Having been off blogging for a few days, thought I’d share some of today’s ride. It’s been an odd couple of days, mostly enjoyable, slightly weird and very painful.
Having hit Zaragoza from Villafranca, a long, flat(ish) and uneventful ride, just in time to check into a hotel, throw my bike into their luggage room and grab a squaddie shower I headed for the nearest Irish bar for some rugby…the England vs Scotland game was ridiculous and I got chatting to a local chap and his French girlfriend, amidst the howls of abuse from local ‘anyone but england’ supporters. When their mates turned up I declined their invite to a local cheese restaurant under the excuse of having to be vaguely sensible and head back to the digs for some sleep ahead of my ride the next day.
That plan lasted until I bumped into a crowd from who all worked for a Zaragoza English language company…no idea what time I got back after that, but a thoroughly good evening with some good folk.
The next morning I was somewhat the worse for wear, but things got really strange when I went to get out of bed and collapsed with pain. My shins had been so sunburned during the day that I couldn’t bear to stand on them. I can normally put up with a fair amount but this was nuts. Sounds a bit of a wuss excuse but I called whimp on the days riding and decided to take a rest day and let the legs recover. Several attempts to stand up were totally unsuccessful and I was a little worried by this point – but sunburn pain fades so I knew I just had to wait it out.
That was a good move and I awoke Monday morning muchly refreshed, still with painful shins but able to get up and about, and I pushed on to Lleida, not particularly quickly and with no video as I’d neglected to charge my GoPro, along with some other electronics.
The hotel in Lleida was ok and they let me take my bike in as a roommate, which I’m always much happier than leaving it in hotel parking.
Lleida to Montblanc, my next stop on the tour was great fun. A couple of big climbs, and some fun downhills, but a really manageable distance and some stunning scenery.
With my GoPro now back in action I captured a few bits along the way;
I’d randomly picked an official campsite just outside the town, but on spotting it from the distance I declined to use the official one! I could see it from miles away by the large water slides to the pool…Not my cup of tea at all.
Tomorrow it is off to the coast and start to wander North towards Barcelona. I only have a couple of days and not too many miles to go, so taking it easy for the last couple – more exploring and eating. Maybe the odd beer too.
