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Thursday, 11 December 2008
Well, it's been a long time coming, but I've finally got round to typing up my diary from the bike ride. Better late than never.
3 April 2008
Day 1: Southampton to Portsmouth
Distance 22 miles.
Kate drove me to the St Mary's stadium and lots of our our family and friends came along to give us a good send off. It was really heart warming to see all of the people that were there to wish us well.
I couldn't concentrate on what people were saying though as I just wanted to get on with it. I got the feeling Mike and Rich felt the same.
We headed off from St Mary's at about 4.30pm and straight into the rush hour traffic. It was good to get going though and the weather was good too. The journey to Portsmouth was pretty straight forward apart from Rich's handlebar pannier broke. We managed to fix it quick enough though.
We crossed from Gosport to Portsmouth on the Gosport ferry and it was full of Pompey cackers. I've never wanted to be in France so much in my life.
The girls met us at the ferry terminal and we ate dinner with them before bidding them farewell and boarding the ferry. While waiting to get on the ferry we bumped into 3 girls that were cycling to Paris. We chatted to them for a bit and all of a sudden I got really excited about the whole thing.
We got on the ferry and discovered that our sleeper seats were actually pretty cool and the ferry had great showers and facilities. At least we'd start our journey clean!
We crashed out before the ferry left port as we wanted to get as much sleep as possible. Some how I managed to get a great nights sleep, which was good as I felt like a kid at Christmas and didn't think I'd get a wink.
4 April 2008
Day 2: Le Harve – Notre Dame du bois.
Distance: 74 miles
Total distance: 96 miles
On disembarking the ferry we immediately got to a roundabout, hooked a right turn and got completely lost. Le Harve is a dump (well the bit that we cycled through). Industrial like Millbrook, and basically not nice for cycling.
After getting lost a few more times we eventually managed to find our way out and found ourselves at the Port-de-Normande bridge. A huge, steep bridge that crosses a narrower stretch of the shipping channel. The climb to the top was hard going and busy with traffic. There was a small cycle lane that I chose to use while Mike and Rich opted to stay on the road. This was all well and good when climbing, but on the descent down the other side I lost lots of ground to the other two as the cycle lane was full of stones and debris.
On reaching the other side of the bridge we immediately entered the countryside. A refreshing change to the Industrial grey gloom of Le Harve. My first thoughts of the countryside are that it is a lot like England, but with different architecture.
We stopped at a ‘Champion’ supermarket for some supplies (baguettes and cheese of course) after 10 miles and then carried on in great weather.
After cycling 74 miles in perfect conditions (although with lots of hills) we arrived in a lovely little town called Notre Dame du bois. We located a campsite only to find out it was closed and not due to open for another week. Mike tried his best to get us a pitch with a chap that was going odd-jobs around the site, but he wasn’t having none of it. We ended up having to rough it at the edge of a lake where the were a few people fishing.
This was the first time I had ever camped rough and it was good fun. We knocked up some army issue rations, pitched our tents and then relaxed for the evening. We didn’t have the best nights sleep though as the temperature dropped big time. Rich in particular suffered as he bought a shoddy sleeping bag (although he’ll still swear it’s the mutt’s nuts).
All in all a good first day in France!
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5 April 2008
Day 3: Notre Dame du bois – Vibraye
Distance: 61 miles
Total miles covered: 157
After a cold nights sleep we woke later than we had wanted to. The weather was overcast and damp – it was also still very cold at around 8 degrees.
I had to have a massive poo behind a tree and Rich was unfortunate enough to get downwind of it! Ha!
We ate a breakfast of porridge and bananas and then set off in the bleak weather. Straight away we hit more hills. This part of France is a lot hillier than we had anticipated – we weren’t expecting hills like the ones we had encountered until much later on in the ride.
We stopped for lunch next to a playing field and ate some massive baguettes with Ham and emmental cheese. All of us consumed way too much, even for the amount of calories we were burning. As a result we felt really rubbish on the bike all afternoon and stopped after only 61 miles in a town called Vibraye.
We checked into a little hotel called ‘Le Chapeau Rouge’ (The Red Hat) and it felt very nice to get a shower after two days without one.
Of the three beds in the room, Mike got the shitty little put-me-up, but I was too tired to care (sorry Mike).
We went out to grab some food at a dodgy looking kebab joint (not the best food replenishing energy levels) and the chicken we had was red in the middle. None of us seemed to care though and got stuck in. I then got worried I was going to come down with food poisoning and have to cancel the ride. Luckily it never happened.
6 April 2008
Day 4: Vibraye - Loches
Distance: 80 miles
Total miles covered: 237
A cold start to today and a steady climb out of Vibraye after fuelling up on some nasty porridge that Mike cooked up. Urgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We kept wondering when the rain was going to arrive as there were clouds everywhere. What had become very noticeable was how flat the landscape had become after the climb out of Vibraye.
As it was Sunday we decided to take major roads, predicting that there wouldn’t be as many cars on the road. This luckily proved to be the case. In fact there are a lot less cars on the road in France than England. Cycling in France is a much better experience than back home. If someone honks their horn at you in France it’s to let you know they’re there, or stick their thumb up and smile. Abuse is all you seem to get in England.
Rich got on loads better too – he really enjoyed the flatter surface and tonked along nicely. On the other hand I felt spent early on and struggled. My head started to pound and I generally didn’t feel up to it. Not sure why as I had been drinking lots of fluids and eating frequently.
We cooked up lunch in a bus shelter and it started to sleet. It was now pretty cold and we were starting to wonder whether we should have planned the trip for a little later in the year.
We spent the last hour of the day steaming along a long straight road into a stunning town called Loches. I sat on Mike and Rich’s wheels as I was still feeling pretty rough. They were loving the long straight road though and upped to speed much to my annoyance. I wasn’t about to start moaning though – they might think I’m not very fit :o)
We checked into a really nice gothic looking, but cheap, hotel called ‘Hotel de France’ and got ourselves warm and cleaned up. We then went out and stuffed our faces in a cracking little Pizzeria. Very nice.
7 April 2008
Day 5: Loches – Le Dorat
Distance: 74 miles
Total miles covered: 311 miles
Today started with a puncture. Good one! To top it off it was really cold too. Still it was a really picturesque journey out of Loches. All French towns seem to be extremely well kept and have hardly any new buildings. They all look like they could be used for a Stella Artois advert (even though Stella is Belgian).
Once we had settled into the ride I started to feel lots better. This was a relief as I didn’t want to feel like I had the previous day.
The temperature soon picked up and the sun felt good on our faces. I even felt a little sunburnt.
After a good day in the saddle we rolled into Le Dorat (another picturesque town) and checked into a little hotel. Rich and I leave it to Mike to deal with the people on the desk in the hotels as he speaks quite good French. We can’t speak more than a few words.
We have given up on the idea of camping – it’s too much like hard work after a long day riding. I feel a bit lame, but it’s bloody cold at night still and a warm bed is too enticing to not have.
Rich and I were in a bit of a stupid mood in the evening and I made of couple of videos for the blog that just ended up with us singing about Shannon Hooooooooooooooooooooon!
All of us seem to have developed really bad wind and I would pity anyone that were to walk into our hotel room. We can almost play songs with our asses and Rich has managed to master a double-whammy fart that sounds the same every time. Quite a skill if you ask me. I blame all the carbs!
8 April 2008
Day 6: Le Dorat – St Yrieix
Distance: 66 miles
Total miles covered: 377 miles
We all constantly ache in the mornings now. The legs take a good half hour of riding before they decide to wake up. I think Rich is struggling with his knees, but he’s not moaning and giving it the lemon as usual. Fair play to him – I moaned like mad when I did John O’Groats to Lands End and my legs gave me jip. I did that on my own though, so only had myself to whinge at.
It rained pretty much all day and we got lost at one point and ended up in a quarry. The road to the quarry incorporated a steep drop and we hammered our way down. The road soon turned to gravel and we all had a bit of a wobble and thought we were going to fall off. Great fun though!
We travelled through lots of woodland roads today and lunched on logs at the side of the road. I’ve pretty much used all of the decent meals from my rations now and think I’m going to chuck the crappy ones I have left away. Mike does a mean pasta and pesto dish anyway – so I think this will be a better option.
We had a bit of trouble finding a hotel room at the end of the day and we all got a bit pissed off. We tried all of the hotels in the town, but to no avail. In the end we went back to one we had tried previously and this time there was someone there and we were in luck. The room was okay and had an en-suite with walls that didn’t reach the ceiling. This was very interesting when Mike took a dump and Rich and I got to hear every detail of the white knuckle ride he was on!
In the evening we went out to a bar and watched Liverpool take on Arsenal in the champions league – Liverpool won 3-2. We were really tempted to neck a load of beer, but managed to resist. We’re all looking forward to a good session in Barcelona. 
9 April 2008
Day 7: St Yrieix - Gourdon
Distance: 77 miles
Total miles covered: 454 miles
We set out in the pouring rain after scoffing a continental breakfast. I’ve surprised myself with how much I’m enjoying these.
I got a puncture after about 7 miles and luckily we managed to find a disused barn to fix it in. The mood was a little low at this point as we’d not been going long and were already absolutely soaked. It soon cleared up though and we managed to cover some good distance. The cycling really is great in France. Once you get used to the aches and pains it really is enjoyable. Mike was having a good day on the bike and I was struggling to keep pace on some of the hills. This got me worried about my health again as hills are normally my strong point.
We entered the Dordogne region just as the sun came out and it felt fantastic. The Dordogne is gorgeous and the temperature outside a shop we passed measured 25 degrees. We cycled along the river for about ten miles on nice flat roads before heading towards some long gradual hills. There has only been one flat day on this ride so far. The rest of the days have all entailed lots of hills. Still, it’s good training for the Pyrenees.
We managed to find the grottiest hotel in Gourdon with the smallest hotel room I’ve ever seen. With the three beds laid out there was no room for anything else. This size room with 3 sweaty blokes in isn’t a pleasant place to be. Ironically I managed to get my best nights sleep so far.
Rich and I went to a restaurant and grabbed some traditional French cuisine. I had Coq-au-vin and it was pretty good. Rich and I regularly eat out where as Mike opts to cook up his meals on his stove to save cash (I would do this if I had an ounce of wheel-power). I’m starting to get paranoid and think people may think Rich and I are gay. From the restaurant we had an awesome view of the sun going down over the Midi-Pyrenees and I couldn’t help thinking that Kate and I could have a very romatic dinner at this restaurant. I have really missed Kate and the expression ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ is very true. I’m looking forward to seeing her in Barcelona.
10 April 2008
Day 8: Gourdon - Montauban
Distance: 72 miles
Total miles covered: 526 miles
We woke after a fantastic nights sleep in our grotty pod also known as a hotel room. We clambered over each other and set about the usual routine of packing our panniers, scoffing as many carbs as possible and then getting our sorry asses on our bikes.
We pedalled our way out of Gourdon and swooped down a long drop into the countryside. We soon got lost and ended up climbing a massive hill through some woods. Our reward at the top was magnificent views and more great downhills. France has fantastic countryside and we’re all excited about what the Pyrenees have in store for us.
I felt fit and up for it and we encountered lots of hills. When zooming down some switchbacks Rich nearly came off and hit a barrier at the roadside. Luckily he was okay and only suffered a puncture.
While Rich was fixing his puncture we saw a massive storm making it’s way towards us – full of thick black clouds. After Rich fixed his puncture we managed to get 3 miles down the road before the storm hit. We all scrambled to get our wet weather gear on, and as we did so we heard someone shouting at us in French. It was a middle aged chap with a grey beard, screaming at us to take shelter in the porch of his house. We didn’t need persuading.
Once safely under the porch the French man came down the steps of his veranda wielding four glass tumblers and a bottle of French cognac. He poured us all a drink and continued to speak loudly and enthusiastically in French. Rich and I didn’t understand a word, but luckily Mike saved us from looking too ignorant and understood what the chap was saying. He spoke mainly about the weather and informed us that the rest of our journey into Montauban would be downhill.
The storm passed as quick as it came and we thanked the French chap for his hospitality and carried on.
We arrived in Montauban and were surprised at how big it is. All of the towns we’ve been in previously have been tiny – Montauban is bigger than Southampton. Ironically we struggled to get a hotel and ended up cycling around for an hour before finding a hotel on a retail park on the outside of town.
We got washed and went out to eat at a ‘Buffalo Grill’ (the equivalent of TGI Friday) which probably didn’t offer the best nutritional value, but it tasted gooood! We’re hooked on Coke too, which is also pretty crap for you. Still, we’re all feeling good so it can’t be that bad. Mind you the farts are getting worse and we can now almost play tunes with our asses. Mine are obviously the best. 
11 April 2008
Day 9: Montauban - Muret
Distance: 59 miles
Total miles covered: 585 miles
We set off at the usual time of around 8.30am in the pouring rain, and I really wanted to get out of Montauban and back into the country. Montauban is a bit of a dump.
As we were cycling down a cycle path I managed to get hit by a wheely bin that a bin man pushed out from behind his dump truck. This didn’t help my mood either.
After getting back into the countryside we were treated to some long flat roads with the wind behind us, which was good, but quite boring. The scenery at this stage has been the worst yet. These must be the flatlands before the countryside turns mountainous at the Pyrenees.
We arrived in Muret quite early and found a hotel. Muret is even worse than Montauban and looks pretty rough. We used the spare time to clean the bikes and went and did some shopping at a local supermarket.
Rich and I then ordered take-away pizza and got it delivered to the hotel (more healthy, nutritious food). Mike opted to buy his dinner from the supermarket thinking it would be healthier. He bought some salad and bread and ended up eating a whole onion – the idea being to cram in the nutrients. He ended up spending hours on the toilet in the night and treated Rich and I to an anal orchestra. The pizza munchers came out on top on this occasion.
12 April 2008
Day 10: Muret - Foix
Distance: 55 miles
Total miles covered: 640 miles
We woke to a glorious sunny morning, ate a big continental breakfast and set off. Mike was still feeling a little worse for wear due to his onion incident. On entering the high street in Muret we were treated to a stunning view of the Pyranean mountain tops. We didn’t see this when arriving the day before as the sky was full of clouds. All of a sudden Muret seemed like a very nice place, and we were very excited.
We had a really good fast ride for most of the day and could nearly always see the Pyrenees in the distance. We also travelled through some more beautiful French villages.
On arriving in Foix I managed to bonk (must have been all the crap food catching up). I had felt the tell-tale signs for a while and neglected to take any notice. I needed a quick sugar fix, so found myself some sugary pastries, a Mars bar and a can of coke.
Foix is an amazing town at the foot of the Pyrenees with rivers flowing through that come down from the top of the mountains. There is also a castle called the Château de Foix which dominates the town. This has been by far the most exciting stage of the ride to date.
There were lots of cyclists wearing team jerseys and the hotel where we stayed had photos behind the check-in desk of it’s own cycling team. I get the feeling we’re in true cycling country now.
We sat in our hotel room in the evening and looked at our options for routes through the Pyrenees. Very exciting stuff. We all have different ideas on which way we will go and Mike is quite keen to go through Andorra.
13 April 2008
Day 11: Foix – Ax-Les-Thermes
Distance: 41 miles
Total miles covered: 681 miles
We left our hotel and rode sheepishly towards Foix town centre. We all wanted to conserve as much energy as possible for the climbs that lay ahead.
As soon as we left the main road that runs parallel with the motorway we started to climb and the views began to look epic. The first major climb of the day lasted for around 2 miles and took us up through some winding switch backs and alongside some wonderful mountain streams. This is what we’d all been waiting for.
We made our way up and down some awesome hills and kept stopping to take it all in. At certain stages we were really close to the snow caps on the mountains.
The last climb of the day was mega - a long climb up a tiny road with a sheer drop to our right looking down over Ax-Les-Thermes. Even in first gear we were struggling and once we reached the top, we all stopped and had a good laugh at how hard it had been. We then zigzagged down a really smooth road into Ax-Les Thermes that lasted about 10 miles. A great way to end the day. We only covered 41 miles, but it was by far the most interesting ride of the journey so far.
We managed to land ourselves an amazing hotel in Ax-Les-Thermes called ‘Le Chalet’ looking out on a fast-running river and across the town. The town is completely walled in by mountains and its principal value is as a base for exploring the surrounding peaks.
It has its own natural spas and is full of interesting old buildings. We ate out at a little Italian restaurant and then went back to the hotel room and chatted about what might lie in store tomorrow. There aren't many route options to get out of Ax-Les-Thermes and we are keen to take the quietest route possible. 
14 April 2008
Day 12: Ax-Les-Thermes - Puigcerda
Distance: 55 miles
Total miles covered: 736 miles
We set out and decided to take the least busy route out of town. This entailed a big climb the same way we came in. We then took a right further up the road and headed for a mountain pass called Col de Pailhéres. We kept climbing and climbing and the temperature dropped dramatically. This time we actually headed up through the snow caps. This was really hard work, especially with the weight of our panniers on the bikes.
We kept going and the snow at the side of the road got thicker and even though we were exerting ourselves we were still getting cold. We stopped at a ski station to put further layers on Mike realised that his gloves were not good enough to keep out the cold. His solution was to wrap garments of clothing around his hands and then, with my help, squeeze rubber gloves over the top. This meant that he was unable to ride properly and had Rich and I in fits of laughter. It was a good time to lighten the mood.
The laughs didn’t last though. After carrying on for a few more miles, climbing up proper steep switch backs in thick snow, I looked up and saw that the road in front was completely snowed in. We couldn’t continue any further and we were only about 2 miles from the pass. Good one!
We knew at this point that we had a long descent back down to where we started in Ax-Les-Thermes. We put as much clothing on as possible and then started our descent. I have never felt cold like it. My hands and toes went completely numb as we descended at an average of about 22mph (we could have gone a lot faster if it was warmer and less icy). It was really painful and I was convinced that I was getting frostbite.
On arriving back in Ax-Les-Thermes we headed straight for a café and ordered 3 hot chocolates. Rich disappeared into the toilet and we didn’t see him for about 15 minutes (we later found out that he had been sat in the loo rocking backwards and forwards trying to get the pain out of his fingers). It took ages to get our hands back to normal and it really is a horrible feeling being that cold.
While we were sat feeling sorry for ourselves we saw an eccentric looking chap in his thirties pull up on a bike outside the café. His bike was loaded with Panniers and he was wearing a long waterproof jacket and had circular glasses on, like the ones John Lennon used to wear. He had long hair and a moustache that curled at the ends. He came in the café and seeing we were cyclists too, came over and started to chat to us. He spoke in English with a thick German accent, and told us that he was travelling round the world on his bike and wasn’t restricted by time. It made our expedition feel like a day trip.
He embarrassed us further when we found out that he has spent the night in a tent at the top of the pass we just tried to cross. He had been travelling in the opposite direction to us and got caught at the top the previous night. He decided to pitch his tent and didn’t have any food or water. After a rough, freezing night, he then had to walk his bike and panniers separately through the snow to the side of the pass that we were. All in all it made our meagre ordeal look like a walk in the park.
With our egos well and truly dented we decided to carry on and made our way out of Ax-Les-Thermes via a more direct, but busy route. It turned out to be less busy than we anticipated, but it was still a long hard slog up through the mountains. We had some lunch at the side of the road after about 20 miles and then carried on until we reached a tunnel that cut through the mountains for 5 miles. We were feeling pretty tired at this point and decided to take the tunnel option and by-pass the remaining few miles to the top of the pass. Why we would want to do this I don’t know, but we were soon to have our plans changed for us.
We entered the tunnel with our lights on and started to pedal quickly to get through as fast as possible. There were some warning signs flashing up on the signs in the tunnel that said something like ‘attention cyclists’. I don’t know exactly what it said, but at the time we thought that we had been spotted on the cameras and they were giving us a helping hand. After all the French are so accommodating to cyclists. Then a highways agency van pulled up next to us and told us to stop. He explained to Mike that we weren’t aloud to cycle in the tunnel and that we would have to put our bikes in his van and he would take us to the other side. I admit that Rich and I thought this sounded good and didn’t have any complaints, but Mike wasn’t having none of it and I thank him for this now. Mike explained that he wanted to be dropped where we started, and that he would carry on over the mountain pass. Rich and I moaned for a bit, but soon realised that we wouldn’t be doing it properly if we did hitch a ride. We wouldn’t have been able to say that we cycled all the way. Also, we wouldn’t have conquered the mountain pass that we now faced.
We carried on up the mountain and I looked behind to see that there were thick snow clouds heading quickly our way. This day was turning out to be quite a challenge.
The clouds soon got to us and the snow fell heavily. I thought that we couldn’t be too far from the top, but we couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of us. I also couldn’t see any of the others and just put my head down and kept the pedals turning.
We eventually made it to the top of the Col de Puymorens, a mountain pass that stands at 1915 metres and felt really relieved and excited. We asked a chap that had pulled over in his car in a lay by to take a picture for us and then carried on down the other side. This descent wasn’t as cold the one we had encountered in the morning but it was still pretty chilly, and lasted 15 miles. It was a great experience though and once the snow cleared the views were amazing. We kept descending and the mountain views became more vast and we knew now that we were looking into Spain.
We went through a couple of small towns and then finally reached the border and a sign saying ‘Espana’. It was awesome to think that we had cycled from the top to bottom of France. We checked into a hotel in Puigcerda and it felt great to have a hot shower. We then spent the night reflecting on how eventful the day had been. The farts were also still in full force.
15 April 2008
Day 13: Puigcerda - Vic
Distance: 66 miles
Total miles covered: 802 miles
We woke up early and went down to have breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The chap that owned the hotel was an ex Olympic skier and there were pictures of him all over the place.
As soon as we left the hotel we dropped about 100 metres and then started to climb La Collada de Toses, a 1800 metre pass in the Spanish Pyrenees. At the foot of the climb we were at 1100 metres so this obviously meant that we faced a 700 metre climb. The weather was really nice and although it was fresh, it was no where near as cold as the previous day. The climbing was also much more gradual. As we wound our way around the hairpin bends the views were amazing. At one point I looked down to my right and the drop below was pretty scary. The roads were traffic free though apart from the odd car or truck and the cycling was really good.
Once we reached the top we togged up, took a few photos and then started our descent. The roads were dry and it was great fun swooping round the hair pins. You do have to be careful going fast on these sort of bikes with all the weight on them. They have a tendency to wobble at high speed and feel like they’re going to throw you off. At one point a lycra clad roadie came whizzing by at twice our speed and I knew then that I was going to buy a road bike when I got home.
We had lunch in a town called Ribes at the foot of the mountains, and the carried on towards Vic on the main road to Barcelona. The road was busy with lots of short tunnels and wasn’t pleasant to cycle on. At this stage I was a little gutted that we had left the Pyrenees. I could have spent two weeks exploring them alone.
We left the main road as soon as possible and took a road that we thought would be a lot less busy. It wasn’t. The traffic was awful and all the towns we passed through were shabby and smelt of sewage. I didn’t think this part of Spain would be like this.
We got to Vic at around 4pm and had a bit of a nightmare finding a hotel. We eventually found somewhere next to Vic’s main hospital. We stocked up on food and chilled out in the room for the evening. It really is good to just do nothing when you’ve used up so many calories. Barcelona is now very close!
16 April 2008
Day 14: Vic - Matáro
Distance: 54 miles
Total miles covered: 856 miles
We left Vic nice and early in chilly, hazy conditions. We managed to navigate our way out relatively easy considering how big Vic is, and soon found ourselves in the Spanish countryside. We thought that we had encountered all of the big climbs that this trip was going to throw at us, but we were very mistaken. We assumed that as we were now out the Pyrenees the terrain would be a lot flatter.
We ended up climbing for miles and soon had magnificent views across North East Spain. To the rear of us we could see where we had come through the Pyrenees and it felt awesome. At one stage there was a particularly steep climb and we all went down to 1st gear. In the road ahead we could see two angry looking dogs, and I was worried that if they wanted some action, we wouldn't be able to out-run them. Luckily though they were both actually very friendly and followed us up the road for a couple of miles.
Once we had reached the top of the climb we stopped for a bit to take it all in and fuel up on snacks and drinks. We then headed down about 10 miles of switch-backs. These switch-backs were my favourite of the trip as the road surface was particularly smooth and I felt like I handled them really well. We passed a few cycle teams that were being followed by support cars. I assume they were professional teams and probably training for the forthcoming season.
We decided to head for a coastal town called Motáro about 30 miles from Barcelona, and knew now that the hills were definitely behind us. We arrived at Motáro early afternoon and checked into a hostal. We would have completed the trip to Barcelona on this day, but our friends and family were flying out the following day and we didn't want to arrive before them.
We checked into a hostal and then had a look around. Motáro is a big costal town that reminded me of a Spanish version of Brighton. In the evening we went out and had a few beers (as the job was nearly done) and I ended up getting a little pissed. We had some great Tapas and the beer tasted real good.
17 April 2008
Day 15: Matáro - Barcelona
Distance: 25 miles
Total miles covered: 881 miles
As this was the last day of our journey and we didn't have a massive amount of miles to cover, we decided to stay in bed for a little longer. After breakfast we gathered our things and set out. The owner of the hostal advised us not to take the main road into Barcelona from Matáro as it was a very busy route, but any other route would have doubled the distance. We took our chances and I must admit that it was a real pig of a road, not helped by the fact it was pissing down when we cycled it. We got absolutely drenched and it wasn't an enjoyable experience. We got to Badelona, which is about 5 miles from Barcelona and got stuck in rush hour traffic. I was desperate for a piss and ended up going at the roadside. I couldn't have cared less what anyone thought - we were pretty pissed off at this point. We took a route through some docklands into Bacrcelona and then continued up a road called the Avenguda Diaganol that runs right through the city. It was really hammering down now and the road seemed to go on forever. We had entered the city to the east and the Nou Camp is situated on the outskirts to the west. We kept going and eventually found our way to the Nou Camp. Our journey now finally complete.
We didn't feel as elated as we thought we would though, and I think this was down to the fact that we were soaked and cold and the was no welcome party waiting for us. Our friends and family had flown into Barcelona that morning, but hadn't managed to get to the Nou Camp before us. We waited around for about 45 mins before they all finally arrived. It was great to see them, especially Kate who I had really missed, and our moods soon lightened.
The end of this blog may sound a little negative, but overall the trip was amazing and I can't wait for us to plot the next expedition. We stayed in Barcelona for 3 days and completely ruined our new found fitness by celebrating way too much! We also explored the city and visited all of the major landmarks, including La Sagrada Familia desgined by the famous artist/architect Gaudi. It's an amazing city full of culture and it felt like a true achievement to have cycled there from our home town.
