’s for around 30 years and believe me, anything that could happen has happened. I have given up worrying about how many of the symptoms and procedures are truly unlady-like and have instead learnt how to deal with it and in some cases minimise them. You can still have it all (marriage/career/children/great life etc) you may just not have it all all of the time, but seriously who does ? Sure it is sometimes hard to be positive and leap out of bed in the morning when your joints are so inflamed you could swear you turned 80 overnight or you have a day when you seem to spend more time in the bathroom that achieving anything else but you just have to keep on going. As you get older and wiser and more familiar with your illness it becomes easier to manage and deal with. I say “keep smiling and get on with it” life doesn’t have to always smell of roses.
My message: Live, Love and Laugh. Live your life well, love your friends & family (and your gastroenterologist and your surgeon), laugh yourself silly whenever you can and learn to not eat foods that will make you poo your pants.
Note from Damian – I made contact with Melinda through a friend of mine. Melinda has just released a book about Crohn’s and her website can be viewed here.
Today’s images can be viewed here
Daily Footage and Daily Video Diary will be posted soon.
Sponsor Profile:
Sponsor Name: You and I Ride
Sponsor Level: Support Partner
Sponsor Website: http://www.youandiride.com
You and I Ride are a leading ride experience and cycling coaching company based in Melbourne. You can ride with some of Australia’s leading cyclists at their special ride days and utilize the latest technology via state of the art coaching programs. You and I Ride have provided Damian with his Bianchi 928 coast to coast for the Crohn’s Crusaders project to ensure that he has the very best equipment to complete the course. For more information about You and I Ride please visit www.youandiride.com
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