… me, to call someone something not nice.
We got up with sore legs but very keen on getting going. Peli’s really wanted to go take me over to see the Col de Spandelles and the Col de Soulor. We met up with Dave and Rob from Les Sorbiers, and headed down the Tourmalet to Luz.
The local supermarche did not have any energy bars we wanted, so we stopped in Luz. I spend 10 or so minutes walking up the aisles ummng and arring. Because they didn’t have what we wanted and they for some reason had the bars in different 2 places. Peli came in and told me to get a move on, I showed her the best one I could find, and we agreed that we will be alright with what we had. Only for Peli to find a 3rd place where they keep their energy/snack bars and we got some fuel.
Out of Luz down the gorge we went, my legs felt just fine on the flat and down hilly bits. Just before the gorge starts for good there is a little hill and I decided that I would stay in the higher gear and push on through up and over the hill, which I have done before. Only to find my left knee telling me that it was not happy.
I tried my usual tricks to wake it up and get it out of its bad mood, but no joy. Riding along on the flat Voie Verte I had no problems with the knee. While we had a quick stop in the LBS called Sport Loisirs Diffusion, because Rob wanted to check something out, I tried to stretch it out and massage it. We decided that I could give Spandelles a go and see how it went before calling in the broomwagon.
We started to climb up and out of Argeles only to find that my right knee was doing more work than normal. Which is a good sign that my left knee is buggered. So I called it a day, handed over my camera to Peli and wished her a merry ride with boys.
I made my way to the bottom of the gorge and the broomwagon (Peli’s dad) soon arrived and took me and Chutney back up the gorge and the Tourmalet.
So this is now 25 years since I last told a bloke that was bigger than me(yes it has happened) that he was not such a nice fella. OK that was heavily censured but you get the gist. He then proceeded to bend my leg and knee in a direction for which they are not designed. And every now and again my knee reminds me of that day. I think the reason for today’s event was yesterday’s walk. I did have very wobbly legs on the last bit and walked in a way that was hard on my knees.
So I’m sitting in bed writing this while waiting for the others to come home and tell me how nice the ride was.
Peli and the gang just arrived back very very cold. Rob had no jacket and borrowed Peli’s. They called in the broom wagon (Rachel Rob’s wife) at the bottom of the gorge after 55 hard miles over two cols in cold Pyrenean drizzle.
