bob summers – We had a look in on the local camping site yesterday.

It’s called, imaginatively enough, “Camping Ainsa” and it’s just past the outskirts of town, to the north east. Easy to get to, looks clean and tidy, and seems to have all the usual facilities. There are some nice pitches under the trees with views of the mountains. . . . .

Camping Ainsa ! Still there 🙂

25 years ago I had to ride my motorbike home from there, two up, panniers and top box, with no front brakes after a disc-lock incident.

25 years ago I had to ride my motorbike home from there, two up, panniers and top box, with no front brakes after a disc-lock incident.

Over the Pyrenees must have been fun!

This is a great thread, really fires up the dreaming.

i_l_f – glad to be o service 🙂

The heatwave continues. When it’s as warm as this during the day you soon learn which jobs to do and when to do them.

Thankfully it’s still nice and cool in the mornings, evenings and at night. No sign of any rain near us just yet – but we need it.

Doug – Can you come and visit please? We need some rain . . . . 🙂

I’m just next door in Benasque all week! It’s hot here but not as much as you guys. I was riding at 3000m yesterday and it was even cool 🙂 You might get a wee evening storm tomorrow, would be perfect for the trails, super dusty now.

Hope you are recovered and back on the bike. See you soon!

Not far off 40 here too. We did Cap Nore yesterday. Thankfully only the 65km as it was a bit warm.

Edit: 22:15 and still 32° outside (27° inside)

Craft Beer tasting, Tapas dishes and live music

the Boltana summer fiesta 🙂

Spekkie, just checked back so thanks for the campsite reccie. Going Asturias way tomorrow for a fortnight, after that I fancy a trip down to the Pyrenees so fingers crossed…

Cool! Enjoy.

I had a little accident a fortnight ago. Not my fault – woman pulled out in front of me without looking. I needed four stitches to a cut on my face and there was no damage to the bike. I’m all better now but the accident highlighted some important things that people coming here should be aware of. I’m sure we’ll put this little list up on our website when we build it but we’ll also remind people when they arrive here.

1) The number to use for all emergencies (road traffic or otherwise) is “112”. Then ask for the appropriate emergency service. Police, Ambulance, Fire or Mountain Rescue.

If anyone else at the accident says “they’ve already made the call” don’t be afraid to do it yourself anyway. Two calls are better than none.

2) Normal rules apply if it’s a traffic accident – don’t move anything, don’t leave the scene, do swap details etc.

3) Seriously consider holiday insurance. I had no intention of crashing and the accident wasn’t my fault, but it still happened.

UK citizens can apply for a “European Health Insurance Card” to take on holiday with them and so should be covered by their UK National Insurance number abroad. In this case I would have gone to the local emergency clinic 5kms away for free. (This situation may change after Brexit)

I suspect other EU countries will have a similar agreement with Spain regarding healthcare.

The weather map reminds me of “scorchio” on the Fast Show.

It looks fab there, frankly I’m jealous! ;-0

Glad its going well.

Exactly!

[video]https://youtu.be/kZMUAd7OJc8?list=RDkZMUAd7OJc8[/video]

When I read your post at the top of the page I was tempted to write a reply to the effect of: yes, the Spanish are generally more considerate to cyclists than Brits but they are also more often drunk, on the phone, daydreaming and there are still a tiny minority of asshats – more than likely behind the wheel of a quarry lorry, big truck or commercial vehicle. Perhaps I should have written it, but I didn’t want to appear negative when you’re right, norther Spain is generally a safer place to ride a roadie than the UK.

And like most of Europe it’s priority from the right which the Spanish tend to apply even when pulling out or their farm track, especially if driving a tractor.

Down towards the coastal areas the big problem does seem to be drink & drugs while driving. We’ve seen on the news half a dozen cycling deaths here this year – but thankfully nothing near us where the pace is a bit slower and the population perhaps a little older.

Last night Mrs Spekkie and I had my first “Post-Accident” ride along the river bank from Margudged (the village I had the accident in as it happens!) to Ainsa and back 🙂

Seems I’m ok. Just need to reclaim some fitness after three weeks off 🙁

Hows the build coming on Spekkie? I’m sat in a sunny Leeds but already looking forward to my quick Ainsa trip on the way back to the Reef.

We’ve had a nice couple of days with our British friends from down in Catalonia. They came to stay while they tested out their new camper van.

The trails were a bit wind & rain battered when I took them for a ride yesterday because we had an overnight storm, but they got to see a bit of the surrounding countryside.

Was nice to speak mostly English for a couple of days!

There’s been a complete lack of updates recently – the pesky Tour de France has got me all distracted.

On the other hand, I did specifically choose this part of Spain because of the mountains and the proximity to le Tour & le Vuelta 🙂

We will be promoting both of those Grand Tours, and the tour of Catalonia, the Enduro World Series and any other races “within shouting distance”, next year.

With stages being so close, it would be a crime not to try and see something. That’s my story anyway. .

The World Enduro is the one to watch. You can do a day on the mtb riding trails between stages so you can spectate at several points – and ride them once the last man has gone, or the next day. Hang around at a good view point till you get bored with it then trundle off to the next one. It’s end of Summer so not too hot but generally stable sunny weather.

Angel Cheliz, who owns the “Intersport” sports shop in Ainsa and who is one of the founding members of the whole “Zona-Zero MTB” concept – showing off the latest edition of route maps.

There are now 52 official base routes and too many variations and link-ways to even count. Somewhere in the region of 800km of track in it’s various forms, Singletrack, Jeep track, Fire roads, Antiguo (ancient) paths . . . the list goes on.

I’ve barely scraped the surface so far!

Tony – I may have missed it, but do you have a bit more info, including costs, about next summer? The oab_clan is interested…

matt – ygm.

For the past month or so, as well as watching “le Tour de France” on TV and “live in France”, Mrs Spekkie and I have been giving some serious thought as to which path we should take next on our Big Adventure . . . . .

Should we stay here and “soldier on” or is it time to cut our losses, relocate, either to the UK or somewhere busier in Spain, where we can both get jobs, save some money and then maybe re-think in 6 months time?

In a nutshell – all of the banks we’ve spoken to have said the same thing – they love our ideas – particularly the ones that involve us providing services that will set us apart from your average Spanish “B&B”, they approve of our business plan – which is conservative in its estimates and they can see that our passion for what we enjoy in life – essentially cycling & cooking/providing – means that we will enjoy our jobs enough to ensure that we succeed.

However . . . over at the head offices of these various banks, the “Risk Departments” whose hands, post financial crisis of 2008-16, are tied behind their backs, are struggling to approve us the top-up loan we need without us having some sort of independent income.

This is not something we, or anyone we spoke to at the outset of our journey (including the banks!), expected and the game-changer has been the fact that the banks can no longer accept your property as security against a loan you apply for. The reason being that Spanish banks are up to their ears in repossessed properties that they have no hope of selling, possibly for years.

We’ve decided that we’re not ready to give up just yet and so we’re going to push on with our dream . . . . but we’re going to have to change the way we plan on getting there slightly . . . .

Over the next few days we’ll post our various changes and, as always, encouragement and ideas will be warmly received!

Spekkie.

“La Batalla Del Inframundo” (The Battle of the Underworld) – This is the name given to a race being held on 23rd September this year at Zona Zero.

The sales pitch (translated by me!) goes along the lines of…..

“YOU CAN JOIN THE BATTLE OF THE UNDERWORLD – The GIANT TRAIL of ZONE ZERO.

We have good news. We have obtained a sponsorship of the last minute that allows us to reduce the registration to 67 euros and 120 euros for mixed couples.

In case you think it’s an easy ride, the man in the photo will be the “broom man”. Basically he will be dedicated to “finishing off” the stragglers. (read that as you like! lol)

Come and win the coveted Sword of the Victor engraved with the motto: “PUNISH THE BODY AND RELEASE THE SOUL”.

In the Territory of Zona Zero – Survive and be Counted!”

Zon Zero is a great place for masochistic mountain bikers to beat themselves up and Spanish hospitals at at least as good at repairing people as British ones. This much we’ve understood, but STWers need somewhere to stay which is where you’re supposed to come in, Spekkie.

There’s a French saying that you are never better served than by yourself so roll up those sleves, get out at first light and get on with it. There’s rock lying around everywhere in Spain and mortar is two parts sand to one part cement. Thats all you need to know to start with. You’ve made friends, when you need more than sand and cement let them know and see where the grapevine leads.

Right now it’s too hot to do anything (mid afternoon) so start drawing up plans as to where all the plumbing and electrics are going to go, that way you can knock out blocks and install trunking as you go.

Thanks for the pep talk Edukator!

You are right, and we ARE making plans! Will post an update later 🙂

From the Zona Zero Website:

“The fate is cast, we have been tasked with defeating Mordor on 23 September – We need everyone’s help, get your bike ready and come. And if we don’t win, we might as well have a good time”

The Enduro World Series calendar for 2018 has been published. Stage 7 will be here in Ainsa Sobrabe on 22nd and 23rd September!

Fantastic news 🙂

EWS Calendar 2018 . . . .

We’ve had lots of feedback and support since we posted that we had decided to stay here and push on with our project. Thanks for all the private messages and suggestions – some of the ideas people have put forward are things that had crossed our minds and some of the ideas are new to us. In any case it’s always good for someone else to suggest an idea that had previously crossed your mind but that you weren’t sure was a good one or not 🙂

We’re going over everything now and formulating a plan to move forward, at whatever speed we can manage under the circumstances.

These are exciting times for us and as frustrating as it has been not to be able to just “get on with it” up until now, we’re slowly coming around to the idea that maybe things going slowly has been a good thing, and maybe we’ll be better off for it in the long run . . .

Coming to terms with the fact that this is an “Adventure” to be enjoyed on the way – rather than just a relocation, business start up and then “noses back to the grindstone” asap to pay for it all!

We’ve certainly enjoyed it so far . . .. Let’s see how this goes now . . . .

Tomorrow morning we’re having a meeting at our property with the builder we’d like to use for our project. We have a number of issues to go over with him and it’s important that he fully understands our changed position – for that reason I’ve asked a very good Spanish friend of ours who lives in Zaragoza to join us and translate. Mikel and I first met when he visited the company I worked for in Johannesburg to carry out some training for us and he’s been helping us ever since. . . .

Our preferred builder is a local guy who survived the Spanish financial crisis of 2008 intact and who lives close enough for me to “go and get him if he doesn’t turn up for work” 🙂

We need to establish whether the prices on the quote he gave us when he originally quoted the job are still valid, and if not, by what percentage. Also we need to make sure he’s ok with doing much less work than previously expected, because we will be doing more ourselves, and with spreading the reduced work over a longer period of time, as our finances dictate.

Probably not hugely appealing from the builder point of view but let’s see what he says tomorrow . . . .

We had a very good meeting with our builder yesterday and everyone is happy with the path we are taking 🙂

The prices quoted last year are still relevant.

He is happy for us to do whatever work we can ourselves and for him to do the bits we can’t.

He also understands that we will be stretching the project over an extended period of time and so it will be start/stop/start/stop for him but he’s ok with that too. He will fit us in around other projects he’s working on.

We had the meeting at Ramon & Rosa’s farmhouse, with our good friend Mikel helping to translate for us and of course with the builder being local, it turns out that his parents and both Ramon & Rosa’s parent were old friends. I like that.

I think this is going to work out just fine.

🙂

Sometimes in the heat of summer here we have veld fires and because it is so hot and often a bit windy, they can take hold really quickly. So the Spanish Airforce have a fleet of Canadair CL-215 planes that they use to “water drop” when necessary.

Thankfully there are no fires anywhere near here at the moment (Portugal is currently suffering) but because we are next to the Embalse de Mediano (The Mediano Reservoir) we often see planes circling as they practice scooping and dropping water.

I would love to see them practicing close up but they don’t do it at regular intervals so the chances of being in the right place at the right time are slim.

Maybe one day I’ll get lucky . . .

https://vimeo.com/48642618

We get them, and the helicopters both practising and (unfortuntely) working at our local reservoir. Quite frequently see them go overhead in summer 🙁

It’s very difficult to get permission to build a swimming pool in our valley but if you put in a planning application for a water storage facility that is to be used for fire fighting then you stand a much better chance. The downside is that the helecopters can come and empty your pool whenever they want.

Is it difficult because of water conservation PB?

How was yesterdays Vuelta finish in Tarragona?

The downside is that the helecopters can come and empty your pool whenever they want.

Can’t imagine a helicopter hovering 10m above your pool is going to do your plants much good either!

Not specifically water conservation, more to keep properties looking original not like holiday homes which a high proportion are. They also frown on large picture windows and outbuildings that don’t look authentic.
The Vuelta was interesting, far more laid back than the Tour. The last 2km was very twisty which strung out the sprint line, we were 20m from the line, it was very warm.
Looking forward to the next couple of days, it gets a lot lumpier.