Five o’clock and the stir of people waking up knocks out of dreamland into reality. The first thing I notice as I start opening up my eyes is that people are already packing up their sleeping mat and bags. It then hits me, I need to be efficient if I am to survive! So I jump out of “bed” and start getting ready.
The say started a bit earlier than normal today as we gave some extra chores to do. Venice is a beautiful city, but not very practical if you have a hundred suitcases to load onto a truck. So we all took out our luggages to the truck waiting at the bus station and then went back for our bikes.
Once we all gathered at the bus station, it was time for the first briefing, loads of hugs and handshakes, and a prayer to send us safely. At this moment I realised … LifeCycle 2010 is starting!
The ride started off on a slightly negative point when one of the cyclists collided with me and fell. I managed to somehow keep my balance and he only had some scratches.
Riding here is amazing! The roads are great, the motorists respect you and give you all the space you need and you feel safe cycling. The weather also helps to set the good mood since it’s sunny and there’s a nice breeze.
At the first checkpoint we were greeted with great smiles from the backup team offering us all sorts of food … its a good feeling to know that you’re expected to pig out … so we all dig in 
The ride continued over flat terrain (and some declines) until the accommodation. All in all it wasn’t a tough ride except for the fact that we hit the 200km barrier! It’s a first for me, and its a great feeling to read that figure on the speedo!
The accommodation was a bit small, but in the spirit of LifeCycle we turned the negative into a positive and we set up our sleeping bags outside with an amazing view of the lake and the alps.
I’m now off to wash my clothes, eat and sleep! Good night everyone
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