Turning a negative into a positive
Added on Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
Turning a negative into a positive
I was on to a 20 day ride until the Peruvian / Chilean border at Tacna, about two thirds down and feeling good, but because it closes on the Peruvian side at 11pm and I got there at 2am, it meant I could not ride through the night, so losing me 6 hours. The very next section of the ride was on the extremely safe Atacama route where there are few vehicles and no animals. It’s a hard irony that after all the tougher areas I’d squeezed myself through day and night, the easiest bit would be my downfall.
I stopped the adventure at Antofagasta four days before the end for several reasons. There was no way I could catch up with the 350 miles I was now behind. Throughout the expedition my schedule slowly slipped only to be brought sharply back into focus with a huge overnight effort. With four days remaining I could no longer rely on that tried and trusted technique. The blogs also caused me difficulties, but what can I do. The present record holder is a well respected and highly capable privateer. Probably self funded he has no commercial interests to satisfy so at day’s end he can sleep and then ride. My blogging and filming take 3 hours each day, cutting my sleep schedule down to 2 hours, something I’ve relied on whenever I record break. Nevertheless the sponsors expect and deserve to benefit from the ‘live’ nature of on the road messaging and that is, after all, what I’m paid to do. What this does illustrate is how tight some records are becoming and it gives you an idea of the intense competition involved.
Overall the project’s two greatest difficulties revolve around my wrong choice of equipment and unpreparedness overall. I was fit and my riding was incredibly safe, fast and astonishingly accurate. The machine was superb throughout but the starter motor cost me 8 hours. The clothing choice was entirely mine – leathers over textiles? Super safe and a feeling of protection over versility and warmth? I should have had heating clothing, as it is winter here in the south. My lack of knowledge about border crossings was key to the success of this journey.
If this was the end of the story it would be sad indeed and only I would have let a lot of people down (my job is not to come second)…but the concept continues. A negative will be turned into a positive and my team and I are developing an idea as I write; an idea so beautiful it is to me what the perfect wave is to the surfer.
I leave you with a few photos and will re-start my blogging in a few days as the book is being written and the film is being edited. Journeys like these are soul food and an integral antithesis to all the things you are sold but don’t want – my stories are for you to sit back and enjoy. As an audience you have been very supportive, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Nick Sanders
