Day 5 - 122 Km

Day five - Police check 122kms

Feeling particularly clever after having gathered intel this morning from the Egyptian cyclists I set off on what I knew would be a most challenging day. I was mentally prepared and that can truthfully be a huge advantage in our little game of long term racing. The day started with a 57km climb out of camp...as it was a gradual climb the fates decided that we required the additional challenge of a substantial headwind. This became a source of much venting and frustration for the weaker riders, as it often felt like although their legs suggested that they should be moving forward, all evidence suggested that they were in fact being pushed backwards. When it was necessary to stretch the neck muscles for fear of cramping, we did catch glimpses of beautiful majestic scenery to the left and right. Rock mountains jutted straight up from the road making us feel small like David in a battle with the funneling wind Goliath. It is humbling to feel so little in the face of such magnitude, and in an odd way it makes you feel completely enveloped in your environment...as if you have been swallowed. Downhills felt like optical illusions today and it was hard to convince our legs that that slight reduction in pressure was actually a downwards facing slope.. The rest of the ride to camp was also challenging with long stretches of open road where the wind would do its best to foil our destination. Luckily camp came about 10kms earlier than expected today...brilliant reprieve, the orange waving flag looked like a mirage waving towards us in the wind.