http://connect.garmin.com/activity/466636592
Distance = 86.66 miles
Time = 7hrs 44mins 38secs
Elevation Gain = 7244ft
Max Elevation = 3068 ft
Temp = 30.2 - 57.2 F
Calories = 4746
Day 2 and what a day -everything was well as I left San Sebastian but I was already 2 hours late waiting for yet another torrential downpour to stop. It did give me time to get a good breakfast today az I knew I needed plenty energy today.
Having left SS I was first running up the coast to Irun .. Or so I thought - the road firzt goes inland over a 1000 feet climb with great views of the pyrenees which this morning had snow on after yesterdays and overnight torrent.
I dropped down to Irun and stayed on the coast crossing intoFrance at Hendaye and at this point I lost all my maps on my Garmin as I only hVe Spain loaded to make matts worse I wanted to divert from my route as today was not a day to add 20 miles on to see Biarritz.
Next was another climb over to St Jean de Luz but I didnt mind as the coast here is spectacular - a massive sweep of a bay with huge waves pounding in from the Atlantic, but it was the coastline that I fond fascinating with huge folded layers of rocm jetting 3 -400 feet from the sea - beautiful.
Soon I was in St Jean and after I crossed the river I was pleased to find a sign for St Pee which sits on the first slopes of the Pyrenees and it would be the town where I picked up my route again - so a straight forward 12 miles without a map or route worked out welland I was in St Pee and time for a sandwich and some energy bars to get me up the mountains.
From St Pee after 6 miles I reached Spain and my maps started to work again - good news - the bad news was the first climb started, a brute of 1600 feet at a nasty gradient lasting 6 miles and after about 3 I found it pleasant there was snow by the road and after about an hour I reached the summit and did the next 10 miles in about 20 minutes !
I knew there was another mountain to cross but for some reon I thought it was similar height - It wasn't, it was a brute over 3000 metres - Yes I was about ro cycle over Helvellyn !!!
The gradient was even more tortuous and his time the climb was 10 miles at true Category 1 climb in the Pyrenees and there was I carrying 2 panniers .... Mad - and all along both climbs I never saw a single cyclist except the pratt.
After about 30 minutes and 1000 feet up the snowline returned again and I did wonder how bad the top would be, after about an hour I was about 1 mile away from the previous spot but had covered about 4 miles in hairpins and I was 2000 feet up and the snowline was now about 2 feet deep.
As I reached 2500 I heard a noise coming down the hill and a snow plough appeared round the corner ploughing my side of the road which wasnt much wider than the plough by now. I ran to the other edge and jumped off the road sinking miserably to my thighs in the snow drift.
I clambered out and as the final gradient steepened it started to snow for good measure and suddenly wow I wS at the top a mile before my Garmin indicated .... Wrong - a false top I still had 500 feet to go, a miserable wet horrible 500feet in the last mile of the clim.
When I did reach the summit the peaks dissapeared into cloud and the views although not complete due to the weather did show how high I was - I stripped off to put on as many layers as possible, 5 in total and then headed for a much desrved descent I would remember for long time or so I thought.
The plough came back and had another go at me, this time I stood my ground and he swerved past me un-nervingly close and at speed.The descent was not nice, the road was icy so I had to descend almost as slowly as I went up and by now everything around was frozen and white and my fingers were starting to develop frost bite and the 5 layers ... They weren't enough !
A very slow and painful descent which was dropping at a much much lower gradient prolonging the pain - After about a half hour I started to emerge from deep deep frozen wonderland and as the trees parted I reached a main road and headed towards Pamplona only 25 miles away now, I rodae along apst a massive lake with a massive dam at the far end which you were allowed to walk along so I did and took some photos. Time was now against me so I slogged out a fast 20 odd miles as it turned dusk and I reached the outzkirts of Pamplona before the dark arrived, in all honesty I only put my front light on for the last 3 miles in the City, the back had been on since the first climb.
And there I was at the Avenida Hotel with a very helpful receptionist who spoke English and even opened up the downstairs bar to keep my bike in as it isnt used anymore.
Off to my room and everything put on charge, all my clothes hung in front of the aircon ramped up to full to dry and probably the best shower I have ever had.
Off into town and there waz a dirth of bars or restaurants but I fell on my feet in a back lane I found a fantastic Pintxos Bar and as a bonus el Classico is on ( I didn't even know Real Madrid were playing Barcelkna tonight) and its a great game - current score is 3 - 3 with Real down to 10 men
Nice end to a tough day
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