Hi Guys, Namaste from Nepal! One more day before the start of the Yak Attack! It’s been a busy few days in Nepal since arriving on the 21st acclimatising, recovering, having treatment and filming. Once we got to Nepal it was quite a quick turnaround, 1 night in Kathmandu and then an early flight in to Lukla. I put my bike together and cycled to Monjo, then I wasn’t allowed to take my bike in to the national park, so we trekked up to Namche at 3,450m/11,318ft.
When we got to Namche we had pretty bad weather, it was a bit of a blessing I wasn’t allowed my bike there to be honest as it would have been tough in those conditions so I just spent the days eating cake in the bakery!
It’s a different experience this time to what I am used to in Nepal. Because it’s before the trekking and climbing season it’s obviously a lot quieter and is a lot colder than what I have experienced in the past as we are not quite in to spring. It’s been quite a cool experience to see it in a different light.
We had 2 nights in Namche and then trekked back to Monjo where I got my bike back, then we cycled from Monjo to Lukla but there had been a landslide which had damaged the big bridge crossing, so we had an extra 3 or 4 hours added to the day to climb up and around the valley that the bridge crossed, it turned in to a long day back to Lukla.
On Tuesday I got my flight from Lukla back to Kathmandu. Although it hasn’t been a long acclimatisation period it was really beneficial. I had 2 light days on the bike and I had the opportunity to get a lot more treatment from my physio Nicki Phillips, along with a bit of time to acclimatise it’s been a really productive few days and I have come back to Kathmandu feeling a lot better for it.
I was lucky to have my bike and myself blessed at one of the Sherpa temples, it was awesome and a real privilege. The Nepalese normally bless ice axes and crampons in a Puja ceremony before a climb so it was awesome to get my bike blessed, really cool.
Yesterday I took my specialized bike in to the bike shop, got my bike tuned up and then had more treatment, focusing on recovery and getting strong again. I’ve been in the Himalayan single track shop and I met some of the other riders competing in the Yak Attack. There are 3 British guys including me competing in the race and I went out with the British lads today on a ride (about 40km). It was really cool.
It has been really hard to stay patient, hold my nerve and not do anything too strenuous. Nicki, my physio and I have been working quite specifically to a recovery strategy after Antarctica and that has meant having confidence in my fitness levels and not over exerting myself, that has been quite difficult and I have had to be very patient but so far it seems to be paying off, today I went out and felt good, had treatment tonight and I don’t seem to have muscle soreness over the last 24 hours, this has been a real confidence boost.
Tomorrow is race registration and I will meet the rest of the riders competing in the Yak Attack.
I am excited! I feel stronger every day..wish I had another month before the race! I have worked really hard with Nicki to recover in such a tight turnaround from Antarctica, I am confident I have done everything I can, the last 24 hours have been really good, had a really good ride today which was also symptomless which is also good.
Being back in Nepal is really awesome. It’s a special place to me, to be here for something different is cool. I’m feeling mixed about the race, excited, a little anxious and apprehensive because there are so many unknowns in this project. Normally at this stage I have prepared for all eventualities and am totally dialed, but my physical strength is still an unknown because of the coping strategy I have adapted to recover…lots of unknowns but I am really excited, it’s a cool event, one of the toughest mountain bike races on the planet and I am excited to be part of it.
I’ve had a look at the stages, have put my co-ordinates in my gps, it’s hard to take anything from that though and having spent some time with some experienced riders already I have a bit of an insight in to what to expect. I have a rough idea of what it is going to be like but the conditions can change over night here so it’s just a case of taking one day at a time and doing my best, bit of a cliché but true!
Night guys!