A friend sent me a text message saying ‘living the dream’. It rattled me a little. I was having a bad day. As yet the English speaking members of the team haven’t arrived. I have some sort of virus. I am staying alone in a pretty basic apartment. Training spins at home are full of good natured banter with great friends – here those relationships are still being built. The honeymoon phase has definitely worn off. The days are long when your only task is a training session and they are even longer if it happens to be a rest day or heaven forbid you’re sick. France is a lonely place when you’re sick and craving nothing more than some home comforts.
In one of my quite moments (I have quite a few over here) I began to think about why riders find it difficult to base themselves abroad.
You’re living on an absolute shoe string budget. It’s not a massively glamorous life. You make do with the living subsidy providing by the club and have little or no spare cash for luxuries such as coffee stops.
The language barrier is immense. Although I am doing my best to pick up the language as fast as I can - it’s difficult. Obviously the early stages are hardest. With a reduced ability to communicate forming friendships and bonds is especially difficult.
Also beyond the obvious day to day communication and conversational issues, what is also missed is positive re-enforcement. I began cycling with my friends. During these days training goals were simply – to beat your buddy to the top of the local hill. Training was being rewarded with constant validation from your peers. The language barrier removes that daily validation and I think its one of the obstacles that makes being based abroad so difficult for Irish riders.
Also it never helps you settle when you have a lunatic French neighbour who likes to pump music out in the middle of the night. What’s the French for ‘I’m going to break your legs if you play music after 1am again’?
I am sitting here compiling this list and all of a sudden. Ding dong. Ring on the door bell. Bonjour Anthony. Les nouvelles velo sont arrives. A new bike and some new kit – just the thing I needed to cheer me up from my sickness induced despondent state. Maybe like the text said I am living the dream, lets hope I don’t wake to a French reality. Things will get easier, in one sense, this weekend when racing begins. I’m looking forward to it.
Bassor Basque – bring it on!!
http://www.directvelo.com/ is a decent French site for checking up on the French racing calendar, results etc.
Posts
