Arrived Saturday in Austria after a pretty miserable journey. Three days in the car, big traffic jams thanks to lots of German road works and a yukky hotel in Nuremberg with bust air-conditiong. So it was not the best of preparation that I lined up the very next day for a 10km hill climb up the Egger Alm after a crit loop round the town. Legs felt like lead, and I failed to match my pb, coming in 4 minutes slower at 1h and 3 minutes. To put that into context the fastest man on the day came in in 33 mins!
But better news later in the week. I rested Monday and then did a 160km ride yesterday taking in 5 mountains, riding from Austria into Italy and back into Austria lower down the valley. I was joined by three Dutch guys. The pace was fairly slow at times, but then it was planned that way, and very slow on the 18% bits. I was pleased as I kept up on the climbs, even though the others were thinner and more acclimatised than I. And I wasn't so done in that I wasn't able to tow them back over the final, flat 35km, which we did in under an hour. I even got told 'rustig aan' and 'niet te gek' - otherwise 'slow down!' 11 hours later we arrived back at the campsite. I didn't feel too bad, and that surprised me. So maybe the fatsprinter is doing better than I thought.
So now its rest, rest, rest. Maybe a short leg spinner, but decided not to go to the spnning session at the gym tonight.
See you all very soon.
Nathan Evington
28/02/77 - 03/11/07
About Nathan
Nathan, was a big chap in more ways than one. He was always to be found at the centre of the action, telling it exactly as it was – loudly!
In fact, Nathan was in such a hurry to make his impact on the world, he arrived on a cold February morning 8 weeks early. He was so premature that he spent his first month in hospital, and at the time was one of the youngest babies in Hedon Road hospital to survive!
Cycling played a huge part in Nathan’s life. He loved the film American Flyers and watched it many times. In it, there is a scene where the main character does the "torture test" which involved running on a treadmill for as long as possible before ending the test by hitting the "chicken" switch. After Nathan’s diagnosis of cardiomyopathy in 2004, he was actually quite excited to discover that he would be required to do his own "torture test" and spent a good deal of time psyching himself up for a good performance. In fact, he was so determined that it was ultimately the doctor, his Mum and the technician who had to drag him off, as Nathan refused to give in himself.
Cycling also revealed Nathan’s talent for remembering facts and figures. He was our very own walking cycling encyclopaedia. He loved to test his friends and show off his knowledge, and he was always the person you would want on your pub quiz team.
Nathan was determined to live life to the full, and unbeknown to his Mum he began playing in a football team a few years ago. The cat was out of the bag when a new football trophy took pride of place on the mantelpiece one evening. Nathan was very proud of himself and his team-mates, although I am reliably informed that Nathan was valued more for his enthusiastic participation, rather than his football talents – which led to his shots on goal just missing the target – 100% of the time!
Nathan was the life and soul of any party and loved to dance. He would always take to the dance floor first, and was quite happy to dance alone. However, his infectious enthusiasm always encouraged others to join him.
Nathan was a kind man, and always generous to a fault – on the benefit of his Mum and brother. He had a very special sense of humour – one he shared with his brother – and left his mark on everyone he met.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
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