WEEK #97 HOW ARE WE DOING? Old shoes, cold feet…

April 19, 2015 4:52 AM , 2 Comments ,
I’ve forgotten what real cold is.  The last time my feet were this frozen was in Alaska. Back then I was desperately looking for shoe covers to keep my toes warm. All the stores, which weren’t a lot, selling cycling equipment had already changed their stock for ice hockey and curling equipment, I had just left too late in the season. The first two months I cycled with cold feet, all the way to Vancouver, Canada. There it finally warmed up a bit. Until now.
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Just over 19 months down the road (literally), I face the same problem. Any shoe covers available? Nope, not in Latin America. Slowly my equipment has begun to fall apart, the holes in my shoes are bigger than ever, letting more freezing wind touch my feet; the most exposed part of my body during cycling, after nose and hands. Is there a solution? I’m hoping my intuition and creativity to fix and repair things shows me a way… Perhaps I’ll try to use ductape? Tie-wraps? I’ve already wrapped plastic bags around my socks against cold rain, but that’s not a solution that lasts.
Or maybe I should just put the bicycle away and take up curling?

Whatever I do, the last days of this (first?) 99%RIDE cycling expedition are coming to an end. The final destination, Ushuaia, Argentina is in my sight. With a lot of mixed feelings and emotions I ride this last stretch of land. Confused, happy, sad, proud and overwhelmed at the same time. It feels like just last week I left Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. A virgin to cycle-touring, fundraising and everything else that comes with running a foundation and cycling from North to South Pole. Now, 19 months down the road, I look back at all the incredible experiences and moments (good and bad), the people I’ve met and the children at the projects 99%RIDE has supported. Then, it seems like an eternity…
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Tomorrow I head towards the ferry that will take me over the Strait of Magellan to Tierra del Fuego, saying goodbye to the mainland of South America. From there it’ll be a few days cycling to Ushuaia. Once there I’ll be finishing up some last things and looking for a cardboard box to put my trustworthy steel bicycle in…
When will I be using it again? When I get new shoes and covers for warm feet…

From Rio Gallegos, Argentina,

Dirk Spits

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2 Thoughts on “WEEK #97 HOW ARE WE DOING? Old shoes, cold feet…”

  1. Danny Pantekoek on April 23, 2015 at 10:09 AM said:

    Dirk,
    Je bent er bijna man. Echt helemaal geweldig! Wat een ontzettend knappe prestatie! Je kunt echt trots zijn op je zelf voor wat je allemaal bereikt hebt.
    Dankzij jouw bezoek aan onze stichting bijvoorbeeld hebben we nu ons jeugdcentrum kunnen verbouwen. Morgen is de officiële opening! Mede dankzij jouw bezoek en bijdrage hebben we dit kunnen realiseren.
    Heel veel succes op je laatste stukje! Houd moed!

    Danny Pantekoek
    Directeur Stichting La Oportunidad

    Reply↓
  2. Janneke de Kaste on April 25, 2015 at 12:12 AM said:

    Dirk, dikke vette props!
    For helping out so many, following your dream and realizing it!!!
    Echt… Respect!

    Veel liefde van ons
    Pat, Janneke, Diza en Enzi

    Reply↓

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