Have you ever heard the phrase “Life’s about the journey, not the destination”? Well this quote perfectly sums up our first ever cycle surfari, where we peddled our way through dainty coastal towns from Bordeaux to Bilbao surfing along the way.
Now don’t get me wrong, the destinations themselves were stunning. Waking up in the eye of a storm on top of a mountain in Lekeitio made us feel truly alive and kicked our sore asses into gear for the day. Whilst winding down for the evening in Zarautz, soaking up a sunset full of warmth and witnessing it melt into the ocean set mellow tones for a wholesome evening throughout the camp. But it’s the small things that you notice when going via pedal-power that make a solid imprint.
Our route was planned but our plans were loose, so deciding to watching the waves at La Grande Plage in beautiful Biarritz whilst refuelling on Iberico Ham and Brie Baguettes (and the less favoured snack of carrots and caviar) was an un-expected delight that you wouldn’t find in the brochure. Taking the rather unglamorously-sounding GI-638 through the gorgeous towns of Deba, Mutriku and Ondarrora was as visually stimulating as anything Big Sur has to offer. And stopping for a brief beer and Pinchos break in San Sebastian, sitting between an Australian couple and American family who had traveled thousands of miles to be in the town we nearly flew through, highlighted the importance of drinking in the experience sip by sip as opposed to gulping it down.
I’ll give you an idea of our daily schedule, but things change, wind blows, sun shines and burns your nose, waves bash you around all morning, then go flat by the evening. So our itinerary tended to go with the flow as much as our bikes did winding down Monte Igueldo (gigantic mountain out of San Sebastian).
We would start the day with a hearty breakfast of Porridge, Muesli, Fruit, Eggs, Nutella and French Baguettes of course, before surfing in the morning sunshine, followed by a post-surf/ pre-cycle snack then we would hit the road for a couple of hours before our lunch stop, which would consist of more baguettes with local ham, cheese, tomatoes, nuts and fruit etc. This would fuel a few more hours in the saddle, which would tie us over until we arrived into our camp for the evening, where we were greeted by more snacks and would either hit the waves if they were agreeing with our energy levels, or do some post cycle yoga before a decent dinner, a few drinks and bed.
This was the routine for ten nights, but it flew by in a blur of highs and lows. Obviously we would take the odd un-expected detour through a cul-de-sac or two, which would tickle tempers and the group snorechestra occasionally kept us up at night, but you can’t have the highlights without the lowlights and the highs will remain with us forever. More highs keep coming to mind now that we’ve had the chance to decompress, too many to write, but hopefully the following pictures will sum up the trip. Thanks @fitforthat_, @jennyjonessnow @adam_cotgreave and @lizseabrook for capturing our memories. You can see @pindygram‘s photos on our facebook page.
For more information and upcoming cycle surfari dates, click here.