If you want
to know how it feels to have the stuffing completely knocked out of you, ride
the South Downs Triple. It was an
immense 300 mile ride, yet an awesome experience.
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| Simon Catmur's 50th Birthday ride on the South Downs Pic by Tim Burden |
The nerve
damage to my left hand kept me off the bike for a frustrating 3 months. I’m now back out riding and loving every minute. It is so refreshing to ride with no agenda or
stringent training schedule. There’s
no requirement to get up at 5:30am to train before work, or pack my evenings
with further training and event preparation.
My goal at present is to focus on the enjoyment of riding and see what
takes my fancy for next year.
The journey
of the Triple lasted about a year, from when I first had that crazy idea. The friendships formed along the way and the
adventure of riding the Triple was an amazing lifetime experience. When it was all over and I’d recovered from
the sleep deprivation and exhaustion, a huge chasm remained. Compiling my thoughts, I began to write about
the adventure. The more I wrote, the
more I realized what and adventure it had all been. At present it’s around 16k words and could later
be turned into a book.
After
climbing a mountain, there can be a tricky descent. I’m pleased to have safely descended the
mountain and look forward to exploring the new land.
