I’m less than 100km from the border and 111km (ish) from the city of Andorra La Vella. Where I’ll stay a day or two before crossing the spine of the Pyrenees and head down into France. Until then I’m busying myself trying to find places to stay in Toulouse via couchsurfing. A friend I made in Amiens said that she had contact’s down here so I’ll attempt to see what I can see .

Aside that I biked up a mountain yesterday, strangely it wasn’t so bad, that sounds odd but seriously I was amazed how easy it was to travel up for 10km on 4-5% slopes. As long as you keep your pace no matter how slow that becomes you’ll eventually get there. I know that now, it’s not a problem the mountains don’t worry me any more, they are more a nuisance that’s stopping me from reaching France.

When I get to France I know it’ll be a shock, I know I’ll need to work hard, something very different to biking hard, I’ll have to study a lot, and it’ll be difficult. But I also know that the rewards will be great and the problems surmountable. Just like the mountains, I have to just keep going, eventually I’ll get there.

Well I’ve been pretty slow biking through Spain, had to replace my back tyre the other day was fortuitous enough to have an entire troupe of French cycle tourists turn up when I realised my glue had turned to putty for my puncture repair kit (damn lucky!). I then detoured to Siguenza which is a lovely little place with a huge castle.

Then a lovely bike ride to Guadalajara where I’m staying a few days before heading to Aranjuez where apparently there’s a campsite. I’m bypassing Madrid, having biked in London and Paris I know how much of a nightmare it is on a bike to enter and exit those things. I might in the future get a train from the outskirts into the central if it’s really messy. Anyhow I think I’ve gone through some of the hardest terrain so far, and I’ve succeeded, all that’s left now in my mind is Andorra after I do Gibraltar and Portugal, I will have the hardest challenge yet. After I do that… Everything and anything should be possible.

So while I’m here I’m buying maps and more camping gas (as mine ran out recently). Maps appear to be a rarity in Spain newsagents and bookstores don’t seem to have them and even petrol stations only had high grade (10km : 1cm) maps. I don’t want to be in the situation I was recently just following the names of towns and numbers written on a piece of paper with little clue as to the distances and terrain involved. It was.. Unpleasant.

This is brief as i only have a little battery, in a nutshell though. I got caught in in storms in Lekunberri (hail the size of peaches), but managed to make some great friends while up there. So regrets for being delayed. had a fantastic time, I then descended from Lekunberri down some amazing scenery finally to Olite. Met two English guys touring in a 4×4 around Spain, Dave and Pete, and after one night ascended to Agreda, which for those not in the know is essentially built on a cliff in the middle of the mountains. Hard.. Yes.. Just a little . Stayed in a hostel there, excellent prices considering how nice the place was. Also an excellent English speaking receptionist Sandra, who was incredibly helpful.

The real killer though is the heat, I don’t mind the sun but biking up mountains in it is pretty hardcore drank 9 litres of water on my way to Agreda. To say my body is cleansed is probably an understatement. It is definitely burned the sun is pretty unforgiving especially when you’re 950+ meters up.

Well got to go. When I have a proper moment I’ll write more. Suffice to say I’m alive and getting better all the time.

Hubris – noun

1. excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance.
2. believing that due to crossing France being easy mountains and northern Spain would be okay.

Mountain –noun

1. a natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2000 ft. (610m)
2. a big smegging chunk of rock that rises up to the Gods with numerous turns that make you think you’re nearly there and then lead to another large slope continuing up.
3. very, very beautiful, breathtaking chunks of rock though.

Okay so I underestimated the mountains, a lot, but on after a horrible day or two of self worry and concern ‘can I actually do this’ I’ve come out the other side and feel more confident, I may not go as far everyday but I ‘am’ getting up these mountains. Slowly but surely I’m feeling my legs and technique improve on the ups and the downs are really cool, also the views you get at the top of a rise are just.. Well for lack of a better word, amazing.

While I can understand people not wanting to emulate the incredibly sweaty biking around here. If you like camping then this place is awesome for hiking, I’m sure you could wild camp pretty much anywhere if you follow the hiking trails (permissible or not nobody is going to find you). Downsides are the roads can be pretty scary when you have no road space and a cliff to your left, minus a rail… But no accidents here, I’m being overly cautious with my beast of a bike.

Today was a bit of a washout for distance, I met two other cyclists and we took a side route as the tunnel was closed this turned into a marathon of pushing our bikes up an animal trail / hiking path to the summit of a mountain, we probably climbed about 400 meters with our bikes through paths two small for my panniers and angles of about 18%-19% in parts, but we succeeded. I’m now camping in a lovely place. Recovering now, taught me not to try off the beaten path unless ‘really’ certain it’s easier.

Still a great day, dissolved my fears of mountain roads and off distances I don’t need to go far just get to the next campsite, and keep that up ad infinitum. After all it’s not a race. Anyhow, I’m going back to my tent to chill out study French and Spanish and get an early night.

So in retrospect, nature wins, don’t get complacent about your own abilities, and take each day as it comes. Oh and be positive no matter how high the summit is, you’ll eventually find it if you keep trying .