Nothing betrays that the man standing next to me competed against Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich in an earlier life. Haimar Zubeldia's petite stature is less recognisable to many than others. Yet several top five finishes in the Tour de France adorn his palmares. That fact alone makes me approach him with some regard. We are in his home region, in Basque Country, because close to our hotel in Gametxo is Zarautz, where little Haimar's cradle stood. Today, Haimar is mainly active as an ambassador of Etxeondo, the high-end Basque clothing brand. He is not the bad guy, because before we have even cycled a metre, he has already made himself immortal as a stand-in mechanic. Legend. Over the next few days, we will keep you updated on our adventure in our 'Diary of the Basque Country'. Enjoy!
Up and down
Whereas coastal roads in the Netherlands are mostly flat, the region around Gametxo and Ibarrangelu is actually not flat at all. The hotel, located a bit higher up, already has a nice view over the sea. Beautiful, of course, but it is already a small indication of what is to come. To warm up, we ride around the neighbourhood. 'Nothing special, 35 kilometres' says Wouter, our host for the day. Anyone looking at the map of the region knows that could be disappointing. From the start it goes straight up and down. The only 100 metres flat are in villages like Lastarria and Ibarrangelu. It is almost continuous climbing. It's waiting for that beautiful, winding descent. Somehow hidden beneath the Spanish flat asphalt.
Steep climb
We are not even 10 kilometres into this reconnaissance ride and the gradients are already in the double digits. When we reach the top after three kilometres of climbing, a fine descent follows, which is also very fine in terms of tarmac. Despite the proximity to the coast, you imagine yourself in a kind of tropical rainforest. Perhaps the randomly felled trees contribute to this, as does the humid heat. In my experience, this could just as easily have been in Singapore or the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. The landscape here is rugged, green but also influenced by its proximity to the sea. Special, is the best way to describe it. As is the pace set by friend Haimar. Cheerfully talking, he paddles uphill. My tongue is on my handlebars. There has to be a difference.
Lost orientation
With all the green trees, I can hardly see the forest. That is, I have completely lost my orientation. To my mind, we are riding inland, but when I look at the Komoot data after the ride, it is not so bad. What is not too bad are the continuous gradients on my Wahoo. When, after 27 kilometres, someone shouts that we are now "only going to descend", it is no luxury. That less than seven kilometres later we have a climb with seven to eight per cent average gradient. Ouch, that was unexpected. The next few days will surely bring more such 'unpleasant surprises'.
Final
The fact that the hotel is at a higher point relative to the sea is indicative of the final kilometres. We went down with the group like a rocket at the start. So we have to do the same up again. The maximum of 13% on this final climb makes for a nice victory feeling when I park the bike at the hotel. Meanwhile, the sun has come through in full force. Perfect for shooting some more pretty pictures along the coast. What a wonderful and sometimes painful introduction to the beautiful region of the Basque Country.
It's a breeze
As everyone gets ready for the evening programme after cycling, the wind really picks up. It makes for a nice refreshing shower, as well as beautiful, dramatic images of the coastal city. Something to enjoy for a while, with a small snack in hand. On to Day 1 of our adventure in the Basque Country, as this was just the exploration. Will you read along with our Basque Country diary?
