Ep. 19 - Cycling 2750km from Belgium to Spain

Описание: All Music by "Under the Skin": https://open.spotify.com/artist/0AvLx...
Intro music by NRA lab, Audio File ID: 119647
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The day starts with a modest attempt at “breakfast in bed”. As we roll out of Peralta, the village is still asleep, recovering from a week of festivities. Only a few fluorescent-vested workers are sweeping up the road and dismantling the chaos of yesterday’s bull runs. The wooden railings are still there. The party is over.

But ours is just beginning.

We ride straight into Rioja—into vineyards so vast they seem to stretch into next week. For hours, it’s just us and the vines. We steal a few grapes, savour the sweetness, and pretend we know what "hints of leather and spice" taste like.

Then the road turns wild. What looked like a scenic shortcut is really a bruised and battered farm track, cracked by rain and littered with stones sharp enough to test our tires—and our tempers. The vineyard workers cheer us on, clearly amused by our overloaded bikes and dusty struggle.

Eventually, I convince Wim to follow the Camino Verde del Alhama, promising him a smooth old railway route. Spoiler: it’s not. It’s a rollercoaster in disguise—climbing, dropping, rattling through one of Navarra’s most untamed valleys. At least the river stays loyal, flowing quietly beside us, while cliffs rise like watchtowers on the other side.

By afternoon, we reach Castillo de Inestrillas—a fortress carved entirely into the cliffside. It once protected villages from invading armies during the Reconquista. Today, it’s crumbling, quiet, and somehow still full of presence.

Then comes the final climb: sun-blasted, endless, and brutal. We push through with whatever strength we have left. At the top, we collapse. That’s it. We’re done.