Day 2 – Recovery

14 December 2021

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu

Thick fog overnight. Everything is wet.

My arse is saddle sore. My legs fine.

Throat still a problem. Only because this typically leads to a cold.

Awake at 6.30am. Warm in the tent. Freezing when I went to the toilet at 2.00 am.

We lay in and chat about the coming day. I have set an over-optimistic plan. It cannot be repeated day after day. Not until we have our riding legs under us. Komoot tells me it was a Difficult/Expert ride. The next three days are the same. Must read the fine print.

We chat to Barry. His surgery went well. Discussed the previous day and what we might change today. He said the following-

‘You probably don’t want to hear my advice, but I am going to give it. You have six months in Europe. Don’t flog yourself every day. Take your time and build your endurance. Enjoy yourselves.’

Wise words. As always.

I get up with the sun. Daylight. 7.15 am. The sun does not come over the mountain until 9.00 am. Everything is ice. The tent was warm. It got down to -3C last night.

Breakfast. Porridge. No honey. Frozen.

Last night I lost the cap to the MSR fuel canister. I was worried about it all night. Special cap. Can’t replace it with something else.

Found it. Relief.

We wait for the sun to hit the tent and dry it out. Shell emerges like a reverse vampire. Decide on a quick ride and a recovery day.

We break camp. Pack the bikes and head off. I feel fine on the bike. Hardly a test when you are only going 7 km.

We arrive. It is a nice place. Vallbona d’Anoia.

Exhaustion hits around 12.00 pm. It was waiting. Sensing that effort on effort was not happening, it kicked. Lunch. Wine. Crash. Sleep for hours.

My cold feels worse. I was warmer in the tent than I am in this room. I can’t seem to regulate my temperature. Shell is sick. The runs. Vomiting.

It is now 6.00 pm. I need more sleep. Shell is on the toilet. I have not planned tomorrow.

We might never get to Logroño.