Molinaseca to O Cebreiro.

Today starts with an early breakfast. I suggest to Alphonso that I am the back marker today so I can travel at my own pace. The first 53k are undulating, and the last 7k is a long very steep hill.

When they say undulating it sounds a pleasant description of the day. When you ride it on a bike it just means you are always on a hill, and strangly you seem to be riding up more than down.

Coffee was taken by a Knights Templar castle as modelled by my able compatriot.

Lunch is taken by an interesting house with air-conditioning taken to the extreme. Half the house was open with the TV and everything else still in place.

At lunch we were informed that 7k from the end we would have three options. 1 ride up the hill and when you can go no further walk pushing the bike. 2 walk through a meandering tree lined path. 3 get in the van. The group split. Half cycled (not me and my compatriot). Half took the walk option which we found had been miss sold. It had very few trees, was dusty with 27° sunshine and was uphill all the way. We slogged along in cycling gear with just the water bottles off the bikes, filling them at water fountains.

At 2k’s from the end we met the road and found a bar. I started to look on my Uber App for a lift. We met at the bar with Melissa and Fabio who had come from Canada and 4 days in were still waiting for their luggage to catch up. We sat eating an ice cream and drinking a lemon drink and as Uber were not playing and I was about to go in the bar to ask them to call a taxi when the support van turned up. I accepted a lift to the end but my compatriot, led by Melissa and Fabio, bravely, or stupidly continued. I did the important task of having 3 beers ready for their arrival at the finish for the day.