Sarria to Palas de Rei.

The day started much as any other day, but little did we know the excitement to come. My compatriot set off cycling with the group, and I was relegated to the van for the first 11k due to the leader worrying that with my wheezing chest I might expire on this long climb. I was transported to a cafe to await the groups arrival so it was not all bad, except for the fact that they had never heard of a bacon, sausage and egg sandwich.

After the coffee stop I then joined the group to wheeze my way towards the lunch stop. Lunch was in a village where the church had been moved to the top of the hill to make way for a reservoir, and then a new modern village was built around it.

On this journey Martin who was in front of me, found that his bike chain was firmly knotted round the gears. I looked at it and worked out the manoeuvre that was needed to free it. Then stupidly I got my hands covered in grease while doing said manoeuvre. I thought that was my good deed for the day done.

While doing our running repair to Martin’s bike a coach driver stopped to ask if we were okay. He waited until he saw the wheel turn freely, then on seeing our hands covered in grease becond us to the side of the coach where he had hand cleaner and water. He was also a cyclist and proudly showed us a picture of his expensive bike.

We continued to lunch. Then my compatriot and I were put in the bus for a lift out of the valley to another roadside cafe, for safety reasons you will understand, or it may be because we are too slow for this very fast group. We then joined them again on a very gravelly off road section which we shared with the walkers. On coming round a corner we found a member of the group laying on the ground having skidded and fallen of her bike. A van driver who was coming in the opposite direction phoned for an ambulance which arrived quickly, followed by the police. Other than road rash there were no obvious injuries, but as she was in great pain she went off in the ambulance for a check up. The police kindly took her bike in their van to our overnight accommodation. Fortunately there was nothing broken and she was just badly bruised and she was discharged in the evening.

We then proceeded to join the rest of the group, who had been waiting a couple of kilometres further on. Once we were all together again we went to our overnight accommodation which was about 1k out of town. This was a log cabin complex but unfortunately the bar and restaurant had burned down. We had a beer served from a tent, then walked into town to find somthing to eat.