Experience has shown that certain days on the bikes have something special to offer... Death Valley did it for us all in the USA last year and the ride to Andorra from Biarritz through the Pyrenees will similarly be etched in the little grey cells for a long time. With Pete's remodelled front wheel in need of a bit of a test we left Biarritz for lunch at Lourdes which was a very pleasant run into the foothills through countryside which seems much more appealing on the eye the further south we get. Northern France is ok but is largely flat and featureless. The same cannot be said for the south, however. We stopped for lunch at Lourdes sitting outside in 34C heat which is probably why Tony then did the most unusual thing... Lourdes is the place you go for the healing powers of its thermal spa. We wanted to get Reidy here particularly for a crack at any number of ailments but he'd buggered off earlier in the day. In an act of true good hearted human spirit, and completely out of character, Tony sped off on foot in pursuit of an elderly chap who'd left his wallet on his chair. The old guy, after realising that he wasn't about to get mugged by a sweaty oik in bike leathers, praised the heavens for this display of honesty and kindness and went on his way. What he probably doesn't know is that St Anthony had already had a crafty flick through the contents and had deduced that there weren't enough 50 euro notes in it to be worth keeping.
The ride to Andorra from there was breathtaking, in more ways than one. 150 miles of the tightest mountain roads through completely green deserted ski resorts and witnessing some absolutely stunning scenery. This was as good as it gets on two wheels and by the time we arrived in Andorra having traversed from France into Spain along the way, we were both exhilarated... and knackered. Needless to say, the night out which followed was a shortish one aided by 'closed' signs virtually everywhere by 11pm. 
No comments:
Post a Comment