Day 2 - Laredo to Galdakao

Distance cycled 48 miles.

We really must learn some Spanish.
Before relating this next bit, I must explain that Rob and his wife, Gill, are real foodies and make some fabulous dishes. Anyone who has dined with them will appreciate that they love good food, cooked well, with wines to match.

Anyway, last night, after waiting until 9pm to eat, we opted for the Menu del Dia (Menu of the Day) at 14 euros including wine, bottled water and coffee. You can't argue with the price and we were really looking forward to it. The only downside was that the menu wasn't written down where we could consider what the description looked like, but was described in very rapid Spanish by the waiter, whilst we nodded sagely in all the right places, looking as though we understood every word and were carefully considering our options. However, we didn't!

Nevertheless, we chose and the food arrived.
Our starter was a nice mixed salad, topped off with hard boiled eggs. I must admit that I hadn't known that Rob HATES hard boiled eggs with a vengeance (as much as Indiana Jones hates snakes!)
Then, after a main course that we both thought was beef, turned out to be fish, (really, red wine and fish are OK together!), I ordered a dessert tart which was a very nice cream and sponge affair and Rob, having guessed at his dessert from the sound of the descriptions given by the waiter, ........ found that he'd ordered a choc-ice lolly on a stick, delivered in its wrapper. Fine dining this wasn't! His face, when this was unceremoniously dumped on the table, was such a picture that I'm ashamed to say that that opened the floodgates and I almost dissolved in laughter for the next 10 minutes ...... and I'm in tears as I type this and every time I proof-read it.

Anyway, we had great fun. We had earlier realised that we hadn't eaten since breakfast on the ferry in Santander and, knowing how late the Spanish have their evening meal, we had found a little bodega, near the hotel, where we had chorizo tapas and beer to tide us over.

The hotel Las Ruedas (in Treto) that we stayed at didn't disappoint. It had everything that we needed and was comfortable and at 55 euros for the 2 of us, B and B, it was great value.

We had a good breakfast (bread rolls, croissants, fresh orange juice and coffee) and were on the road again by 9am.
The weather was cool (thanks, Gareth, for telling us that it's 25C back home) but at least they were good cycling conditions. We had light rain until mid-afternoon (yes, I know, I don't do rain and I swear the bike made some odd noises along the lines "Have I been sold to someone else?) although it was 19C. By mid afternoon, the sun had come out and it had reached 27.

Today we really hit the hills, no, I mean mountains. Serious long climbs. (Beware hairpin bends on Spanish maps) We knew that today was going to be tough and it didn't disappoint. The respites came when we'd reached the summits and often had descents of several miles - really. My Cateye bar end mirrors were brilliant because I could check for traffic behind before swinging to the middle of the road to take a downhill bend. They do tend to fold back at speeds over 80 km per hour though (only joking, Mum). My maximum descent speed was 34 mph on a 10 per cent.........then we had 2 uphill 10 per centers, soon after!

The scenery was stunning and the photos we've taken don't do justice. The roads were relatively quiet until Castro Urdiales, which is west of Bilbao. We reached the outskirts of Bilbao at 2pm, the centre at 3 and we decided to go through to the other side so that tomorrow we start against the incoming rush hour traffic. So by 4.30 we had found a lovely hotel, twin room B and B for 82€. It's the Iraragorri at Galdakao, several miles east of Bilbao. Today's mileage was 12 miles more than we thought it would be, with most of the extra of our choosing in order to get a head start tomorrow.

Physically, we were both comfortable at 2pm after 30 odd miles, I started to flag a bit by 3pm and we were both happy to finish by 4.30 after 5 solid hours of cycling plus stops. Nevertheless, whenever times got tough I just thought of Rob's face when the lolly arrived last night ........ and usually had to pull in to regain my composure!

Don't tell Rob but I have immense respect for him after today. His bike gearing is not as low as mine and yet he kept going when I know I would have seriously struggled. His core fitness and attitude are just brilliant and he is a great companion to cycle with. It's just his Spanish which is rubbish!

Despite the additional weight on the bikes from the rear panniers and the hilly route, our average speed of 10 to 11mph has been higher than expected by the viamichelin.co.uk site, which bases its time and mileage assessments on just under 9mph. Our speed might not sound much better, but when you're lugging around 30 odd lbs of kit, including the panniers themselves, it's encouraging.

One thing that I have found, when I get on the bike at the start of each day, is a strange sensation that the front wheel is wobbling. I've invariably stopped to ensure that nothing needs tightening and the feeling goes after a few hundred yards. I'm now putting it down to the weight difference between the front and rear of the bike.
Rob has a slightly different experience and gets a slight "shimmy" at speedy descents so keeps it under control by just dabbing on the brakes a little more.

Thanks again for the further comments and encouragement. Please keep them coming.

Photos:
The view at around 9.30 after we'd climbed out of Laredo.
Rob going up another long winding climb at around noon.
Monopolising a bus shelter at around 1pm, as Rob kept in touch with work.