From San Sebastien to Iuretta (46.2 miles)
At last, we´re grudgingly leaving San Sebastien! After sad fairwell to both Ben and Libby we set off into a drizzly day and a STEEP climb out of San Sebastien, over Mount Igaldo. Adding salt to the wound, we had to pay 1.8 euros each for the privilege! However, a whitey came free for Chris as he emptied his breakfast onto the roadside!
Throughout the day Char adjusted to Ben´s bike and eventually got comfortable. The knee was a touch sore today but seems to have recovered well and will hopefully hold out for the rest of the journey.
From the sea at Deba we climbed a tough 250 meters to Mallabia. After the strain of the climb, however, Chris´ gears packed in and we decided to call it a night. Asking at a nearby house in Iuretta whether we could camp nearby resulted in blank looks as our collective knowledge of Spanish is shady at best. It was getting dark and still raining so the best option for the night was a delightful spot next to a roundabout and behind a disused building...very scenic!
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Days 19 - 25 San Sebastien
It´s been a long time since the last blog and a lot of ups and downs have been had along the way. The day after the last blog I (Donnie) managed to find Libby (Matty´s friend from home) who lives in San Sebastien and offered to put the team up for a few days. That evening, whilst I was sitting on the laptop in Libby´s flat, Matty messaged me on facebook...they had already arrived in San Sebastien! Myself and Libby went to meet the team on one of the many bridges of San Sebastien...resulting in a welcome scene which would not be out of place in a dramatic rom-com.
Massive celebrations that night in the bar where Libby works, Zibbibo´s. The next few days were spent discovering San Sebastien and fully relaxing whilst I spent a lot of time resting the leg and trying to get back on form for the rest of the journey.
Some of the highlights from our stay included: Swimming to Santa Clara island in the bay of San Sebstien, jumping into the clear blue waters off the pier, pintxos, walking up to the big jesus hill, relaxing beers on the jesus hill at a reggae bar and Matty and Chris getting friendly with some local (recently unemployed) goat herders!
We hadn´t planned on staying in San Sebastien for longer than two days but meeting a bunch of great folk and the prospect of a free Jazz Festival on the beach and piers made it almost impossible to leave. We managed to catch BB King, Aloe Blacc and Cut Copy. Splendid!
Throughout our stay Libby was the best host and tourguide we could have asked for and, along with her friends Steffy and Femke, made our extended stay in San Sebastien unforgetable.
Unfortunately on the morning of our departure from San Sebastien we discovered that the two bike locks securing Char´s bike had been cut and her bike was missing. This was obviously a massive shock for Char and the team and it took a long time to sort a plan for the remainder of the trip. However, Ben, our fifth team member, was a total gentleman and offered to lend Char his bike and other gear in order for Char to carry on. Having cut his holiday plans short to give Char this opportunity the team would like to send a massive thanks to Ben who I´m sure we will remain in touch with next year when he moves to Glasgow.
Massive celebrations that night in the bar where Libby works, Zibbibo´s. The next few days were spent discovering San Sebastien and fully relaxing whilst I spent a lot of time resting the leg and trying to get back on form for the rest of the journey.
Some of the highlights from our stay included: Swimming to Santa Clara island in the bay of San Sebstien, jumping into the clear blue waters off the pier, pintxos, walking up to the big jesus hill, relaxing beers on the jesus hill at a reggae bar and Matty and Chris getting friendly with some local (recently unemployed) goat herders!
Throughout our stay Libby was the best host and tourguide we could have asked for and, along with her friends Steffy and Femke, made our extended stay in San Sebastien unforgetable.
Unfortunately on the morning of our departure from San Sebastien we discovered that the two bike locks securing Char´s bike had been cut and her bike was missing. This was obviously a massive shock for Char and the team and it took a long time to sort a plan for the remainder of the trip. However, Ben, our fifth team member, was a total gentleman and offered to lend Char his bike and other gear in order for Char to carry on. Having cut his holiday plans short to give Char this opportunity the team would like to send a massive thanks to Ben who I´m sure we will remain in touch with next year when he moves to Glasgow.
Day 19 - ´Top Boys, Breakages & Beverages´
We rushed to get through the rest of Southern France and into San Sebastian to reunite the team. Hugging the coast South we bumped into two Super cyclists, Cedrick & Nicholas, who joined us and were superb tour guides. They showed us an alternative route over the cliff tops with spectacular views of the ocean and the Pyrenees Mountains taking us right to the border of Spain.
--> Nicholas was out on his first major bike ride with his Dad and we hope that our brief encounter may inspire you to do something like this one day too! Keep up the great work : )
Once back under Matty´s naviagation we quickly fired up onto a 6-lane motorway (highly illegal for bicycles) to avoid the fast flowing, heavy weight, death defying traffic 3 of the team opted for a high speed manouvre straight on to the kerb. Matty´s 1970 model Peugot escaped unscathed, while Char and Ben´s top of the range touring bike´s buckled under the pressure and had to be quickly whisked off to a bike shop. Meanwhile Chris, having braved the traffic, had continued through tunnels and up on to the motorway, only to be constantly threatened and abused by angry Spanish motorists.
After these trials and tribulations we finally made it to San Sebastien and arrived to a hero´s welcome from Donnie and Libs. The welcome party continued into the early hours of Tuesday morning (the next week).
--> Nicholas was out on his first major bike ride with his Dad and we hope that our brief encounter may inspire you to do something like this one day too! Keep up the great work : )
Once back under Matty´s naviagation we quickly fired up onto a 6-lane motorway (highly illegal for bicycles) to avoid the fast flowing, heavy weight, death defying traffic 3 of the team opted for a high speed manouvre straight on to the kerb. Matty´s 1970 model Peugot escaped unscathed, while Char and Ben´s top of the range touring bike´s buckled under the pressure and had to be quickly whisked off to a bike shop. Meanwhile Chris, having braved the traffic, had continued through tunnels and up on to the motorway, only to be constantly threatened and abused by angry Spanish motorists.
After these trials and tribulations we finally made it to San Sebastien and arrived to a hero´s welcome from Donnie and Libs. The welcome party continued into the early hours of Tuesday morning (the next week).
Day 18 - ´100 Mile Barrier - Destroyed´
We aimed for a big day today and really pushed ourselves. The roads were flat, the sun was out and it was almost perfect cycling conditions. We powered through the morning managing 40 miles by lunch, stopping at the side of the road for a bite to eat and to check the maps. We used a local (old) cyclist as our pace setter knowing when we needed to up the pace in order to always stay ahead of him. A tough task indeed.
The wind picked up in the afternoon so we slip streamed for 10 miles or so, however, unluckily Char cycled into the back of Matty sending her flying off her bike. A quick recovery from Char´s grazed knee, elbow and shoulder and we were back on the road again.
Time was slipping away as we approached the 70 mile mark and before long one of the team members was lagging: Matty had hit a wall, not literally, but was beggining to feel the strain from all the miles in the heat . Luckily enough Chris was on hand with a well received emergency Mars Bar and rallied the troops for a motivational speach quoting just about every Rocky movie.
At mile 90 the pace had slowed and it was getting darker by the minute. Now it was Ben´s chance to lead the team as we hit our highest speed of the day, flying through some small French villages and smashing the 100 mile barrier for the first time.
At mile 100.03 we pulled over, set up tent and were asleep before our heads hit the pillows/rolled up towels.
The wind picked up in the afternoon so we slip streamed for 10 miles or so, however, unluckily Char cycled into the back of Matty sending her flying off her bike. A quick recovery from Char´s grazed knee, elbow and shoulder and we were back on the road again.
Time was slipping away as we approached the 70 mile mark and before long one of the team members was lagging: Matty had hit a wall, not literally, but was beggining to feel the strain from all the miles in the heat . Luckily enough Chris was on hand with a well received emergency Mars Bar and rallied the troops for a motivational speach quoting just about every Rocky movie.
At mile 90 the pace had slowed and it was getting darker by the minute. Now it was Ben´s chance to lead the team as we hit our highest speed of the day, flying through some small French villages and smashing the 100 mile barrier for the first time.
At mile 100.03 we pulled over, set up tent and were asleep before our heads hit the pillows/rolled up towels.
Day 17 - Donnie´s Departure
Char, Chris, Matty and our new found fifth team member Ben waved Donnie off at Verdun Sur Mer train station. Matty took over the navigation and led us through some very flat, forested countryside to the west of Bordeaux. Having lost our practiced navigator Donnie, Matty took over...taking us through some great scenic "detours". In fairness it was only the day before Matty had told us "im not sure I even know how to read a map" and getting lost was only really straying a few kilometers in the wrong direction.
The day was very windy so we all quickly put in to practice 'slip streaming' to make our day a bit easier. The odd game of "what do yout think Donnie´s doing now¨ later turned out to be fairly accurate (chilling on the beach, having a few beers and relaxing the leg).
We cycled late into the night finding a spot in the trees by a river where we quickly chowed down then hit the hay. Ben was an absoloute hero - having already changed his plans to continue cycling South with us he kindly let Char stay in his tent. What a bloke.
The day was very windy so we all quickly put in to practice 'slip streaming' to make our day a bit easier. The odd game of "what do yout think Donnie´s doing now¨ later turned out to be fairly accurate (chilling on the beach, having a few beers and relaxing the leg).
We cycled late into the night finding a spot in the trees by a river where we quickly chowed down then hit the hay. Ben was an absoloute hero - having already changed his plans to continue cycling South with us he kindly let Char stay in his tent. What a bloke.
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Day 17 - Plan B
From St Vivien to Verdon Sur Mer (42.2 miles) for the first half of the day.
Matty managed to secure us a camping spot on the village green in a small town Called St Vivien after a short cycle from Aytre last night. We woke up to a bit of a drizzle which persisted throughout the day. For this reason you can't quite make out the cool platform in this photo that took us over the river Charente. It's apparently a bridge that is unique to Rochefort and the excitement of this fact was certainly not lost on the team! Not only has the invalid got a gammy knee, I also now need to see a dentist sharpish due to a broken tooth keeping me up for most of last night. It was a tough decision to make but in order for the team to carry on the cycle with any chance of reaching Morocco we decided that I should travel to San Sebastien (Spain) by train to try to get the tooth sorted and to give the leg a rest before tackling Spain and Morocco. It's a shame that I won't be able to finish cycling the next half of France but it seems the only option after a few days of struggling along. Since we have a limited amount of time to finish the cycle (flights are booked back to the UK from Marrakesh on the 1st of September) it makes sense for me not to hold the rest of the team up.
Sitting in San Sebastien in a hostel on the seafront right now after having taken the train via Bordeaux. I had a couple of hours to spare in Bordeaux but it seems unless you are looking for an African style haircut or a sex shop you are likely to be disappointed by the parts of Bordeaux that I managed to see in that time!
As for the rest of the team we will edit this to add in what they got up to after we parted.
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Day 15 + 16 - mmmmm Charal
From Machecoul to La Rochelle (Aytre) (84.9 miles)
The team fell asleep last night to the smooth grooves of some old school Craig David, courtesy of Matty's ipod. This must have settled us well as we got up and off to an early start this morning. As could be expected, the knee is just not holding together due to the repetitive cycling and began to hurt within the first few miles but, so far, is not sore enough for me (Donnie) to call it a day. Due to the fact we're crossing fairly flat ground there hasn't been a huge amount of strain on it yet but once we hit Spain the hills may become a problemo.
After sitting in the square in Lucon, taking in some of the national day celebrations we headed out across flat fields towards La Rochelle. On paper this should have been an easy cycle but due to the strong headwinds it took a lot more effort than expected.
The team arrived in La Rochelle to find a music festival was setting up there for the week. This might have been a good thing if all the campsites in the area were not fully booked by people attending the festival. This meant that, instead of having a well deserved night out in La Rochelle for our day off, we instead had to head round the coast to a small town called Aytre, where we camped for the night and had a lie in the next day.
My day off consisted of sitting in a cafe on the Quay with ice on the knee and writing the blog but the rest of the team headed off for a tour of La Rochelle. I'm writing this just now whilst sitting in a hostel in San Sebastien whilst the team cycle here from Bordeaux (long story) so they could probably tell you more about what they got up to once they catch up with me! However, I can tell you that Chris and Matty dressed up as cows and ran an assault course to get a free burger and came back with a buzzer that shouts "mmmm Charal" (the name of the burger comapany) whenever it tips on it's side...with Matty carrying this in his panniers it probably won't take long before the buzzer ends up under a lorry!
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
The team fell asleep last night to the smooth grooves of some old school Craig David, courtesy of Matty's ipod. This must have settled us well as we got up and off to an early start this morning. As could be expected, the knee is just not holding together due to the repetitive cycling and began to hurt within the first few miles but, so far, is not sore enough for me (Donnie) to call it a day. Due to the fact we're crossing fairly flat ground there hasn't been a huge amount of strain on it yet but once we hit Spain the hills may become a problemo.
After sitting in the square in Lucon, taking in some of the national day celebrations we headed out across flat fields towards La Rochelle. On paper this should have been an easy cycle but due to the strong headwinds it took a lot more effort than expected.
(La Rochelle) and a video of Ben navigating his way through La Rochelle, really beautiful old town...
The team arrived in La Rochelle to find a music festival was setting up there for the week. This might have been a good thing if all the campsites in the area were not fully booked by people attending the festival. This meant that, instead of having a well deserved night out in La Rochelle for our day off, we instead had to head round the coast to a small town called Aytre, where we camped for the night and had a lie in the next day.
My day off consisted of sitting in a cafe on the Quay with ice on the knee and writing the blog but the rest of the team headed off for a tour of La Rochelle. I'm writing this just now whilst sitting in a hostel in San Sebastien whilst the team cycle here from Bordeaux (long story) so they could probably tell you more about what they got up to once they catch up with me! However, I can tell you that Chris and Matty dressed up as cows and ran an assault course to get a free burger and came back with a buzzer that shouts "mmmm Charal" (the name of the burger comapany) whenever it tips on it's side...with Matty carrying this in his panniers it probably won't take long before the buzzer ends up under a lorry!
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
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