Recap from the previous episode:
I joined Món in his challenge to do a ride from his current home and his hometown village, Cambil. A 425km and close to 4000m D+ ride. We called it LaMónCambil®. In the middle of the night, we got struck by a thunder/hail storm and after fighting the apocalyptic weather conditions for hours we found ourselves at 2AM on the side of the road, freezing, a little scared, and reassessing if we should abort the challenge.
Checking our phones we identified a lousy hotel 17 km away. That would do it. We decided to wait there until the thunder/hail storm passed. It took us another hour to ride those 17 km.
I would like to be able to describe to you the face of the concierge when he saw us totally soaked at the entrance of the hotel at 3AM, but for once I am out of words. Given my chronic verbal diarrhea, you can see just how severe the situation was.
Món and I agreed we would have a shower, rest for two hours, and meet back in the lobby to decide if we would continue the adventure or not. I think neither of us really believed we would start again. We looked like zombies.
Nevertheless, at 7AM the sky was blue, and we decided to give it a shot. To start pedaling again and see what happened. We did not think about anything else other than the next hour.
Gaining Back Some Hope and Then Blackout
My legs were hurting, but warming up little by little we finally reached that cruise ship speed of 30 km/h we were supposed to maintain in the flats. We became slightly more optimistic.
Around 10AM, very suddenly and without prior notice, my legs decided to go on strike. It was the first time ever I felt my legs were cotton-made, unable to pull more than 140w. I went down big big time. Massive black-hole feeling. I guess it was the consequence of all the emotional hazards of the night. The body clearly said stop. If during the night Món was the one in worse shape, it was now my turn to raise a white flag being ready to abort.
We stopped at a cafeteria. In a desperate move to regain some energy I ate some cookies called Filipinos. They are absolutely awful however they are super sweet and, almost as a miracle, brought my muscles back to life. Sometimes there are small details that can change the destiny of a ride. Filipinos were one of those and will forever remain the symbol of my resurrection.
But with 200km still to go, we were far from done. With the misadventures of the night, we were now obliged to go through the most difficult part of the ride at the highest temperatures.
Roasting in Jaén
The province of Jaén would be as hostile during the day as the Ciudad Real province was during the night.
Up to 41 degrees we managed to keep a certain amount of dignity in our behavior.
But as the temperature was heading towards 50ºC and we physically experienced what melting means, we understood we would need to forget about all manners and education, and go wild into refrigeration techniques, involving all types of ice cubes and all sorts of liquids being thrown at all parts of our bodies. I’ll stop here. Believe me, you don’t want further details otherwise your entire framework on the theory of evolution would be altered.
But Nothing Would Stop Us Now
With the help of Lorena who was waiting for us at many gas stations throughout the path, we managed to survive the desert after having survived the deluge.
And just like that, totally exhausted, almost 9 hours after the expected time of arrival, we finally reached the promised land, Cambil, where Món’s family was waiting for us and gave us the warmest of welcomes.
Post Mortem
- It was only when we arrived that we understood that the storm we endured during the night was one hell of a storm, as per the newspaper’s reports. Firemen were called in many villages totally flooded. We should have been more scared than we were.
(Translation: Waterspouts, hail and a lot of wind: the spectacular videos of the storm in Albacete)
- Huge thank you to Món’s mother and father for their incredible hospitality in Cambil, and to Lorena. Without Lorena we would not have made it. By the way, if you are around, you need to visit Cambil. Món was nowhere near reality when he said that his hometown was wonderful. Hidden in the middle of the mountains close to Granada, Cambil is something you cannot take for granted, you need to deserve it.
- Sorry guys, Zwift is not just a game. It brings people alike together. I would have never imagined that I would make so many really meaningful friends at 46. Through COALITION, through Jerbos, through ZwiftInsider, the breadth and depth of the community is astonishing and it makes me feel super proud to be part of it.
- Finally, a special word for Món. I can proudly say that what we have lived together is unique and something I will never forget. Thank you for allowing me to be part of something that you ideated and was so personal. I anticipate you maybe blushing when I say that I am so thankful for having shared all those long rides together, exchanging our past and current miseries, but also our hopes and expectations. You have become someone very special to me and I can’t wait for the next challenge together.
Going to bed, every single inch of my body was hurting. I swore to all deities that I would never engage in another crazy ride in my entire life.
I woke up at 7AM with an email confirming that I was registered for Les Cinglés du Mont Ventoux for September 24th 2022, meaning in 4 weeks I would be climbing Mont Ventoux from its three sides on the same day. But that is another story…
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