On the Saturday Anet and JC came to take Roxy and I to the airport. Later when Roxy’s parents, Mike and Karin, dropped her off and bid us farewell, it struck me that all the people present were instrumental in me starting to cycle seven years ago. It seemed a fitting send off. Almost like I had come a full circle and those who helped me start this journey could see how the seed that they planted had grown.
At the airport JC and Anet stayed with Roxy and I until we had booked in and had met up with O’Ryan, who was once again our team manager, and Ahmed, who was once again our mechanic. Saying good-bye to Anet at the gate was just weird as she was normally the one who came with me on trips, but Roxy and I eventually went through and went to have coffee milkshakes on the other side. The plane trip was rather uneventful and Roxy and I got into our little routine. We had a short layover in Dubai in the middle of the night sometime but then it was back onto a plane to Amsterdam. On one of the planes I rewatched the movie Invictus and that once again reminded me of the power of sport and gave me some inspiration for the week that was coming. The movie and the other things I watched on the planes were also serving a purpose. I have a mind that dwells on things and I was trying my best to forget something that had happened two nights ago. I had to find a way to put it in a box and pack it away for the next week because I was here to do a job, to compete and I felt I had to put this thing away in order to focus. Little did I know that no amount of movies, busyness or not talking about it would help the situation over the next few days.
When we landed at Schipol Airport Roxy and I were the last off the plane as usual because the airport staff take those who need assistance off the plane last. But then you catch up and over take your travelling companions when it comes to passport control because the assistants take you straight to the front of the queue. So once Roxy and I had gone through immigration, we decided to go to the oversized baggage area to start loading everyone’s bikes on the trolleys as well as get our bags. Arriving at the oversized baggage Roxy decided to leave me there to go get the trolleys. While she went I wondered around and started moving bikes towards the front areas that I knew belonged to our party. I noticed that most of our bikes were there already but my bike wasn’t. I just figured it was still coming. Roxy and I started loading the bikes on the trolleys and every time the hatch opened and additional luggage came out I would move towards the counter in the hope that my trike would come out but every time it was a false start. Eventually the rest of the team arrived from passport control and retrieved their luggage. Then I broke the news that everyone’s bike was accounted for except for mine! By now I was stressing we had come half way around the world to cycle and what if my trike never made it. Was it stuck in Cape Town? Was it loaded onto the wrong plane in Dubai? We weren’t staying in Amsterdam so if it came on another flight how would I get it to Emmen? Would I be standing on the sidelines watching others race World Champs because I didn’t have my trike? What would my supporters and sponsors say? All these thoughts were running through my head as I looked at the conveyor belt that had now stopped because all the goods were unloaded. Thankfully O’ryan and Roxy took my tickets and told me to sit down and they went to the airline’s desk to find my trike. It feel like two hours later but eventually someone found my baby and that hatch opened one final time. Relief and joy flooded me and I could once again put my hands on my trike box. The box was pretty broken but I just hoped the insides were still intact. With my trike back in our possession we could start moving all our luggage and bikes (it’s quite a train of trolleys through the airport) and hire the two vans that we had booked and get on the road to drive to Emmen where the competition was being held.
The hotel where we were booked in was not actually in Emmen but in a nearby town about 10km away. When we arrived at what we thought was the hotel it looked quite deserted and we couldn’t find the reception. We could only find an entrance that led to the rooms and one of the first things that I spotted was that there was only steps up to the rooms. Immediately I starting thinking how Roxy and I would cope if we had to get me up and down several times a day. The guys then decided to take a walk around the immediate surroundings to see if they could find the reception. Roxy and I sat on benches outside. It was to my relief that when the guys returned they said that this was only part of the hotel and that the main building including the restaurant and rooms for people with mobility problems was across the road. The men who could cope with the steps would room at the place where we were now, but Roxy and I as well as Pieter, who had arrived a day earlier than us, were going to be staying in the main building. The rest of the afternoon and evening was allocated to settling in and finally being able to lie flat on a bed!
Monday for me was not a very busy or strenuous day. I wanted to make sure I was well rested before the week really got going. Ahmed built the bikes in the morning so that the guys were able to go for a cycle. I told him that he could build my trike later that afternoon because I wasn’t planning to cycle that day. I, however, did go in the van behind the guys so that I could see the lay of the land and part of the course. Some of us paracyclists find it very useful to see the course from a vehicle before we take our bikes out on the course and I am one of those. So, I, like driving the course slowly once or twice so I can see how the road surface, corners and the like look. Unfortunately the course wasn’t clearly marked on that day so weren’t sure which way round we would race. There was also a section of the course that was part of a main highway so that we would only see on the day. Regardless it was nice to get out and see the area, town of Emmen, and a section of the course.
The next day was a busy day. Roxy and I rented a bike for her and we went for a ride in the morning. Being in the Netherlands there were bike paths along almost all the roads. It was amazing for me just to get on my bike at the hotel and be able to go for a ride on bike paths without any obstacles, pavements blocking my paths or to have to worry about traffic. I felt immense freedom and wondered how different my life would be if I lived in a country where I could use my trike as a means of transportation. Roxy and I found a nice ride of about five to eight kilometres one way between the town where we were staying and the next little village. Some days we would just ride part of the way and others we would go to the outskirts of the next town and what was very nice was we were not the only people using the path. There were other para-cyclists training, people commuting, and people going for their daily walks. The freedom will be one of the lasting memories I have of that trip. After lunch Goldy Fuchs and I had to go to classification and that was a long wait! We each had our own time slots but they were running late and we just had to wait around until we were called. We eventually got done, both our classifications stayed the same, and returned to the hotel.
The Wednesday was a rather chilled day. Roxy and I got ready for a morning cycle only to find when we got to the bike room that my trike had not been offloaded the previous evening and the team management had taken the van which had my trike in to management meetings. We hung around for a bit and then went out just before lunch when the van had returned. However, by that time the weather had closed in and we had it chasing us all the time. We finally turned around when it started drizzling and had a rather fast return to the hotel before we got soaked! Thursday was the first day of competition and before the races start the organizers opened the route for all the competitors to get a good look at the course. So once again Roxy and I were on our bicycles. It was during and just after that final practice that we decided to make a late change to my race plan. It was decided that Ahmed should rather cycle behind me. The rest of the day was just recovering and preparation for race day on Saturday.