I had been nervous about this ride from the moment I entered. It’s so far up north, has a reputation for bad weather, and is an environment that I have never ridden before. When I looked at the route, it was clear that during most of the ride I would be a long way from any escape routes, food stops, or 24 hour facilities…in fact ANY facilities for many hours at a time.
But, on the other hand, the scenery looked stunning, and it would be an adventure. So I overcame my fears, and set about preparing for the ride.
Preparation is king – unless you’re ill!
Let me be very clear before I start, regardless of any preparation, I knew that completing this ride was going to be a huge undertaking. You see, since the middle of December I started suffering from a significant IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) flare up. If you are not sure what this entails I’ll try to give you the basics without too much graphic detail. My particular variation of IBD is Ulcerative Colitis. I’m lucky in that I go for long periods of remission, many years in fact where I suffer zero symptoms. I can eat and behave exactly the same as everyone else. I have a few food intolerances, but they are not IBD related. But, when a flare comes on, and it comes on suddenly, I spend…
