06/03/2025
That moment when you get THE email - and it leaves you perpetually stoked🥹
This is what just dropped into our inbox:
"Hi Eglė,
I hope you and Jurga are doing well.
Portugal was almost a year ago, and yesterday I felt so grateful for having attended it. I'm in Vietnam right now, and since I'm solo riding around the country, I decided to stay on asphalt only ( well, and some bamboo bridges as well).
But yesterday the asphalt became suddenly gravel, which happens often, so I kept on going. Then gravel became red dirt. Oh well, I thought, it should not last... and after Portugal, I can handle some dirt. Then, a steep slope downhill, so I tried to remember Portugal: control the speed with gears, not too slow, not too fast, and easy on the handlebar. Did it .. Then sand! Ok, I remembered this track in Portugal: smooth and steady speed and if necessary, ' pedalling' with feet to keep the balance. Went through it ...rut, and of course uphill, and of course I was in the wrong track.. So again, I remembered when it happened to me in Portugal : do not try to change direction until you can do it smoothly, help you with your feet for balance if necessary and control the speed. It ended up with good stress but well.
And after a couple of hours of that and more, asphalt again !
To be honest, I can't say I was relaxed. That was definitely out of my confort zone, especially because I was on my own in an empty road in Vietnam. But thanks to Big Little Rides and Portugal training I knew I could do it, I had done it, I knew how to do it. I even stopped for pictures :)
This is exactly the reason why Portugal training was so great. I'm not going to be an off-road star ( and anyways I'm too old for that :)) but I'm able to face this kind of unexpected situations with no- or little- stress. Before Portugal, I certainly would have made a U- turn at the gravel, fearing to fall. What a change in less than a year!
Thanks so so much , I'm here, more than enjoying my time, and ready for more because I have enough self-confidence on my riding skills .
All the best for you and Jurga.
Big hug from Vietnam"
- Sophie
Ride on, Sophie, you magnificent badass - and, newsflash: you ARE an off-road star, to us!!
