Good title for an article in The Irish News .....
'Death of Michael Mosley reminds us we will never know the ‘almost’ moments in our own lives.'
Something I have pondering on increasingly of late.
He must have known how dangerous it was.
Was cycling in the Alpes, 2022. It was a supported ride and I was the oldest by nine years. On the first day it was Nice to Guillaume and the temperature was pretty warm to start with. After a few climbs I was back marker and after a somewhat gruelling ride to that point, had eaten my much-needed lunch at the support vehicle. The main problem was the blazing sun and absence of shade in the sparsely wooded valleys.
After my lunch I was feeling more energised and got over a few more climbs until I reached a place near Entrevaux, I think. Another climb was about to start and I had spotted a small water cistern being filled by a lovely-looking cool water underneath which I was going to put my head. Just before I could action my plan the support vehicle appeared and I was asked if I'd like a lift. I knew it made sense, swallowed my pride and loaded my bike onto the rack, defeated but ready to ride another day.
As we went on, a call came through that a rider had not appeared at the next refreshment stop when expected, so we kept our eyes on the roadside. It was a while before we spotted the rider in a collapsed state some distance from the roadside, unable to stand and nauseous, he'd already vomited. He had bad cramp and it was necessary to carry him to the van and lay him across the back seat, where he very slowly recovered. Although he had a phone, he hadn't asked for help and if we hadn't known to look out for him we might driven straight past him lying inconspicuous amongst the rocks. Others gave up the struggle further on while still ok.
The next day was easier, we started higher up, it was much cooler, and all reached the finish. Out of 17 only five of us earned the medal for riding the whole of the six day route.
