The big one

I’m not sure I’m going to make it, unless the kids start pedalling.

We’re about to start climbing the Col de Ibaneta and already it is truly a struggle. Even our 3000 metres of hill climbing “training” along the coast from Bilbao has not really prepared us for this. It’s relentless and we’re on fully loaded tandems with kids as stokers. What are we doing?

Last night a mighty thunderstorm tried to warn us off, then a road traffic accident at the bottom of the mountain signalled doom: perhaps we need to pay more attention to these signs? Time now to rest, eat and drink before the climb continues.