The morning started off with some jagged conversation in Spanish. It was too early to order a pain au chocolat in a foreign language. Having packed the car up, we made our way to Hendaye, where the boys assembled their bikes against the backdrop of a stormy Atlantic ocean (and what looked like a fancy retirement home on the other side). To keep with the spirit of the coast-to-coast journey, the bike wheels were ceremoniously dipped in ocean water. And hence the great cycling journey began. As did Alisa’s great journey…trying to catch up with the boys (and failing on more than one occasion). The first 70 kilometres were a joyous sprint due to good road conditions on flat and smooth terrain. This changed drastically when the boys hit the first col of the day. The road climbed to over a thousand metres in around 12 kilometres. Many an obstacle stood in their way – cows, sheep, cow pies (which, on a bike, are much worse than one would imagine), endless fog, and, a cherry on the cake, torrential rain. The journey to the top of the col was all the less satisfactory when the support vehicle failed to materialise with its potential shelter and lunch. In fact, Alisa was an hour behind, having missed the cyclists at a crucial turn off. Instead of sheltering in the car, the boys made do with a deserted shepherd’s shelter (those sheep finally came through!), while Alisa navigated her way through her personal nightmare, which included one snaky road, multiple cow herds, endless chasms of doom, and zero road barriers. Crying and cow-pushing took place. She finally arrived to find the boys cowering under an awning of a closed supermarket, shivering but stoic, eagerly awaiting a change of clothes and some sustenance. After two hours in a supermarket car park, we finally decided to push off for the remaining 50 km. Following an inspired change of route (i.e. not a deathly ascent), we all managed to arrive safely at our destination – Bielle. The family room at the hotel was quite luxurious for a foursome, while the adjoining restaurant proved to be just what we all needed, spoiling us with local gastronomic delights. Having crawled up the backstairs to our room, it’s an early night for all.
Distance: 164.4 km
Moving time: 6h41m
Average speed: 24.6 km/h
Metres climbed: 2277m
Calories burnt: 7614kcal
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