Having slept soundly through another night of the Hannon snoring orchestra, we rose early to wake another sleepy campsite. Our first full day in Spain lay ahead of us and it was immediately obvious that politically and geographically we had very much entered the next stage of the trip. After our early arrival in camp the night before, twerking videos shared, bikes cleaned and early nights had by all, the very lonely roads of Spain greeted us.
For the first time on the trip, there appeared to be more cyclists and walkers on the road than cars. I have now discovered that British ramblers do in fact take foreign holidays, and all of them to this area of Spain. A broad array of zip off trousers, pocket maps and bum bags were on display, as we cruised through open fields bouncing from ascent to descent. This was later explained by our inadvertent following of the Camino de Santiago, a popular trek for the avid adventurer, apparently.
Our route snaked south-west towards our destination of Logrono, forever crossing the new A12 that had forged a path through the otherwise pristine landscape. It is very clear that this section of the route will be far more undulating than the flat calm of France. A red rag to the Strava bull inside Laurie, who was successfully put the locals to bed on their own turf, keenly pursued by Fred, his apprentice climber.
As we approached the lunch stop, Mr Garmin, who we believe is in fact a recovering alcoholic, womanising late night boozer, decided he wanted an early lunch so guided us joyfully onto the A12 motorway. We rode along game fully, past some smiling Policia as it turned out to be one of the quiter roads we have ridden all trip! 10 km later, we were approached by motorway patrol and through international hand signals discovered that we were in fact not permitted to ride this wonderful road. In our 3 words of Spanish we managed to explain where we were going and persuade our friend to escort us to the next junction in his luminous van.
Refuelling on Spanish Tortilla, which has now been added to the list of 10 things Fred will actually eat, we again hit the melting Tarmac as the temperature tipped the 35 degree mark. The afternoon was a far more tame affair as the heat began to take its toll on the thunder trains pace, even if the gradient was well in our favour for the first time in 3 days. Surrounded by the fields of Rioja wine, we slowly ticked of the kilometres towards our destination for the night. Slugging through the final 10 km in the baking heat on straight, open, lonely roads was definitely a team effort.
Mrs Hannon had really pulled it out the bag tonight, and the teams spirits were well and truly lifted as we discovered that she had negotiated a deal for us to stay in a bunk for the night! Our first real bed of the trip. This was a welcome relief, and the time saved in setting up the tent was utilised by the team to wash clothes, read and for Fred and Rob to continue their ongoing French Boule tournament, allowing Rob to further drive home his advantage.
Today's distance: 71 miles
Average speed: 14.5 mph
Top speed: 45 mph
Time on bike: 4; 55
Total Distance; 720 miles
Max heart rate: 88% (176 bpm)
Average heart rate: 65% (130 bpm)
Calories burnt: 3000
- @Access2a
- www.access2africa.co.uk
Location:Avenida de la Playa,Logroño,Spain
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