"I left Ribadeo at 9am and headed up the Estuary. My plan was to leave the coast because of the relentless wind.I stopped to take photos of Castropol, the town across the water. It wasn't raining, just very windy even though the sky was very dark in places."
Grant- Voice note
And so begins another day of fighting the elements and cycling to Lugo!
At Porto da Baixa, Grant left the Estuary and headed West towards Lugo following the river- a really scenic part of the world.
Here the climb started, and when Grant reached Foxas he stopped to record a short video to relate to us what the scenery and weather conditions were like on top of the hill with the beautiful valley with it's flowing river down below.
At this point another cyclist rode up next to Grant, stopped and introduced himself as Fernando, the Mayor of Ribadeo. They shared their contact details and Fernando told Grant to look him up as he was really the Mayor...he wasn't joking! They posed for a selfie and he headed off.
Within ten minutes it started to drizzle and the wind picked up substantially, being in the mountains afforded Grant some shelter from the wind in some areas but the rain was continuous and after passing Mina, Crazybikeguy was exhausted, hungry and very wet.
He had swapped his normal cycling gloves for his ski gloves in the hope that they would provide better insulation against the cold, but the gloves were wet through.
He stopped at a roadside eating house - there wasn't anyone who spoke English when he asked for a drink and something to eat, so he took out his mobile and used Google Translate to try and communicate with the woman who was serving at the counter.
She in turn walked up to Grant and showed him the door and told him to get out!
He had no choice but to return to the pouring rain.
" I was very angry.I have never been treated so badly, especially in Spain! To add to this the rain was now coming down is sheets - it was just crazy. It carried on unabated until I
reached the 93 km mark and finally reached Lugo."
Grant- voice note
After trying in various places to find a room, he finally found a Pension.
The lady at the counter took one look at Grant and his blue lips and all she said was " Cafe?"
At this point he had no feeling in his fingers or feet so a hot coffee was very welcome.
Two hours later the rain stopped and by this time Grant had warmed up and managed to wash his clothes and hang them up on a makeshift line in his room to dry.
It rained most of the night.
When I spoke with him during the day, he had taken shelter under a bridge for a bit to try and get out of the pelting rain and he sounded so frustrated. The weather has been a constant challenge and I thought that this day in particular tested him to the limits.
Yet, he got up the next day and got on his bike and headed for the next destination on the planned route.....Santiago De Compostella.
Grit : in psychology, is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual's perseverance of effort combined with the passion for a particular long term goal or end state.
I would say Crazybikeguy has a fair dose of GRIT!
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The journey you have undertaken is epic. I'm so sorry that this woman in the cafe was so dismissive of you. A hard pil to swallow when you've had a tough ride. You are doing this to create change for people who have many challenges too.
Soon you will be with your amazing family. Safe journey x
Flip... that Spanish 'tannie' is lucky you're a gentleman! Rude cow!! That's when you should've called the Mayor of Ribadeo and set him on to her... lol. I can imagine how terribly frustrating the wild weather must be, but as Liz says, you have true GRIT!! Breathtaking scenery and photos (uhmmm... you were pretty high up there in your podcast!). Looking rough and ready for anything, my friend. Cycle safely in the horrible weather, and keep up the good spirits by enjoying the views from your saddle (not sure how much you can see through pelting sheets of rain & thunderstorms, but you get the idea). Hoping madly that the weather improves by the time you reach Porto so that…
It is a very special journey that you're on and your determination through some tough times is inspiring...keep going!