I apologise for the lack of updates as time in Barcelona stressing about bike boxes coupled with having a good time has put back me updating the blog.
This excerpts are from Tom Arnold combined with the other guys renditions of what happened on the last few days of the ride.
Wednesday 18th August Quillan to Le Boulou
A dampener was put on an early morning start in Quillan with the news that Phil’s wallet had gone missing. After a while searching the rest of the team cracked on to leave the bike for life resident linguist to work his magic and try and resolve the situation. The morning’s riding took the team further into the depths of the Pyrenees and increasingly beautiful surroundings. The fresh morning sun soon rose over the hills and blazed down for the rest of the day making some of the considerable hills even more difficult. We made it to Le Boulou after a warm days work and enjoyed the swimming pool the campsite had to offer. Whilst enjoying the customary post ride beer, a very sweaty and penniless Phil rejoined the team. A big day awaited everyone with the Pyrenees and the Spanish border looming on the horizon.
Thursday 19th August Le Boulou to Girona
Another early morning start to escape the blistering ‘heat of the day’ took us into the midst of the Pyrenees. A stroke of logistical genius courtesy of Eddie Musson ensured that the Pyrenees offered surprisingly few challenges. After crossing the Spanish border and taking a pit stop, jubilant spirits filled the team, although this was now mixed with a cocktail of irritated truck drivers on the N-11 highway and the questionable aromas of the Spanish border towns in the midday sun. The team powered into Girona, the last major town before Barcelona and enjoyed a meal and a relax before deciding on a campsite for the night. The campsite was summed up by George Jennings as ‘the worst campsite in the world’. The mosquitos, hard ground and lofty prices were soon forgotten though as the swimming pool was taken over by the team for some tomfoolery. Further shenanigens followed as James Rudolph attempted to catch one of the roaming chickens to give George a welcome back from the shops in his tent. The team then settled down to a good nights sleep to prepare for tomorrows closing stages.
Friday 20th August Girona to Barcelona
After a brief stop for breakfast at a local bakery, which included Eddie Musson taking a pasting from the local baker who grabbed his belly to insinuate that Ed was perhaps carrying a bit too much timber to be a cyclist. Little did the baker know, he was addressing one of nine proud British Athlete’s who were now on the finishing stretch of an epic tour. After some slight route issues which had the team riding on some motorway-esque roads, they settled down to the final lunch at a supermarket. The satisfaction of knowing that this would be the last time the alleyway next to the local Lidl would be the teams dining option was great. However, the cycling gods were not on our side and appeared to have a particular bone to pick with Tom Bustard. The third puncture of the day sent him flying off the road on a steep hill, but he quickly recovered and after George unhelpfully applied some chaffage cream to his wounds and the team were up and going again. A quick stop off at the campsite we had chosen for the night and dumping of panniers left the team on course for their victory parade. With a mere 10 miles to go, poor luck turned into farce. After ten minutes of riding, James Rudolph picked up a sizeable puncture and with all the spare inner tubes back at the campsite, it was time for another pit stop. Fortunately this pit stop happened to be outside the local offy and a few victory shandies became the order of the day. Alex and Louis also pumped up the festival atmosphere with an extremely questionable Spain bandana and a whistle. The smooth victory ride failed to materialise and the ride into the city boundary brought further tests for the team. First came the fact that no one actually knew how to get into the city centre. Then came puncture number five as Louis’ bike which had made it so far despite the back wheel looking more square than round by this stage, finally gave in. Then Bustard’s ‘straw that broke the camels back’ moment came with puncture number six. However, after 1150 miles, the camaraderie in the team knew no bounds and in true ‘Cool Runnings’ fashion everyone dismounted and we carried our bikes the final mile to the finish line in Plaza del Catalunya. Euphoria swept through the team and the party began. Singing, dancing and all round riotous behaviour in the main square in Barcelona capped an epic journey. The team were joined by the two fallen soldiers, Stu and Tom and the party continued despite Stu’s bumbag. It had been a truly epic journey with many ups and downs, encapsulated in this last rigourous day where we had clocked up 90 miles. A big thank-you must go to everyone who has sponsored us and made the ride even more worthwhile in supporting the Sheffield Children’s hospital and for now, this is Bike for Life out.
