Dave and his Bike

Days 211 to 214.

Day 211

I slept so much better last night. I actually felt almost refreshed today, although my legs are a bit on the sore side. A quick hotel breakfast followed by the hassle of having to carry all of our luggage over to the garage. First world problem I know, and a small price to pay for secure garaging, but frustrating all the same.

We were still away just after 0900hrs, and navigating through and out of towns has been made simple because of the hard work put in by Gordon who has planned the route and downloaded it onto Garmin. It does mean I get fewer breaks though as I don’t have to stop and check where I am, and my phone battery is lasting much longer.

The morning continued the theme from yesterday: undulating rural countryside; cool temperatures; excellent roads; mostly tailwind. We met Jane after about 32km in Cilleruelo de Abajo for a coffee, but the cafe was closed, so a bite to eat from the car supplies kept us going for another 33km to Tordómar where Jane had lunch ready for us.

The roads continued to be great for the afternoon, with enough little climbs to make our legs sore – possibly a compound effect from the last three days – until we met again briefly with 25km to go. The last, and possibly hardest climb of the day gave us a nice descent into Villagonzola Pedernales and a pre-booked hotel.

We are about 5km outside Burgos, which was initially where we intended to stay. The cost of accommodation there on a Saturday night became a prohibiting factor (this is still expensive enough – most I’ve spent for months), so we looked further afield. A shame, as Burgos is beautiful, and worth a walk around. We thought of getting a taxi into town, but we are all rather shattered, so food and recovery became our only priority.

Uber Eats delivered some well known fried chicken, and lots of it. We couldn’t / wouldn’t wait for the restaurant to open at 2000hrs. It was quite refreshing to have eaten as early as we actually wanted, and certainly what my body needed. A proper early night was therefore possible.

It would also appear that today I passed the 10,000km mark, which I suppose is worth a mention. It’s not as far as I anticipated at this stage, but plenty all the same.

Distance cycled so far: 10,008km

Day 212.

Hard day today.

I paid for the buffet breakfast at the hotel. It wasn’t great value but at least the coffee was good. It was raining when we got up, raining when we had breakfast, and raining when we set off – a theme which continued for pretty much the whole morning. It was also only 9°C when we set off just before 0830hrs, so we were all well wrapped up.

The road into, through, and out of Burgos was devoid of traffic. We didn’t stop to see the impressive cathedral and surrounding area due the weather, but carried on heading northeast and into the rather frustrating headwind. In better weather the scenery would have been stunning, and was lovely even in the low cloud.

There were no major climbs, but plenty of smaller ramps to test weary wet legs until the coffee stop after 40km in Quintanavides. Again the café was closed, so a quick refuel from the car and we continued before we got too cold. Not long after, we joined the N1 road which runs alongside (but far enough away from) the motorway. With it being Sunday it was eminently cycleable as there was barely any traffic on it. I still managed to upset one driver though (my fault).

Lunch at around the 80km mark was just before Pancorbo. It was a bit early, but had stopped raining so we took the opportunity to grab some calories without getting drenched and freezing. We still didn’t stop for long though.

Our planned route turned us off at Orón, and added an extra climb and a couple of hundred metres of ascent to the itinerary. After much deliberation I took the executive decision not to do this but to stay on the main road. Up to a point this worked well. Without the Garmin route we were winging it a bit (my usual style), up until the N1 ran out, and Google Maps put us on gravel.

This was initially quite fun. Well, I thought so. It then got rougher and less rideable, so we diverted towards tarmac and added about 6km to our day. Not great. It still wasn’t raining though.

The rest of the ride, albeit about 15km, was a bit of a trudge. I was shattered, and each little rise in the road felt like a challenge. So when we arrived at the hotel after 135km I was more than ready to stop. Car parking is at a premium here, and Jane had managed to find a subterranean spot a few minutes away. We fetched the car to offload all of our luggage, then struck lucky with a spot on the road next to the hotel.

The evening consisted of much debate as to when to have a rest day, options for the route for the rest of the ride, and what to eat tonight. As a result we have booked into the hotel for tomorrow night (I need some recovery and clean kit), and we went to a Chinese restaurant. Route decisions to follow.

Distance cycled so far: 10,143km.

Day 213.

Rest day

A very welcome lie-in meant that I felt much better this morning, albeit still with sore legs. Breakfast at a small (and very nice) local café wasn’t taken until around 1000hrs, and Ian and I then went to the jet-wash found by Gordon last night. Bikes suitably cleaned, we returned to the hotel. My bike hasn’t been that clean since I left home.

Jane and I then had a short walk to the nearest launderette where we spent a happy hour watching things go round in circles, whilst eating lunch obtained from the supermarket and bakery nearby. After a team meeting to discuss the route from here to home, we headed into town leaving Gordon to finalise the Strava and Garmin details.

Our first stop was the Cathedral María Inmaculada of Vitoria, which was unfortunately closed. Ian, feeling full of cold, decided that hotel bed rest was his best option and headed back. Jane and I continued into the medieval city, which is most impressive.

There wasn’t much medieval to speak of that we could find, other than the church of San Vincente Mártir which dates back to the 15th century. The old city centre is, however, very beautiful with narrow streets, impressive buildings, and an escalator running up the middle of the street.

We stopped for an ice cream (my first for a long time), then headed back to the hotel for a rest before looking for dinner. We enjoyed our nice little walk around town.

From an ‘eat at a reasonable time’ perspective (and cost), we dined in Domino’s. Plenty to eat and affordable. And in bed at a decent time.

Day 214.

The rainy morning didn’t materialise as much as we anticipated. It had clearly rained overnight, but by the time we had eaten breakfast at the cafe next door we set off on damp roads in 9°C but with a gentle tailwind and no rain.

It was another typical Basque Country undulating morning. Nothing too steep, but enough rise and fall to be noticeable and stretch my legs. We climbed up to and passed the dam at Ullibarri-Gamboa, and continued on the quiet minor roads until Arrasate (at 40km) where we met Jane for a coffee and some calories. Not at the Burger King as they don’t open until midday.

One back on the bike, we passed through Aretxabaleta, then found some cycle paths on the old railway line, including some well pathed and maintained tunnels. In Deba we hit the coast. It was windy and the sea was rough, but some hardy surfers were playing out in the waves off the beach. We stopped for the obligatory photos before navigating our way around the road closure.

And what a diversion it was. The road was single track, fortunately, but was greasy and slippery, and with an average gradient of 18%, meaning that in places it was over 25%. We all suffered massively trying to ride up it. My back wheel spun every time I tried to stand up, and we all had to stop at some point just to get our breath back. It went on for 1.8km. It is the hardest hill I’ve climbed for years – possibly ever. I didn’t think to take photos.

Once up and over the top we met Jane for a lunch of empanadas and sandwiches which she yet again supplied for us. She’s not bad really. That left us about 40 kilometres to San Sebastián and our hotel. In between were two more climbs, which were pretty simple in comparison. To get to them we rode along the coast which was a fantastic ride, with the choppy Atlantic Ocean on one side and sandstone cliffs on the other.

We also passed through some nice little seaside towns, which on a sunny day would be well worth a visit. The last climb was soon upon us. Or to be more accurate, we were on it. Gordon rode a nice tempo from the start and disappeared from view, closely followed by Ian. I sat spinning a small gear for the 5 or 6 kilometres to the top (a good while later) where they were both waiting for me. The views both ways along the coast were great, as was the long descent into San Sebastián, where Jane had already checked into the hotel and got all of our luggage from the car.

A visit to a nearby bar for a beer and planning meeting (sounds rather official), was followed by tapas and a steak in another restaurant. All-in-all a really good day on the bike, and another great evening. I do feel much better for having had a day off. Ian is still not feeling brilliant, but from his cycling performance you wouldn’t know.

France tomorrow. That’s sound’s almost like home.

Distance cycled so far: 10,264km