Week 2 – Tuesday, the penultimate day

The cyclists taking part in the Betfair LifeCycle Challenge are daring to believe that they will actually complete this endurance test, having survived some of the hardest conditions so far. Monday was only a relatively short 100km but the ongoing heatwave meant cyclists were more concerned trying to see through the sweat running into their eyes than appreciating the picture postcard views of the Croatian coast. The early finish meant they had enough time to go for a swim, and for a few blissful hours, they could take off their bandages, forget their aches and pains and frolick like kids let loose from school. After dinner in the 16th century village of Primosten, it was another early night before the early start on Tuesday. The team went further down the coast before turning inland and crossing the border into Bosnia and Herzgovinan completing 186km of difficult hills in the ongoing heatwave. There were few adventures by early afternoon – with the logistics having being refined over the first 10 days and everything now working like clockwork, in no small measure thanks to the walkie talkies provided by a sponsor and the GPS provided by another. But no day is ever without its moments. On tuesday, a truck driving on the road coming up towards the cyclists went over a bump and its back door swung open dropping five crates of newborn chicks onto the road and forcing them to weave between the terrified chirping birds to avoid crushing them. The team will spend tuesday night in the historic town of Mostar, whose bridge has just been reconstructed after the war which ended 15 years ago. The end – in Sarajevo – is now in sight, however, with just 113km to get through on Wednesday before the finish line and the amazing satisfaction of having completed one of the hardest endurance tests in the world. All – cyclists and back-up – are now hoping that the popular cyclist who had to drop out last week will be able to get on a bike long enough to join his friends across the finish line, having spent the past week helping the back-up team and cheering up the cyclists, instead of allowing his frustration and disapppointment to get the better of him.