Feeling the Heat

We have coped with many things in the past week. Hills are hard, we can do them. But heat and hills. That’s a killer.

Who turned up the heat?

The ride along the coast has been much harder than we anticipated. Full of pointless hills. You know the kind that make you climb 100m of vertical only to give you 100m of descent in return but without giving you so much as a view to look forward to or relish at the top. Still, we can cope with that. We can choose different routes, well sometimes. And our legs are getting stronger. As long as we take our time we can make it up almost anything, even if the kids have to get out and push.

The heat seems different though. It’s been hot all week but someone really turned up the heat today. It was 36 degrees C at 8pm when we finally rolled into San Sebastian after managing just 34km. Kirstie added to the fun by racing ahead and almost joining a major motorway, requiring the rest of us to sprint after her uphill in the suffocating heat to warn her of impending doom.

Let’s just say a few choice words were screamed over traffic noise in the heat of the moment but we are all friends again now. Sweaty friends.

Mad dogs and Englishmen?

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. Well, we’ll have to see about that. I have to admit we’ve lived up to that so far. But it can’t go on, not in temperatures like this. And not with the kids. Maybe there is a logic to the Spanish siesta. I’m sure we will adapt to the heat but it will probably mean we have to adjust our riding style. The idea of additional drinks and ice creams is certainly going down well.  But even with that it’s clear something more will have to change or we’re likely to expire in the midday sun.