[ENG] Opening my eyes, the first image, the sun who wants to break my tent’s small window. My heavy duty earplugs, sponsored by Lefteris, are out and the sound of my neighbor’s snoring is added. I’m going to have breakfast, some ten kilometers far away, at Elpida Resort Hotel. It costs ten euros. What a great idea! I’ll get some energy in my body for today’s hardships. Vassilis Siafarikas’ standing next to me. He just woke up, but still looking ready to surprise us. He seems to be waiting races like that to prove his talent and his incredible stamina.
The roost guard finds its usual position in my body, I’m feeling the knee braces a little tight. It’s just half past eight and the sun has started burning the back of my neck. Like lining up for some kind of a torture fight, Christophe, Seb, Mirko, no one’s smiling, no one seems to enjoy it. The first shots, we’re coming down the small ramp, Maxxis’ girls never cease smiling, and some meters later we reach the Extreme Test.
I haven’t woken up yet. Three falls in the Extreme Test, hopefully harmless. Greg and Sotiris reach me at the end of the Test, give me some water and wave my goodbye to the real Hell. Carefully. Every inch. Every bump. Every crossing of the river. Keep my eyes far away. Put the camel back’s pipe in my lips. Every stone feels like a trap. Ready to lead me into abandoning the race. Like I did yesterday. But today is another day.
I’m lifting the handlebars to make the front wheel pass over another stone. Scanning with my eyes every inch of the ground, looking for the best route. Stay out of the bumpy rut, follow the river for some more meters, try not to ge stuck in the uphill, I may loose more energy. Everytime we are passing by some large gravel road, the support riders are waiting for the pro’s to arrive. I’m opening my big Beta’s throttle, leaving them behind. Every kilometer seems endless. The heat. The dry air. The dust. Sweating. You can not afford to stay without water for more than five minutes.
But no mistakes are allowed. After the next hill I’m reaching the special test of Agios Giorgis. At last, I see people, the loneliness of the mountain had almost surpassed me. The Extreme Test seems fun, but with my muscles that tired, it becomes a torture. Slowly to its end. I have less than three minutes to refuel and rest at the paddocks. The guys from Beta help me refuel, they also change a torn screw from my rear plastics. How much time do I have left? Thirty seconds! I’m biting half of a banana, I’m chewing it till the Time Check and I’m swallowing it till the start of the Enduro Test.
How will I manage to survive that torture now? This endless Special Test of about eleven minutes? But I have no excuses. I’m biting my lips, putting second gear on my Beta and opening the throttle. Just be careful! I find a good grip on the vertical stony ascent. Besides, there is absolutely no time and no extra energy for any mistakes. But I’m still at the beginning. I’m trying to sit on the saddle at the long forest road. Some judges, lost in the upper parts of the long Special Test, are staring at me, they seem hypnotized and so lonely. I’m yelling at them, they wake up and cheer. A Greek rider!
I’ve only got the two slippery uphills to manage. And my mighty Beta seems to be taking care of them. With me just holding the throttle open, it takes me to their tops with minor effort. I cannot afford to spend any time at the end of the Enduro Test. There are more hardships to come at the liaison. Why did they decide to put this river at the end of the loop? We’ve been through so many difficult parts, why more? It doesn’t even have a sole route to follow, so you have to improvise, and pray not to fall. Like a trials section. Stones everywhere. It’s getting hotter. Just pay attention. Use first gear. Raise the handlebars over the stones. Hold the bike with your knees. Slowly, one step after the other. Its end is the only goal. And the bike your only companion. It takes it so long, but finally its end arrives. We just have a few hundreds of meters to reach Serres’ Circuit.
I cannot afford crashing at the Motocross Test. I’m wasted. I barely feel my hands anymore. I look forward to reaching the paddocks, without any stupid falls, without any more delays.
At the Time Control I just hace twelve seconds to get a time penalty. Enough for some rest. And it all starts again. I have two more loops to complete till the finish line. And when I reach that, I can barely believe it. I’m almost ready for another loop. Besides, I’m kind of getting used to it. I leave my Beta at the parc ferme, Johnny stands next to me. “How was it today?”, I ask. “It was ok, but I was a little bit tired. How about you?”. “Me! I finished the race. With no time penalties. Isn’t it magic?” He smiles too. I guess there a small gap between the two of us.
8/2010
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