The start of an adventure

As I am being driven to the airport, I cannot believe that the day we have been waiting and training for, for so long, has arrived. The amount of butterflies that are flapping their wings in my stomach is incredible. I almost feel nauseated. This is the real thing!

At the unearthly hour of 3:30am I am one of the first to arrive. Shirley is giving instructions to the early birds. Nigel is all over the place attempting to check in his bike.

Carefully, strategically placing a number of FRAGILE stickers onto my bicycle bag, I urge the half asleep baggage handler to take care of my bike, stressing that if anything happened to my bike Lifecycle would be over before it started, for me. I know full well that my pleas are falling onto deaf ears but I try anyway.

Soon fellow cyclists and members of the backup team start to trickle in, accompanied by family, friends and huge boxes containing their bikes. It was very heartwarming to see ex-Lifecyclists - Joe Cassano, Stephen Banavage, Karen Zammit, Lawrence Bellizzi, Joe Buttigieg, just to mention a few, braving the early hours of a weekday morning to make the trip to the airport to wish us luck and give us a good send off.

It is time to go through Security. Grinning and winking at me Robert reminds me of the yummy almond cake Jesmond had bought for the team the previous Sunday and which unsurprisingly ended up in Robert’s bag. Looking innocent he passes through security, hoping at the same time that the cake is not detected and confiscated. Luckily it isn't and Robert grins all the way to the departure gate.

The flight, which is made up mostly of our group, is uneventful. Although we are all excited and wide awake, most of us attempt to grab forty winks. A long day awaits us and probably none of us have slept before coming to the airport.

Passport control is a long drawn affair. A group of thirty five people waiting to have their passports stamped and given a visa is definitely not a quick exercise, and it seems that the Turkish customs officers had an issue with the British passports making the process take even longer. Trying to keep the noise down, seeing that we are in a 'sensitive' area, some of us engage in some serious banter, whilst others just plonk themselves on the floor waiting for their passports to arrive. Whilst we are waiting we are greeted by Soner, who has been in Turkey since the previous Sunday and by the Maltese consul Simon Pullicino, who has been instrumental in the organisation of the event within Turkish territory.

Thirty minutes later we are given our passports and proceed to get our luggage, setting my mind at rest that all luggages have arrived. At the arrivals lounge we are greeted by loud cheers from Therese, Liz and Carolina. Soner introduces us to Hulya – a Turkish friend of his who will be joining us on the trip helping the backup team and acting as an interpreter where necessary. Cyclists, backup team, luggage, bicycles and all safely packed on the bus we are taken to the gym, on the outskirts of Istanbul, which would be our base for the next two days prior to the start of Lifecycle. Ditching our stuff, and a quick scramble to change into more comfortable clothes we then board the bus again to go on a sightseeing tour of Istanbul. Stopping at Sultanahmet we stop for lunch at a small place recommended by Liz. A vast array of mouthwatering dishes, most of them high in carbs, tempted our palate making it difficult for us to choose.

After lunch we are taken to visit they key sights in Istanbul – the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofia. It is a nostalgic trip for me having visited Istanbul seven years ago whilst attending the JCI European Conference in my capacity as National President of JCI Malta. Nevertheless I go back in, and like the rest of us wearing shorts, don a makeshift skirt to cover my ‘indecently’ exposed legs.

Unfortunately to none too pleasant smell of feet deterred me from extending my stay further, making a quick exit into the fresh air and taking the opportunity to take a few shots for my album.

I decide to skip the Aya Sofia museum, as fatigue is setting in and decide to spend some time in the lush gardens of the Topkapi palace. Most of us dump ourselves on the green grass just past the entrance. In the background a guard blows his whistle, a warning sign to people attempting to enter a forbidden area. Hearing the whistle a couple of times, Mario jokingly suggests that we shout goal the next time it is heard. A few seconds later his suggestion is taken up by all and we get a semi-amused look by the guard. The second time round the guard is less amused and shows us the red card by telling us to move away.

Reluctantly we stand up and walk towards the museum, where some of us are enticed the see the famed jewel collection, me included. I do regret this decision as the clammy heat is making me even sleepier and returning to find most of the others fast asleep on the grass I think that option would have been a better idea.

Time really flies, and Soner starts directing us towards the bus. It is soon time to catch the ferry to Buyuk an island on the Bosphorous. We are lucky to enjoy a fantastic sunset and by the time we get to the island it is dark. The island is very pretty albeit crowded. It reminds me of Main Street USA in Disneyland Paris, although once off the main street, one gets more of a Turkish flavour with shishas and other souvenirs displayed in most of the shops lining the streets. An amazing display of fruit and vegetable stalls are a mouthwatering sight and the warm greeting of a friendly dog is the cherry on the cake!

Dinner is a fun affair. Soner presents Alan with a mechanically operated bicycle and a belly dancer doll – seeing that Alan had been hankering after a belly dancer ever since our first meeting this presentation is greeted with a lot of laughs and a big smile on Alan’s face.

Back on the boat, most of us scramble to get an empty bench so that we can sleep. Thankfully I manage to sleep all throughout the hour long trip, only to be rudely awakened by Liz urging me to get off the boat and onto the bus. Back at the gym, laughter, noise and activity take long before we settle down for the night.

Lying down on my new inflatable mattress I find it hard to sleep now, partly due to the symphony of snores that is going on around me and partly due to the excitement and anticipation of the coming days. Many thoughts rush through my head - some positive, others negative. I don't want to let the people, who have shown faith in me and supported me, down but not completing such a gruelling challenge is a possibility I have to face. I decide I will take my friends' advice and tackle the Challenge checkpoint by checkpoint. There is no point in thinking of the whole long road ahead at this stage.

Let's just get the show on the road and let's get started.

All photos, except Sunset on Bosphorus and Dog, courtesy of Ray Pace