Mountain Song

"I was coming down the mountain!!!" - Jane's Addiction

It was only a few weeks ago I was singing (well, not sure if you can call what I was doing singing) this song after a game of Texas Hold 'Em and today, it was reality.

I finally got in a nice effort on my bike - a 5 hour ride on some of the toughest terrain the world has to offer. With sunshine to spare, the group headed out the famed "Zaffaraya" climb. It would take us 2 hours to get to the base of this climb, an hour to get up it and 2 hours to get home. It was lovely and I couldn't have been happier than when we hit that first pitch.

My instructions were to "ride without ego". And that's what I did. I got in my workout, but also made sure to spend time rotating through the group. I visited with our front guys for a bit and then found the other individuals throughout the day. The beauty of this camp is that we can all train together, but independently at the same time. A support vehicle makes the rounds - so no one gets lost, cold or hungry!

Within the first hour, you can see where you will be 2 hours from that point. The views across the mountain tops are incredible and truly sublime. While unzipping my jersey because I was so hot, I looked across the divide to see snow capped peaks. Just wild!

I could not have been more impressed with Dikran and the other campers - still jetlagged and on barely any sleep, they all put in immense efforts.

After the ride, the group hit the hot-tub and Richard and I ambled out for a short run. It was perfect and made the hot tub afterwards feel all the better.

A hearty meal of paella, wine, luscious dessert and good company and I'm officially ready to crash out - another day in the books.

Tomorrow is the famed/feared Ruta de Ruta (Route of Ruta). It boasts 87 miles and nearly 9,000 feet of climbing. It is brutal and I can't wait.