Page 66 - Mercian – Year of 2019

The Bn cycling team line up before we set off
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Cycling Officer: Capt Nigel Garcia 2IC: Capt Thomas Yaxley
Cyprus Cycle Tour – 7 / 8 March
Capt. Nigel Garcia
I took over the duties as the Battalions Cycling Officer in Aug 2018 and was assisted in the role by Capt Thomas Yaxley for the first six months. Tom got to work straight away in getting the team adorned in new cycling kit that resembled something that a superhero would wear – The Green Lantern. Nevertheless, the kit was ordered, and we decided to go high end and spend our well-earned Local Overseas Allowance (LOA) on the Castelli brand. I have to say
it looks smart and is good value for money too.
The team were all keen to conduct a Cyprus wide cycle tour and this fell to me as the Cycling Officer to organise. After lengthy discussions we settled on a two- day trip that had to be challenging, with plenty of scenery and coffee shops along the route. We decided on a trip that took us from Episkopi to Polis on day one and from Polis, via the Troodos mountain back
to Episkopi on day two. In total the two days cycling came to 235 KMs in distance: so not an easy route by any stretch of the imagination. Day one started from Episkopi and along the coast with views out to the Mediterranean until we reached our first brew stop at Aphrodite’s rock. After a short break, we headed back off towards Paphos where it was planned to stop and have lunch. After lots of Moussaka, we
hit the road again heading towards Coral Bay before heading inland towards Polis. Getting to Polis on a road bike is no easy feat, we had a 10 km climb to negotiate with gradients that pro riders would be proud of. Nevertheless, all the team got over the hill and we swept our way on a big descent into Polis to book into our hotel for the night – day one’s cycling was a success and we all earned a few beers for our hard work.
Day two’s cycling was a tad over 135 KMs, but this time we would be going via the mighty Troodos mountain. We set off at a leisurely time of 0830 after filling our
The Commanding Officer, negotiating one of the many hills on day two
bellies with lots of porridge at breakfast. Once we had got into the mountain sections of day two’s ride, the scenery
was very similar to mountain passes of Switzerland and Austria. Steep valleys adorned with coniferous woods. By midday of day two, we were all looking forward to the anticipated lunch stop that was 85kms from where we started. It is fair to say that the morning’s ride had everything but most of all it was a hard-challenging ride. Once lunch was had and our batteries were recharged, thoughts switched to tackling mount Troodos that was looking ominously at us through the clouds. Unfortunately, Troodos was not meant to be, and we had to abandon our summit to the top; we fell short by 5 kms due to the fading of the light. We then decided to point our bikes south and head back to Episkopi before we lost all day light. Cycling in Cyprus is unique and the roads are very quiet in comparison to the UK, but during the night time it takes on a different meaning when cycling in a large group so safety of the team was of paramount importance – besides, it has been known for Commander British Forces Cyprus (CBF) to check that you have the right equipment for cycling at night – eh Tom Yaxley. That story is for another time perhaps...
Bn cycling teams well-earned lunch break on day one
THE MERCIAN EAGLE