CYCLETHON MEGAJOURNEY | Day 3 & 4 - Hiroshima - 290 Kilometres Travelled (Patreon)

Hi Folks,

Some of these days are pretty damn relentless, cycling all day and through all elements. I’ll be sharing updates with you guys every few days, as we conquer each prefecture across our route. So for this one, it’s another day, another prefecture and another guest!

Day three of the never ending cycle, we find ourselves in Hiroshima and, after many years of viewers asking for it, Garnt and I are finally in a video together. Admittedly under not so very pleasant circumstances though. The weather was rain, followed by rain and even more rain.

In the previous cycle, Connor and I battled through some horrific conditions but today was equal in its trials, if not worse. The only upside while cycling across Hiroshima was for most of the day, it was flat. And for lunch, we got to enjoy a nice big Okonomiyaki pancake. And thankfully Okonomiyaki pancakes are just about the most calorific food in all of Japan, much needed, especially given the last third of the day, turned into a mountainous battle through the rain.

As we climbed ever higher, poor Garnt had to struggle harder and harder. While Connor and I had two days to warm up our legs and get some practice in, he had a brutal first day of the cycle.

His efforts weren’t in vain though, as we finished the day having raised over $175,000 and having covered about 80 kilometres. Luckily, Day 4 is the shortest day of the entire cycle. So not all bad and we celebrated with a healthy amount of Yakitori chicken when the day was done. I say healthy, it was more like a mountain, a mountain almost as big as the one we just cycled up!

Day 4

The next morning we awoke in Higashihiroshima to find the rain had gone, albeit dark clouds still remained. Thankfully though, we endured no rain for today.

Much needed after yesterday's traumatic experience.

It was Garnt’s last day and having suffered with us during Day three, his reward now was one of the shortest days of the cycle; a ‘mere’ 50 kilometre cycle, all the way to Onomichi - the starting point of the epic Shimanami Kaido cycle (which sadly, we won’t be doing this time around).

After a huge hill to kick things off, most of the day was spent going downhill, thank God.

Nevertheless, my legs were still very sore from cycling almost 300km. When we stopped at Hamasushi, a popular sushi restaurant for lunch, after a few bites, I found myself in a food coma, from the combination of the sheer physical exhaustion and the staggering amount of sushi that I devoured, such was my hunger for carbs. When you work out physically, you find yourself becoming hungry almost creepily fast.

To my absolute delight, we finished the cycle with a total of $213k raised, ditching the bikes at 3pm and spending the next half an hour relaxing on Onomichi docks, drinking beer and craft ginger ale, before diving into my bathtub to watch Shōgun.

I won't lie, I sat in that bath for two hours and it did my legs a world of good. Honestly, without this shorter day, I wouldn't be prepared for what’s to come; the next three days are nothing short of an onslaught of pain with the longest distances of the trip, and mountains and mega cities such as Kobe and Osaka to contend with.

Fortunately, we have PewDiePie joining us who will hopefully raise our spirits and I'm very grateful that Garnt joined us over the last few days. Without his presence, I'm sure Connor and I would have gone slightly mad along the way.

Looking forward to a jolly good rest tonight!

Wish us luck for Day 5.

Chris