Cycling to John O'Groats-6
23/04/17
Probably the most interesting day so far!
So I leave Tueshielaw inn after the breakfast which I keep halfway and run to my room, smash the toilet door open and throw up whatever I had consumed in probably past 12 hours. I'm so shocked that I stare at the toilet mirror for whole two minutes. What on earth was that? I laugh it off and decide to head off because next destination is really close but I have soooo much fun to have there. I get all my stuff together and the guy at the till is watching my face in horror as I enter the card details real fast. It's a consistent uphill for quite a while. It's a forest on both of my sides. It just gets better with every kilometre. I recall yesterday's incident where I couldn't order my breakfast, stammering, and before that going blank about my order. I am sure laughing at it now but my heart was racing quite bad when it happened. For a bit, I think I've climbed quite much and what I'm seeing ahead of me is a downhill after that last bit. It's just a hidden dip and another climb. I can't complain though, I like climbing.
..
It's all downhill until Innerleithen and I guess I'm there because this looks like a complete bikers' place. I can see people in full face helmets and heavy downhill bikes as well as the XC people with sexy enduro bikes. Happy people on bikes makes me feel cheerful as ever! As I reach the hotel, I enquire about hiring a mountain bike and riding the Glentress trails. I drop my stuff at the hotel, make sure my bike is put in the shed and walk into the cafe bar next door.
A girl in her 20s walks up to me and I can clearly see that she's tipsy. I have to order a cappuccino and chocolate cake and find a way to reach 7-stanes and I pretty much have no time to waste around here if I wanna enjoy the trails while it's sunny.
"Hi, I'm Molly and I think Martha told me about you wanting to go at Glentress but having to pay by your dad's card or something? Tell me the thing"
I spill out everything and she starts laughing.
"So John O'Groats alone,yeh? Looks like you ain't scared of nothing. Wait a sec"
Umm I have no clue what she's asking me to wait for but I am waiting anyway for my brownie and cappuccino.
"Gary!! Gary!! Get my babe ready for a ride and get Piascho out too"
I have no clue what's happening here. She sits on the other side of my table. I have no idea who Gary or Piascho are but never mind. None of my business.
My cappuccino and brownie are here and I'm sharing the table with a stranger who's probably tipsy. Who even drinks in the afternoon? I enjoy the brownie and finish the coffee and the next thing I know she's bought me a pint. What's going on here? She says she's arranged a bike for me and it seems she's a local or something. Alright then. Piascho is a Capra which I am supposed to ride and what she called 'babe' is her bike. I am almost in tears. So Glentress it is. And then Innerleithen.
..
"Next up is Spookywoods descent. Don't think much. Don't be scared. Just send it"
I look down and then look at her.
"What the fuck, Molly?"
She laughs and tells me all the brave shit I've been doing and I'm gonna be juuust fine.
Alright,Vedu. Breath in, breath out, thrice and send it. 3..2..1..bungeee, remember?
I look at her again and tell myself that it's a 'do or die' now.
So I send it and scream that I have not carried my phone along and should I break any bones or die, she should inform my parents. When we're both down, we laugh at everything.
I won't talk about what happened during that downhill. But, well, with falls and crashes being well-equipped and being in full clothes(none of those mine), I made it to the bottom of that. And well the same during the second time.
..
When we're back to the cafe bar she gets me another drink and orders some bacon thing before I get a chance to tell her that I'm a vegetarian. When it's there she's like, "You ain't dyin' having that, are you?" and I just have it. It sure is quite tasty.
"Let me add you on fb so I can get here some time every year", I suggest Molly.
"That's a junkyard, I'm not on there. Call me if you getting here. I'll take you onto more difficult descents"
Alright then. I'd love getting here every year and get better every year.
Before leaving she says , "I knew you won't break any bones, you look tough, that shit is scary for me too. Anyways, I'm too drunk and got a date with my boyfriend. See ya later,honey!"
We hug a goodbye and I'm back at my table with the lemonade thinking how well this day escalated.
..
The dinner table seems quieter after having such a cheerful day. I can't wait for the snow tomorrow. In fact, I'm so up for any challenges right now that I hope it does!
..
It's all downhill until Innerleithen and I guess I'm there because this looks like a complete bikers' place. I can see people in full face helmets and heavy downhill bikes as well as the XC people with sexy enduro bikes. Happy people on bikes makes me feel cheerful as ever! As I reach the hotel, I enquire about hiring a mountain bike and riding the Glentress trails. I drop my stuff at the hotel, make sure my bike is put in the shed and walk into the cafe bar next door.
A girl in her 20s walks up to me and I can clearly see that she's tipsy. I have to order a cappuccino and chocolate cake and find a way to reach 7-stanes and I pretty much have no time to waste around here if I wanna enjoy the trails while it's sunny.
"Hi, I'm Molly and I think Martha told me about you wanting to go at Glentress but having to pay by your dad's card or something? Tell me the thing"
I spill out everything and she starts laughing.
"So John O'Groats alone,yeh? Looks like you ain't scared of nothing. Wait a sec"
Umm I have no clue what she's asking me to wait for but I am waiting anyway for my brownie and cappuccino.
"Gary!! Gary!! Get my babe ready for a ride and get Piascho out too"
I have no clue what's happening here. She sits on the other side of my table. I have no idea who Gary or Piascho are but never mind. None of my business.
My cappuccino and brownie are here and I'm sharing the table with a stranger who's probably tipsy. Who even drinks in the afternoon? I enjoy the brownie and finish the coffee and the next thing I know she's bought me a pint. What's going on here? She says she's arranged a bike for me and it seems she's a local or something. Alright then. Piascho is a Capra which I am supposed to ride and what she called 'babe' is her bike. I am almost in tears. So Glentress it is. And then Innerleithen.
..
"Next up is Spookywoods descent. Don't think much. Don't be scared. Just send it"
I look down and then look at her.
"What the fuck, Molly?"
She laughs and tells me all the brave shit I've been doing and I'm gonna be juuust fine.
Alright,Vedu. Breath in, breath out, thrice and send it. 3..2..1..bungeee, remember?
I look at her again and tell myself that it's a 'do or die' now.
So I send it and scream that I have not carried my phone along and should I break any bones or die, she should inform my parents. When we're both down, we laugh at everything.
I won't talk about what happened during that downhill. But, well, with falls and crashes being well-equipped and being in full clothes(none of those mine), I made it to the bottom of that. And well the same during the second time.
..
When we're back to the cafe bar she gets me another drink and orders some bacon thing before I get a chance to tell her that I'm a vegetarian. When it's there she's like, "You ain't dyin' having that, are you?" and I just have it. It sure is quite tasty.
"Let me add you on fb so I can get here some time every year", I suggest Molly.
"That's a junkyard, I'm not on there. Call me if you getting here. I'll take you onto more difficult descents"
Alright then. I'd love getting here every year and get better every year.
Before leaving she says , "I knew you won't break any bones, you look tough, that shit is scary for me too. Anyways, I'm too drunk and got a date with my boyfriend. See ya later,honey!"
We hug a goodbye and I'm back at my table with the lemonade thinking how well this day escalated.
..
The dinner table seems quieter after having such a cheerful day. I can't wait for the snow tomorrow. In fact, I'm so up for any challenges right now that I hope it does!
24/04/17
"Good morning,honey! Your breakfast is ready on that table and your bike is out there too, how are you this morning?", Martha said as I tap danced in the cycling shoes down the stairs. Thanks to Molly, I'm popular in this hotel now. The staff and staff's friend circle knows me as the 'crazy kid' and apparently Molly told them something weird I said during the post-biking drinks too so I'm pretty much making a badass impression of myself. No regrets!
I leave after the breakfast checking the brakes and gears and everything else. All good! Let's do this. I stick to the National cycle route 1 which is also a B-road. Well it's 5-6 degrees, pretty bearable, and there's strong wind right onto me. Great! I'll be cycling against this throughout and that'd be a sign of me going the right way. How? Because these are the northerly winds and I'm going towards the north. It's snowing in the north right now and I'm approaching the midlands. The headwind is fun as long as I'm climbing. Fun as in, at least I'm not profusely sweating. It's funny how I am thinking about the unfinished storyline from the past. I need to find time to write it at some point today. Not right now though as getting my body cooled down is the last thing I want right now. I mean, headwind and cold are fine only as long as I'm pedalling. There's a dead rat in middle of the road whose corpse isn't quite destroyed. I wonder if it's alive. I don't know what takes over me but I am pulling the brakes. What the hell am I up to?
"Oh dear, who did this to you honey?Let's get you to the side of the road and get you some water" and I try putting some water near its nose/face. I pick his light body to the side of the road. He's tiny and really cute. He's not moving. Probably he's dead but at least he's not in the middle of the road left to be destroyed even more.
This is about my love. I'm insane.
I am shivering by now and back on bike. The temperature has reduced instead of increasing.
I am on an endless climb and every time I think I'm close to the end, I'm wrong. Every pass is followed by a patch of plain road with hills on both sides covered with grass-dry or green. I can see a pretty long climb on the ahead of me now.
..
"Welcome to Midlothians" the sign says and I feel happiness on the next level. I cross the pass that follows it and what I see ahead of me is unreal. Mountains at some distance and farms with various shades of yellow and green spread in between and something close to the mountains that looks like a city. There's some water body near the city-like thing. I feel like I can see the whole world actually. I roll down the hill with the consistent wind hitting me from the left.
"Whoaaaa...keep left keep left..." I tell myself as I'm being pushed to the middle of the road a bit too much and a bit too often. I need to keep braking to keep myself to the left.
A sudden gust of wind pushes me a little to the right side of the white line in the middle and it's a turn, it's way beyond control and there's no escape, I just can't get myself to the left, the wind is too strong for me. Just when I'm trying, a car passes that turn from my left, that's pretty much the wrong side. It passes at around 45-50mph, inches away from me. I exactly know what I've missed right now. Neither does it honk nor does anyone inside throw a "wtf" at me. I'm trying not to think of any what-ifs because that'd be the end of it. I know what my brain makes up then. I calm myself down and drag myself with all the will and might to the side of road I should be at and tell myself to be a 'big brave girl'.
Looking back when at the bottom of that giant hill makes me realise what game the wind and roads were playing with me for so long.
I am welcomed to Edinburgh with a cyclist asking me if I was alright seeing my eyes teared up. He asks me if I've been crying. I tell him it's the wind- it's a bit too cold and strong for me. We talk for a bit about how long I've been pedalling today and he laughs when I tell him where I'm headed to.
"John O'Groats, eh? It's only gonna get worse, young lady! Not the right season for taking this up", he says as he takes a turn and goes onto some trail. I'm stunned by how encouraging people here are!
I tell myself that I heard nothing, know nothing and haven't been ahead of here by myself to have experienced anything. Be it wrong, if it has to be, at I'd be the one who's wrong, it's my decision after all. I know exactly what I need. I need to go to room and watch 'Inspired to Ride' and then temperature, time, wind and all these things would be futile.
..
When I reach, I'm numb from head to toe and my face is in quite a state. Actually, so are all the parts exposed to the wind and cold. No matter, That's the reason why I feel no pain anymore. It certainly is a beautiful day today, but with certain natural inevitable elements to it. If you can't beat it, join it! I've been reading such crazy stuff and listening to such insane podcasts and audiobooks these days that I can endure any challenge in any shape at the moment. In this moment, everything feels perfect. I sure am living my life and learning to live it by myself. The times when I feel like there's no hope, I, now know, that no one's coming by my side to tell me to get up and get going, it's my responsibility to do that. Probably taking up some challenge like this is my way of helping me love myself even more and telling myself, "I've got your back" every now and then (pun unintended).
I leave after the breakfast checking the brakes and gears and everything else. All good! Let's do this. I stick to the National cycle route 1 which is also a B-road. Well it's 5-6 degrees, pretty bearable, and there's strong wind right onto me. Great! I'll be cycling against this throughout and that'd be a sign of me going the right way. How? Because these are the northerly winds and I'm going towards the north. It's snowing in the north right now and I'm approaching the midlands. The headwind is fun as long as I'm climbing. Fun as in, at least I'm not profusely sweating. It's funny how I am thinking about the unfinished storyline from the past. I need to find time to write it at some point today. Not right now though as getting my body cooled down is the last thing I want right now. I mean, headwind and cold are fine only as long as I'm pedalling. There's a dead rat in middle of the road whose corpse isn't quite destroyed. I wonder if it's alive. I don't know what takes over me but I am pulling the brakes. What the hell am I up to?
"Oh dear, who did this to you honey?Let's get you to the side of the road and get you some water" and I try putting some water near its nose/face. I pick his light body to the side of the road. He's tiny and really cute. He's not moving. Probably he's dead but at least he's not in the middle of the road left to be destroyed even more.
This is about my love. I'm insane.
I am shivering by now and back on bike. The temperature has reduced instead of increasing.
I am on an endless climb and every time I think I'm close to the end, I'm wrong. Every pass is followed by a patch of plain road with hills on both sides covered with grass-dry or green. I can see a pretty long climb on the ahead of me now.
..
"Welcome to Midlothians" the sign says and I feel happiness on the next level. I cross the pass that follows it and what I see ahead of me is unreal. Mountains at some distance and farms with various shades of yellow and green spread in between and something close to the mountains that looks like a city. There's some water body near the city-like thing. I feel like I can see the whole world actually. I roll down the hill with the consistent wind hitting me from the left.
"Whoaaaa...keep left keep left..." I tell myself as I'm being pushed to the middle of the road a bit too much and a bit too often. I need to keep braking to keep myself to the left.
A sudden gust of wind pushes me a little to the right side of the white line in the middle and it's a turn, it's way beyond control and there's no escape, I just can't get myself to the left, the wind is too strong for me. Just when I'm trying, a car passes that turn from my left, that's pretty much the wrong side. It passes at around 45-50mph, inches away from me. I exactly know what I've missed right now. Neither does it honk nor does anyone inside throw a "wtf" at me. I'm trying not to think of any what-ifs because that'd be the end of it. I know what my brain makes up then. I calm myself down and drag myself with all the will and might to the side of road I should be at and tell myself to be a 'big brave girl'.
Looking back when at the bottom of that giant hill makes me realise what game the wind and roads were playing with me for so long.
I am welcomed to Edinburgh with a cyclist asking me if I was alright seeing my eyes teared up. He asks me if I've been crying. I tell him it's the wind- it's a bit too cold and strong for me. We talk for a bit about how long I've been pedalling today and he laughs when I tell him where I'm headed to.
"John O'Groats, eh? It's only gonna get worse, young lady! Not the right season for taking this up", he says as he takes a turn and goes onto some trail. I'm stunned by how encouraging people here are!
I tell myself that I heard nothing, know nothing and haven't been ahead of here by myself to have experienced anything. Be it wrong, if it has to be, at I'd be the one who's wrong, it's my decision after all. I know exactly what I need. I need to go to room and watch 'Inspired to Ride' and then temperature, time, wind and all these things would be futile.
..
When I reach, I'm numb from head to toe and my face is in quite a state. Actually, so are all the parts exposed to the wind and cold. No matter, That's the reason why I feel no pain anymore. It certainly is a beautiful day today, but with certain natural inevitable elements to it. If you can't beat it, join it! I've been reading such crazy stuff and listening to such insane podcasts and audiobooks these days that I can endure any challenge in any shape at the moment. In this moment, everything feels perfect. I sure am living my life and learning to live it by myself. The times when I feel like there's no hope, I, now know, that no one's coming by my side to tell me to get up and get going, it's my responsibility to do that. Probably taking up some challenge like this is my way of helping me love myself even more and telling myself, "I've got your back" every now and then (pun unintended).
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