Tuesday, July 10th 2012

RIDE Day 2

Day 2: Besalu, Spain to Ripoll, Spain.

Our alarm went off at a brutal 7am. The hotel owner had (grudgingly) put breakfast out for us and then I assume gone back to bed since no one in Spain is up at that hour under any circumstances. Croissants, hard boiled eggs, orange juice, and a thermos of stunningly strong coffee–perfect. The streets were silent and the air was cool and overcast, also perfect. Soon we were in farmlands again, no more diesel exhaust just the welcome scents of grass and horse manure. It was Sunday morning so there was hardly a car passing, just the occasional cow looking up from its grazing. There were a few hills but the first 2 1/2 hours were relatively flat, until we arrived at what Gabriel had warned me about: “the big hill at the end.” Really it was kind of a mountain and actually it wasn’t the end and as it started it reminded me of Latigo Canyon in Malibu where I’d been training. But it was like facing Latigo after riding decently hard for 2 1/2 hours– something I hadn’t trained for. Let’s just say it was slow going. And now the terrain turned to deep green forest on either side, no sun at all and the air mercifully cool and damp. I had my bike on the lowest possible gear. Then in the road ahead of me I saw this piece of tree bark but it looked like it was moving and I thought that’s it, I’m hallucinating now… As we got closer I saw what it was: the biggest beetle I’ve ever seen–I swear to God– crossing the road. Like as big as my hand. “What the fuck is THAT?” They were the first words I’d said in over an hour as my bike swerved around it. I would have stopped to take a picture of it but I thought if I get off the bike now and lose whatever feeble momentum I’ve got going I’ll never get back on. “Its that type of beetle that Leonardo Da Vinci drew” Gabriel looked over his shoulder and informed me. Whatever. It was a big M-Fing beetle.

At some point we stopped to take a break. I peed in the woods (handy pocket kleenex!) and Gabriel made me suck down one of his energy packets. I don’t normally go in for those but I was dying. The packet claimed it was chocolate flavored and boasted “2 x Caffeine!” but the first ingredient was malodextrin (whatever that is exactly). I really didn’t want it but Gabriel made me. It was a carmel-textured goo that was so sweet I could hardly get it down, but man, you do feel the instant sugar charge. In retrospect, without it I probably wouldn’t have gotten up that mountain. A half hour later we took another break and as I stumbled drunkenly off my bike and lay down on the side of the road I thought: “why am I so dizzy?” Later of course I realized: ah yes, the altitude. Didn’t train for that either. Oops. The mountain kept going up and up I don’t know for how long but just at the point where I really thought I couldn’t go anymore, the road miraculously flattened and we got some relief, even a little downhill. A few minutes of whizzing under the damp green canopy and then suddenly, without any warning, the road opened up into a beautiful grassy valley. The sun was shining through the clouds and coloring the landscape and everything was sparkling. The change was so drastic and full of light that I actually had one tiny second of thinking: “Did I just die on that mountain and now I’m in heaven?” The next hour or so was valleys of farmlands dotted with tiny villages and the ride was flat and fast with the wind in our faces. I was tired though, I knew I was, but the scenery was a wonderful distraction. At one point we rode by some little boys playing soccer in a field and when they saw the Spanish flags on our bikes they pumped their fists in the air: “ESPANA!” Their encouragement inspired me through the next few miles. Finally we saw a sign for Ripoll: 13 Kilometers. What’s that? 6-7 miles? That’s nothing, I thought. I used to run 6 miles back when my knees were up to it. Piece of cake, we’re almost there. And then it never, ever ended. It was the longest 6 miles in history. And then finally it did end and we were at the hotel. I could barely speak to check in. This hotel was nicer than the last one, we could tell already, and a pretty young lady with a mole on her eyelid took us up to our room and explained all the amenities in Spanish as Gabriel spoke to her and I nodded blankly. When she was done she offered her hand and introduced herself. I shook her hand and excused myself, I don’t know why: “Perdona, estoy cansada.” “Puedo ver.” She answered. (“I can see.”) She held my hand, looked me in the eyes, and said it so sweetly that I started to cry a little bit and had to suck it back in. When she left the room I sat on the bed and I did cry a little, and then I laughed a little, and Gabriel helped me pull off my sweaty clothes. At that point, I think it was more than understood between us that I would be taking the first shower. And guess what? It was HOT! With lots of pressure. And it had one of the hand held things so you could go back and forth between that and the overhead. I scrubbed off the bicycle grease and the sweat and the sunscreen and finally washed my hair which had been feeling like the bottom of a deep fryer for days until it squeaked clean. Best shower I’ve ever had.

We had lunch at the hotel: gazpacho and filet mignon. Food also had never tasted better to me. Flan covered in honey for dessert and then Gabriel who previously had said: “Honestly, the ride wasn’t that hard for me, Baby” suddenly had an overwhelming urge to take a nap, which he did while I polished off his dessert. Later we got on the bikes again, just in street clothes, and rode into Ripoll which was a couple miles from the hotel. That village was not as cute as Besalu, the weather was getting cold and windy, and my body was screaming at me for getting back on the bike so soon. It wasn’t my legs that were aching so much, it was everything else: my back, my arms, my wrists that had gone tingly and numb during the ride. That night I told Gabriel I was worried about tomorrow. I was aching all over. On top of that the weather forecast said 81% chance of rain, and Gabriel bit his lip and mumbled that the next day’s ride was also a hard one. We were both worried. We popped Advils, lay in bed watching the news, and went to sleep early again.