Day 10 - Distress to Dalat
Nha Trang to Dalat. We left Nha Trang at 7 am and got on the bus for two hours to Pham Rang where we finally jumped on our bikes. Unlike the rainy days we had in Qui Nhon and Nha Trang, the sun was shining and the wind was blowing strong when we saddled up at around 9:45am local time in Pham Rang. The 100km ride would take us to Dalat where we would be staying for the next two nights. Dalat is a city that was frequented by French soldiers for their vacation during their time in Vietnam. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Lat
The first 32km was fairly flat but a strong head wind and poor road conditions added some extra challenge to the relatively short distance. This was our first venture off the main Highway 1 and we realized that major highways have superior quality to secondary roads. These roads were very bumpy and required a sharp eye to avoid major potholes or other debris that would surely knock our tires out. In addition, they added extra strain to your hands, back, butt, neck and everywhere else. We hit the first water stop at the same time that Bob popped his tire which was very convenient. Mr. Hung sprung into action to fix the flat and had it back on the bike in less than five minutes. By the time we were leaving the rest stop though it had flattened again so the mechanic fixed it up and we were ready to roll onto the beginning of the climb. After all, Mr. Hung is the guide not the mechanic!
Emotions were running wild as we made two large climbs on today’s 100km ride. As usual, I was apprehensive about the big climb after hearing so much about it from the other guys and the tour hosts. I kept asking Bob if the climb had started and he simply giggled saying ‘not yet’ which added to my stress levels. When we finally did start the climb my legs, lungs and neck all knew it! Turn after turn I wondered when the pain would end but this climb seemed to go on forever. The climb the other day on Day 6 was relatively mild compared to this massive mountain. The pain and agony on the way up was all worth it based on the incredible feeling of achievement we felt when we hit the top of the climb. That was coincidently where we had a rest stop which was great. We ate hard boiled eggs, bread and drank some water to celebrate the conquering of this ride.
Celebrating the big climb
From here, it was a mere 50km to Dalat on what Bob and the tour guides called ‘rolling hills’. Great! The challenge was over and I would simply spin my bike into Dalat and grab a cold beer to celebrate this great ride with a huge climb. So I thought. The unfortunate thing is that the tour guide has not seen the route and Bob has been using psychological warfare on me when we are on the bike. For example, when we were almost done the first big climb Bob pulled up and said ‘we are almost half way done this climb’. Of course I thought we were close to being done and this almost killed me to hear that we were only half way done. The reality was that we were almost done. On the Day 6 climb, Bob was encouraging me to eat French fries and plenty of food before that climb….so needless to say I need to keep an eye on this guy from now on! Anyhow, what was supposed to be ‘rolling hills’ turned out to be a killer 10km climb on much steeper grades than the first major climb. I was cursing Mr. Hung and Bob for at least six of the kilometers but managed to make it to the top where I cooled off a bit. I figured after making it to the top that I would have some descents to enjoy however this is when the rolling hills actually did start. I kept pushing through thinking that this ride would never end and when I finally saw the sign that said Dalat I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment and happiness. As I rode through the streets of Dalat I realized I did not know the name of my hotel and had no idea where I was going. Mr. Hung to the rescue: he was standing on the corner waving me down and then proceeded to guide me to the hotel. So whilst I felt like pummeling Mr. Hung during my climb (for not mentioning the grade and distance) I felt like hugging him when he guided me to the hotel. Jumped out of the biking clothes and headed right to the massage place where Ms. Fu was applying iron fist like pressure to my weary body.
What a great day! Kim is also doing very well. She managed to do almost the entire first climb and most of the second climb. She was pushing along when Neil said 'hey you don't need to torture yourself' at which time she quickly threw her arm in the air signalling the sweeper bus to save her from the hills into Dalat.
Kim and Carol at rest stop before the massive climb
Before I started cycling six months ago I would have never taken a photo of a road. Now that I have started cycling however I love to take these photos as a reminder of the pain and agony we underwent to climb these big hills. Here are some photos from the first climb.
