FDOB #4 - Barcelona!

Ripoll to Barcelona
(145km and 1,775m of climbing over 7 hrs and 8 mins of riding)

My third big day of cycling on the trot (and it was the 11th for the Fat Dads) was dominated by looking-forward to the following day off in Barcelona. We made rapid progress at first as we continued to descend the Ter river valley. The chat in the peloton soon turned to the source of the unsavoury aroma, which seemed to follow us down the valley. Did we have a personal hygiene problem in our midst? LeeAnne choose a fine Scottish word to sum it up at our coffee break: “minging”. Spot on!

After we spotted several big farm sheds, lorries carrying bulk animal feed, slurry tanks and animal transporters, we reckoned the source of the pong was intensive pig farming. Never before had climbing been so popular as we sought fresher air at higher altitude!

Two big climbs today, the first climb up to Moia and then the second up and over the hills around Barcelona.

Closing in on Barcelona was hard work – not just because it was at the end of the day. Barcelona is surrounded by lines of hills covered in pine trees, similar to the hills that surround Los Angeles (think about the famous Hollywood sign). As our finish became tantalisingly close, we had a series of false summits, a bit like climbing a mountain. But eventually, we got to the top of the final hill and could see Barcelona below us, and the Mediterranean beyond. The descent down to Gaudi’s unfinished cathedral, Sagrada Familia, was rapid and there was our wonderfully enthusiastic welcoming party.

[That's me on the right by the way - thanks to Mrs42 for the picture]

An amazing finish and a happy sense of relief and achievement for me … and great to see the family too. I’d done it. A tinge of sadness too as I leave the guys to continue their adventure.

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