I had taken another Frenadol just before bed to try and stave off the Manflu. When I woke at the usual 06.30h I realised I had slept soundly at least but I was feeling shit. A bit light headed, dizzy almost but I took another Frenadol anyway and blasted the nose with Vick's spary.
I headed up to the breakfast room in the hope that a good feed would straighten me up a bit. A feast for a King was laid out before me, a King that likes processed cheese slices, processed ham & spongy things wrapped in plastic. I couldn't face any of it and to make matters worse there was no bottled water. Never mind I thought, I will stop on the route and buy some.
As I was nibbling on a piece of toast covered in home made jam I received a distress signal from the bowel region. It read "get yourself to back to the room, pronto". I duly obliged and was then reminded how the human body reacts to an overdose of Vitamin C.
Oh dear! This morning on the bike could be tricky?
I stopped at the first fly curtain I came across. Rural Portugal is very poor and over populated with flies. Every door you come across has a heavy metal chain type fly curtain so they all look deserted. I placed my order for 1.5L of cold bottled water and a cafe com leite. I was about half way to the first stop (20 Km done) so after doing my business I sat outside and waited for some riders to pass.
It wasn't long before I could see them coming and I was ready to jump on and join them. They were going too slow for me to be honest, lunch was a further 40 Km away and I suspected that the sooner I get there the better. Quite simply it's like this ....... Cycling makes you fart! it does!
I was scared to fart and that made the ride uncomfortable so I put my foot on the gas.
As I was rolling along I was breathing through my nose thanks to the Vick's spray and the virus was under control thanks to the Frenadol & Vitamin C although my stomach was rumbling like a volcano about to erupt.
As I climbed a hill I seen a great spot for a photo so I stopped for a pee (not risking the fart) and set up to take the shot. Here it is ......
As soon as I arrived at the lunch stop I ran into the neighbouring restaurant and fortunately the male toilet was available.
It was some time later when I emerged but I was feeling like I had achieved something, the worst was over and I could get on with the business of cycling. It was starting to get warm now so I took off the base layer and got the bare arms out for the 1st time on this trip.
The medicine was starting to wear off which was a good thing, I was getting some of my senses back and able to enjoy the views and the fragrances of rural Portugal. Very quiet and very poor. Every car I see is ancient, so many derelict houses and other buildings. So few people. Beautiful though!
I was starting to enjoy myself and as the big climbs came the weather got hotter & hotter. When I started my training for The Road To Lisbon it was August in Mallorca and I would often find myself climbing in severe heat so I was used to it. My strategy is to stop at every possible location and order a cold water with a big glass of ice. The water we carry on the bike gets really warm and it's not nice to drink.
There are of course other ways to cool down. Very often we would see public water fountains by the side of the road. Our chief organiser Paul Muldoon aka Mr. Lisbon can be seen here taking advantage of a public fountain. Credit Zander for the photo.
One last refreshment stop at 121 Km to see us home and Day 12 would be done. I was feeling stronger again and looking forward to another massage and a lie down. Today had been tough for me, especially the morning.
What I didn't realise was that it may only be 30 Km to the hotel but it involved lots of climbing and descending so it would take its toll on all the riders. Fortunately the hotel for this evening was one of the best on the route, a 4 star hotel with pool.
The guys didn't even take of their bib shorts and dived right in. Another great shot from young Zander.
That's the toughest day of the Portuguese legs safely negotiated. I skipped the pool but did take some more medicine, if I sleep good tonight I won't take any more in the morning and hopefully I will be able to trust my farts again.
Only 2 long rides to go!
Distance covered 151.1 Km
Climbing 1,871 M
Moving time 06:44:02
You can see a graphic reconstruction of the route here https://www.relive.cc/view/1000483291
Summary:
Toughest day so far for me but I got it done, hope I feel better in the morning
Difficulty rating 9/10