However much I try to focus, my mind begins to drift… I start imagining the warmth and comfort of being with loved ones. What am I doing? I’m 44 and quite clearly hanging on and trying my best to prove I still have something.
Immediately my subconscious snaps back to the here and now. I try to focus, as I physically throw my bike to the left, into the start of a double S-bend, as I hit 50kph. I’m starting to lose concentration and can’t afford to switch off for a second. Ahead of me is a constant twisting and winding 5km descent from Montferrer, with sheer drops and the potential for an oncoming vehicle around every bend.
I use every inch of the smooth black tarmac to prevent the bike from sliding from the road – I’m so glad I made the jump to tubeless tyres, the slightly lower pressure increasing traction and stopping me from tipping over the edge. That’s nine loops done, and five more to go. Five more 18% category-two climbs, five more times my legs, lower back, and feet cry out in pain.
POKING THE BEAR
This journey started way back in 2019 when I completed the Bearman
