After the VINCE 2021 we planned to stay in the same area and ride more of the trails and even re-ride some of the ones we had already done. When concentrating on navigation and finding checkpoints (CPs) there is no time to stop and take pictures or admire the view so this was an opportunity to do just that. The original intention was to do “van camping” – camping under the awning of Dougie’s van, but the awning got damaged by the storm during the VINCE and was not useable. In addition the unsettled weather was set to continue and being under canvas didn’t seem like a good idea. Fortunately the camp site where I had booked us in with the the van had some log cabins and we were able to book one of those for the week.
I went out for a run to explore a trail that we had used on the VINCE and which came right past the campsite and then up into the mountains. I was rather shocked to discover the sheer drop off from the side of the trail which we hadn’t noticed when riding the route, see the video…
With plenty of free time we were able to explore the trails at our leisure and even had time to take some pictures…
My bike ran perfectly for the whole trip, but Dougie had a few issues with his Freeride. He noticed a small amount of play in the rear wheel and decided to change the wheel bearings. This could have been a tricky job to do on a campsite, but he’s done it before and carries spares in the van (mobile workshop) – it only took him 30 mins to change them !
There were several other people we knew competing in the VINCE, but most had left after the event. Nigel and David stayed on for a few days and had the same idea as us (but staying at a different location), so we met up with them for a ride one day…
It was at this picnic stop that I picked up my only injury of the trip… A small herd of cows with loud clanking bells came wandering over, but one of them was a huge bull… and I was wearing a red T shirt. I was doing something on my phone and didn’t notice the bull making its way towards us, nor did I realise that the other guys had scrambled over the low wall out of harms way. I tried to make my escape by leaping over the wall, but slipped and banged my shin on a rock. Ouch ! Even though I was wearing motorbike boots my shin swelled up and was very painful…
The weather was looking threatening so we decided to head back to a nearby village for a coffee and just as we arrived the heavens opened. We sat ouside under an awning watching the downpour and contemplating the long ride back to the camp site (24 Km). We were very glad we were staying in a warm log cabin and not a tent…
The rain eased off slightly and we headed for home. I didn’t realsie until I got back that the rain had shorted out my phone USB charger and melted the plastic connector…
The next day I went out to find a new lead and fix the problem…
On another ride we came across a surprising sight up in the hills and miles from anywhere – a Gaudi building…
What we did see on a number of the trails were mountain refuges. These are available to provide shelter to travellers and in bad weather would be a welcome respite compared to the camping alternative…
And that was it… After a week of free trail riding and soaking up the views (and not a little of the rain), it was time to pack up and move on to our next scheduled event – the Mondo…
Coming next – the Mondo !
PS. I forgot to add the pic of one of the times I dropped my bike, so here it is…
