Tuesday 30th June Vigo to Marinhas (“A bicycle ride around the world begins with a single pedal stroke. Scott Stoll ” Bingo completes his circumnavigation around the world)
With the ammonia induced sleep last night, woke up a bit bleary-eyed, but got through the night so that was the main thing, Bingo was concerned that we would all sleep through another ammonia leak and wake up dead! How can you do that, but fair play it’s not good stuff to breathe in, especially for conditioned athletes.

Breakfast done in the normal crunchy silent way, both know we have a massive climb to start with, six miles with some stupid gradients, best get my power thighs and calves ready, sure we both have an excuse ready, “my chest is not right must me the ammonia”, sure if I say the Bingo will just say, just pedal, if you want something to moan about I will give it to you, it’s always better to not say it.

Anyway off we go, little warm up around the city centre of Vigo, just because we did not have a clue where we were going, that must be the road, looks like it’s vertical to me. Get the trusty Surly in gear and pedal baby pedal, yep it’s a tough one, but these bike just keep going, onwards and upwards, up in the atmosphere up where the birds sing or something like that. Mate the first bit in the city was mad, but we inched our way up it, with a lot of encouragement from the locals giving us a wave and cheer, then thinking they must be English!

Took us a while to get to the top, from my reckoning it felt like 3 weeks, bit shorter but all in all one little tough one conquered, and still early in the morning. Just when we thought that’s great now the downhill, probably one of the worst downhills I have ever done, b*** vertical, even Bingo said down there, it’s like going over a cliff, squeezing on the brakes as if my life depends on it, every muscle straining to stop the runaway Surly, so glad when we got on the normal roads, both a bit weary stopped in a makeshift cafe at the start of another Camino de Santiago section by Capela da Virxe do Camiño (Chapel of the Virgin of the Way), once again the place was heaving with walkers, nice little chat with a few of them, fair play they all take it pretty seriously, then Bingo Black cats them stay sure we have come all the way from “Canterbury”.

Soon on our way again, getting close to the Portuguese border now, passports ready as we cross the Rio Minho, the natural border inbetween Spain and Portugal, little gentle climb as we went over the rickety old bridge into Valença Portugal, then hugged the river for the next twenty miles, great riding, you always reap what you sow, hard work this morning, then flat empty cycle tracks for twenty miles, loving it.

I called a stop pretty early, after we came off the track, basically not had a beer in Portugal for nigh on 40 yrs, soon made up for that, sat outside in a park with a cold one how good is that. All refreshed on we go, flat roads, tail wind we are flying cranking the bike up to max speed, my little legs can’t keep up with it, so good to enjoy the nice easy bits, shirts flapping in the wind, Snowdown Colliery Welfare Rugby Club badge dancing down the road, like it owns it, then low and behold, we gain an extra hour, where did that come from. Never knew there was a time difference in between Spain and Portugal, but it seems that way, how my mind works, could have had another beer then, sure we will sooner or later.

We smash the last 40 miles, easiest bit so far, but good to make the most of it, as we cruised into Marinhas, always a little refreshment stop a few miles out, little drink then get ready for the final push, in this instance just down the road, booked into a quirky surfer place again, but full of walkers on the trail.

Great day after a tough start.