Gerry Callaghan
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2015 Cycled from Clonmacnoise in Ireland, France, Camino Frances, Camino Finisterre.
Two old codgers from Ireland, Gerry and Felicity, were cycling, slowly, up the mountains into Galicia.
We had started in Bayonne, had done the Nive to St-Jean, then the Camino Frances and were now ready to cross the last province boundary. The scent of the botafumeiro was getting stronger every day!
We had serious expedition bikes, Koga Randonneurs, the sort of bikes you find coming off the Khunjerab pass or crossing Patagonia. If you ever plan on taking over the world then the Koga is the bike for the job. In over 2000 km we did not even have a puncture.
However, great as they are, they are heavy and a bit slow. We had stayed in Pereje, which did not have any place for breakfast, and were slogging our way up the N-VI to Pedrafita de Cebriro. (See walkers, we were being good and staying off the walker's path!) .
All along the way, we were being overtaken by a twenty-strong supported New Zealand cycling tour team. Some were on road bikes, some were on electric bikes and all had their luggage stored in the support van. All zipped by us with a cheery wave and a 'Buen Camino'. We gritted our teeth and waved back. But we were really thinking nasty thoughts. St James did not have an electric bike and would not approve of such decadent luxuries!
We finally struggled on to the Alto do San Roche statue at the top of the mountain and found them all having a picnic lunch there. They invited us to join them so we sat and chatted and slowly repented for the nasty thoughts we had had about electric and road bikes!
Nice meeting you Kiwis!
We had started in Bayonne, had done the Nive to St-Jean, then the Camino Frances and were now ready to cross the last province boundary. The scent of the botafumeiro was getting stronger every day!
We had serious expedition bikes, Koga Randonneurs, the sort of bikes you find coming off the Khunjerab pass or crossing Patagonia. If you ever plan on taking over the world then the Koga is the bike for the job. In over 2000 km we did not even have a puncture.
However, great as they are, they are heavy and a bit slow. We had stayed in Pereje, which did not have any place for breakfast, and were slogging our way up the N-VI to Pedrafita de Cebriro. (See walkers, we were being good and staying off the walker's path!) .
All along the way, we were being overtaken by a twenty-strong supported New Zealand cycling tour team. Some were on road bikes, some were on electric bikes and all had their luggage stored in the support van. All zipped by us with a cheery wave and a 'Buen Camino'. We gritted our teeth and waved back. But we were really thinking nasty thoughts. St James did not have an electric bike and would not approve of such decadent luxuries!
We finally struggled on to the Alto do San Roche statue at the top of the mountain and found them all having a picnic lunch there. They invited us to join them so we sat and chatted and slowly repented for the nasty thoughts we had had about electric and road bikes!
Nice meeting you Kiwis!
Legend has him arriving posthumously in Spain in a stone boat which suggests he liked doing things the hard way.... Glad you ended the day in a happier frame of mind though!
