Last night saw the first minor worry over a set back in the camp. Laurie had spent all afternoon in bed after completing a hard day. First diagnosis was heat exhaustion or dehydration - before bed sickness struck and he instantly felt better, we all just hoped that a good nights sleep, plenty to drink and a real bed would do the trick. Thankfully it did and the team was once again complete.
Day broke, we decided to make the most of not having to pack up camp in the morning and have an extra hour in bed. Our lax attitude saw us leave the pad at about 8:30 and we set out, navigating our way through the Logrono rush hour traffic. Our 60 km climb started well, it's always a nice moral booster to see the road signs of your destination town for the day - counting down the kilometres and easy navigation all helps.
The scenery was stunning, we all knew we had a fairly tough day ahead of us but when you are surrounded by cliff faces, rocky peaks and overhangs that would be perfectly at home in a remote Western, you soon loose track of yourselves, gazing around in awe and taking photos. Suddenly the effort you are putting in to each push of the pedal goes straight to the back of your mind. Arguably one of the best roads we have been on laid ahead. It snaked its way through the desolate yet forested Rioja region. A flowing river to our left and eagles soaring above us to the right, we were reminded why were we doing this.
A refreshment break with the Battle Bus came in a sleepy Spanish town about 45 km in to the day. We were promised by the local tourist guide that this time of year is quiet as the Spanish have head back to the nearby grindstone...he was aptly named 'Jesus' - of course with a name like that he was a very nice man and we offered all we had just in case we may need him one day soon! Our attention shifted from Love Box to some elderly chicas having a stroll on the village green...on second glance they were not only walking themselves but their tortoise! These mountain women were very proud of their pet and allowed us to take some photos with them, at first they seemed sheepish, maybe it was the fear of being tagged in the photos on their Facebook, Twitter...or even a mention in this blog!
We kept climbing, kept drinking, kept chatting away to one another and kept taking in the surroundings. In the distance we saw a heavy flow of water coming out if what looked like a man made wall. Granted the flow looked like some of our well hydrated toilet stops along the way but this was definitely not Fred ahead of us. We soon discovered it was the outlet of a dam and, above, a beautiful reservoir appeared. In the mid day heat, the water, as still as a mill pond glistened. There were horses, cows and donkeys all making the most of the water together as we took numerous photos. After taking it all in it was on to lunch.
Time for a vital decision...do we take the long windy and very hilly road to the right, or, do we take the flat, cool, fast tunnel to the left. Of course it was a no brainer and in to the tunnel we went. If we were being honest we knew we probably weren't meant to be in there...our doubt was only confirmed when're signs showed 'PRECAUSIO CYCLISTA', the speed limit was reduced and over a loud speaker came a Spanish women's voice, we guessed she was telling us to stop but heads down and power on we made it out saving ourselves about 10km and lots of hard work.
Yet another veritable feast provided by the ever entertaining Team 2 casually ended in unwanted eggs being thrown at each other and of course the local bulls. Greg ensured us that these specific animals wouldn't eat the boiled eggs until they were peeled, a man full of useful knowledge is such an inspiration to us all! We had a short afternoon, an initial descent saw us through our quickest 10km of the trip and we head in the boiling afternoon sun towards Soria.
There was only one campsite in the town...we came to the conclusion that this campsite formed part of the Spanish convict relocation scheme! However we did meet another group of British cyclists on their way from Norway to their home in Gibralter. We exchanged our food for their knowledge...they gave a good insight into what we should expect when we reach Madrid and Gibralter! We wish them all the best for the rest of their trip although our crosses may path at some point before the end.
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