Day Four on the bike - it's got to get easier.
So far so good.
BOOM - Madagascar hits you with the big guns
Continue following route.
Ten hours
Snotklap from Madagascar mountains but the people prevailed.
- Plot a 45km route via Google Earth, load on GPS and go
- Leave early to get back early.
- Follow route until impassable rock garden
- Turnaround and follow arbitrary forestry trail route which winds back to main route
- Get whipped by branches and pass ox wagon on tight corner
- Ride a new rock garden and feel pleased
- Lose mouthpiece switch and get hosed with water every time you lean over
- Keep riding and begin to enjoy the route
- use the Malagasy word for road to avoid pedestrian detours
- Use the Malagasy word for bridge to ensure easy river crossings
- Use bridge to find that route immediately crosses rice paddy on a narrow walkway with a steep embankment on the other side
- Push bike with a little Malagasy help up embankment and bash knee on foot pedal
- Spend ten minutes discussing route options with map and Malagasy's in their Sunday finest - interesting language combinations
- Find out that the route we have chosen is "bonne"
- Set off with renewed vigour after the lung busting push
- Ride some increasingly technical sections
- Reach stream with boulders and watch @onegiantride manoeuver across
- Build own bridge with logs and let @onegiantride rinse and repeat then follow up with the lattice work of roots 200m further on
- Rest for lunch
So far so good.
BOOM - Madagascar hits you with the big guns
- Track becomes narrow steep path of 30m. Study path hoping it will dissolve into something flatter
- Always have money handy. Three Malagasy's arrive and lend muscle - five people to manhandle bikes up path and a dishing out of a large tip
- Sweat profusely and pant heavily with effort then settle heart rate to carry onand wonder what's next.
- Begin steep downhill
- Reach massive boulder alley but generously let @onegiantride takes both bikes through the sneak
- Start all over on a downhill wind through felled trees until log blocks path. One mini Malagasy shifts massive log to allow passage.
- Settle into the downhill again.
- Reach village to find a deep water canal cut across path with mud piled up as a bank.
- Watch with interest as @onegiantride plants front wheel in canal. Help lift wheel out.
- Fill canal with boulders and repeat
- Remove boulders
Continue following route.
- Reach split in path and the one less travelled is the pink line. Follow pink line
- Follow sublime mountain bike single track. Motorbike - not so sublime.
- Pass through burning grass on single track and don't look left or right at the drop offs
- Power up rutted single track and hope for the best - bounce a lot.
- Stop at top to catch breath and breathe deeply
- Follow pink line down steep hill on single track.
- Avoid putting front wheel into ruts and crawl down in 1st gear.
- Reach wooden bridge and allow @onegiantride to have the honours again.
- Park bike on rice paddy wall and look at opposite hill in consternation.
- Help @onegiantride angle bike properly by heaving on ear wheel.
- Watch as he surges supposedly in control up scalloped single track then stop.
- See him have a long conversation with local then walk over the ridge and disappear
- Wait at bottom.
- Wait.
- Wait.
- Stroll across rice paddies to opposite embankment and watch bemusedly as children run screaming
- @onegiantride reappears with an army
- Army then proceeds to help get bikes over choke spot in single track.
- Army and self watch @onegiantride bundu bash up hill into forest and onto road.
- Lead army down the hill and up the other side. Army informs us that there is a bad spot ahead.
- A thought occurs in the midst of heat, thirst and fatigue from pushing....Wasn't this a bad spot we just crossed?
- Proceed to ride narrow rutted track. Rephrase: walk, rev and slide. Army regular tries to help by also holding handle bars.
- Get over saddle and take direct route down. Put bike on ground halfway and wait for @onegiantride.
- A four foot embankment lies in wait followed by dry rice paddy field with clods larger than a football, a stream and another deep rut out
- Look at the obstacle course with interest and know its all out of one's league. In fact, the last fours hours have been squarely out the
- mini league in which you play
- Army lowers bikes over embankment and @onegiantride rides the white steed across the clods over the river and up the other side and walks nonchalantly back. Crowds watch in awe.
- Realise your only claim to fame is the fact you have a camera and are recording the events
- Repeat with big blue bike.
- Climb back on but get stuck in ruts again.
- Get onegiantride to take bike to top and rest from the walk.
- Play to the massive crowd who have never seen anything like this.
- Take photos of army then head to village for refreshments.
- Only empty beer bottles
- Say goodbye to crowds and leave.
- Take wrong route out of town
- Return
- Wave goodbye again
- Ride blessedly good road out using all the power available for some of the climbs.
- Reach the top of the ridge and ride for the backpackers in Antoetre.
- Eight hours to scout 56km
- Order Tea, Coke and water.
- Lunch comprises baguette and sardines
- Head home on splendid dirt road
Ten hours
Snotklap from Madagascar mountains but the people prevailed.
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