Day 3 (03-Sep-2010) Mytho - Can Tho

Anthropological cacophony awoke most at 05:00hrs, with plenty of time therefore to pack for the stipulated departure at 08:00hrs. Again, we were spared cycling through town, with today’s ride commencing 08:30hrs along a quiet country lane. Almost immediately however we found ourselves imperilled, with Simon suddenly spotted digging for mud crabs with his nose. Shortly thereafter, Bryan The Invincible attempted a flawless hands-free dismount – but failed miserably, with the cleat on his left foot still firmly attached to the pedal as he + bike bounced off the concrete with a coefficient of restitution that would make Barnes Wallace proud. Sensing brinkmanship, and embracing any challenge, no matter how banal, Simon opted for an eye-watering manoeuvre over the handlebars that only someone with family jewels considerably smaller than normal would ever attempt! With a difficulty of 5.5 Simon was clearly the winner, though his manhood is now in question. For the woman’s team it was left to Donna to demonstrate some derring-do, which she did admirably well by ignoring Alex’s warnings about the slippery path – and proved that it was indeed slippery.

And all this before morning tea! The second stage to lunch break was thankfully uneventful. On the way we stopped off at a local sweet factory to see how 'pop rice' and coconut candy are made – and then ate most of what was available. Lunch was a simple but nourishing affair – beef noodles or beef curry being the only options available.

Many bridges and ferry rides later we finally arrived at the end of our day’s cycle ride at 16:50hrs, covering a total distance of (just) 66kms in 8 hours – and yes some can run that distance in half the time....