"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.........."

Costa Rica

The spa centre manager was in a brief, but earnest conversation in Spanish, with the physiotherapist while I lay in pain awaiting the prognosis.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news?” he asked.

“Give me the whole lot”, I replied, not wanting to play games, but quietly steeling myself for the bad news.

“Well, she says you will get better, but it will take time and you should stay off the bike for at least three weeks

“Three weeks!”

“She says your back is in bad condition and if you continue your journey, you could end up with permanent damage”



“The worst of times…”


I lay there in silence as the words sank in.

“Your back isn`t in good enough shape to continue, and the roads further south will just get worse”, he added.

“She says you need lots of rest and then exercises to build up the muscles”

His words became background noise as I struggled with a wave of emotions.

"Three weeks off the bike - permanent damage – can`t continue"

I`d always thought that if anything might jeopardise the trip it would be bike related, mechanical; I never imagined that my body might let me down, and here I was, faced with the distinct possibility that my journey might be over……

24 hrs earlier……

I felt a real sense of excitement as I took the short taxi ride to San Jose International airport. I was on my way to meet my girlfriend, Jane who was flying in from England on a critical “underpant mercy mission” (replacing the two pairs I had left in some hotel somewhere in Mexico and also bringing me a whole new wardrobe!).

She was also coming for a 2 week holiday and helping me with a much needed break from the bike and some quality R+R.

That was the plan.

She had organised four different resorts across Costa Rica, each one was perfectly located to encourage relaxation and offered the ideal antidote to the stress of continual hard riding.

“I want it to be memorable!” She`d told me on Skype.

And memorable it proved to be. The first morning, in the tranquility of a tropical rainforest retreat, I bent down to put my shoe on and immediately felt a searing pain in my lower back. It was like someone stuck a red hot poker on my spine. I had trapped the sciatic nerve and my back was in spasm. Two hours later, I was lying on the physiotherapist`s table listening to the spa centre manager translating words I didn`t want to hear.

Key lesson: Be very careful what goals you set for yourself; be very careful what you wish for. The Universe has a way of delivering everything to your door.

Lying there, I reflected ruefully on my casual response back in England when people asked me about the journey,

“I want to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone”

Now I was to face my biggest challenge so far, coming to terms with the possibility of failing to achieve my goal.

I have always prided myself on being focused and determined in most things I do. If I commit to something, I invariably get it done. In 2007 I had an epic battle with myself and Mt. Kilimanjaro. The mountain almost got the better of me, but in the end, after a huge physical and mental challenge I reached the summit.

My challenge now seemed even greater.

As Jane reminded me, the answer lay in letting go of my fixed idea of what the end result should be, and if necessary changing my goal. With that in mind, I focused for the moment, on enjoying our time in Costa Rica.



My friend and Sports Injury Specialist,Jeanette back in the U.K. suggested I need an X ray to determine just how bad the problem might be. When I get back to Antigua, I will have an x ray on my back. The result of that will determine whether my journey is over.