With the very generous support of MarathonMTB.com, Mike Blewitt and the organisers of the Transpyr, Kim and I are in Roses putting the finishing touches to our preparation for departure tomorrow. We have 9 days to pedal 820kms across the Pyrenees to our destination of San Sebastian on the Atlantic ocean. This evening, before our first “pasta party” of the tour, we will fill a vial with some water from the ocean to hopefully deposit safely on the other side.
We have had a few days to acclimatise, get over jet lag, and generally discover the lay of the land. We have eaten churros for breakfast, fresh fish for dinner, and sampled the local Rioja. There is some amazing riding to be done around the coastline, with majestic views of beaches and headlands around every corner.
And now down to business…
The punters are arriving and there is the usual chit-chat about what races have been done before, what is on hit lists and the general “sizing up” of the competition. I like to keep a little aloof of these goings on and to watch from a distance. Enough time over the next few days to get to know people. We have been given the usual tour bags into which we must fit all our belongings and have now made a pile of what’s going and what’s not. Our bike boxes will be left here with extra stuff poked in them until we return – one of the joys of international travel with bikes!! I have been interviewed by a local radio station in a mixture of Spanish and English, and we have been moved in to the official tour hotel. Tonight we will attend a cocktail party in the local citadel ( as you do) , the ubiquitous pasta party, and a final briefing before falling into bed. I expect I will have a few wakeless moments hoping that my GPS will work in the morning …..