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02-08-2013 Balmaseda – Itziar 150 km
I leave the hotel through the back door as a thief in the night - the lights in the garden are still on - and start the last trip with unknown destination. I have made reservations for the last two nights in a gîte d'étape in Saint-Étienne-de Baïgorry.
Although I'll stay below 750 m, this day in Euskadi may well bring the most kms of 8% or more. No wonder so many Spanish professional cyclists come from this part of the country.
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Like a thief in the early morning
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Steep roads in Biscaia
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Quiet roads in Biscaia
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Woods in Biscaia
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Another steep road in Biscaia
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Biscaian mountains
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The route I've chosen alternates between quiet roads and busy roads, and on both steep sections occur frequently. For instance the first two km on the A-4616 from the valley of the Río Herrerias to Llaudo (Llodio) are extremely steep. Along the said river I sort of ride up with two 'light' cyclists, father and son I guess, whom I see ride away as soon as the road goes up. In Llaudo
after some 30 km a breakfast break in a modern bar with good capuchino, 'interesting' sandwiches and good music (neutralizing the ever present huge flat screen tv). The BI-265 in the direction of Bilbao is absolutely horrible for cyclists: much fast going traffic, many lorries, and steep sections. With great relief I can leave it after 5.5 km (which seemed much longer), for the BI-3524, of which part I have no clear memories.
I make an interestingly looking sidestep to the south to add the Puerto de Urkiola, the highest point of the day, with its 700 m even 13 m lower than what the map says. The (long!) climbing mostly takes place in fact on the part right in the direction of the sun (not of the pass). Luckily this road is indeed as quiet as I had hoped for. The last 7.5 km to the north, straight to the pass, only go up 100 m, I guess. The descent to the north starts out quite curvy; it brings me down to Durango, below 200 m.
I have a blue cheese sandwich on a bench 'roofed' by trees on the border of a small stream, possibly the Mañaria Ibaia,
where two dogs are playing on the other side and don't get it I'm the one who's making the splashes in the water throwing stones.
It's three o'clock, it's warm, and I decide to change plans. The ocean coast is about 35 km away, and Deba, after a coastal ride of 10 km,
seems large enough to offer places to stay. I suppose I'll also find souvenir shops there, maybe a bookshop as well, and what about a dive in the ocean?!
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Self portraits . . . .
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. . . . in Biscaia
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Descent to the low land
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Busy traffic in Biscaia
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I want to avoid the N-634 (not again!) and get lost in Durango, fear for a moment I'll be on the wrong side of a river to take the road to the north, but that turns out okay. And then many things turn out not okay. First the 'yellow' BI-633 turns out quite a big road. Second, clouds are coming in from the north. It's also a road again with stretches of 6 to 8 per cent up (many times indicated by road signs) - and indeed I'll add another puerto (de Trabakua) to my list. During the descent I even see the highest speed of the whole trip on the display of my odometer: 64 km/h (well, that's not so high ... also a symptom of old age?) After the descent from this small pass the road keeps going up and down, and I feel some droplets - there goes the swim! I smell the ocean earlier than I can see it, and when I finally see it I'm already in Ondarroa, interesting harbour town built around a split in the rocks. And with a beach.
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Ondarroa harbor
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Ondarroa beach
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The ocean ride to Deba is a bit disappointing because of the gray sky and the heavy traffic - and with the wind and the rises and falls it's not as easy as expected. Compared to Ondarroa Deba strikes me as rather ugly. A town of faded glory, possibly. Okay, there is a beach, but there's only one hotel - expensive looking, which for once I have decided not to mind too much, but full - and one bed & breakfast, alas also complejo. So, what next ... first a bed, then other pleasures (shopping in this case) ... and where do I find that? It's quite early still; not six o'clock yet. I enter a bar, have a small sandwich and a beer and ask around. It appears there's an albergue para peregrinos and also an oficina de turismo. The girl that 'helps' me there is extremely unhelpful; everything seems too much for her. She is annoyed I don't accept a double room five kms back for the 'double' price, but I can winkle out a brochure with local addresses. There are two youth hostels close by! Alas, one is full, the other is only open for groups during weekends (and it's Friday).
Two more complejos and then I hit right: 8 km further along the coast there's an hostal or some such thing where I can have a room for € 38,-, and a meal as well, which is nice since it is rather in the middle of nowhere. I count down the kilometer markers along the road till the one marking 38.
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Biscaian coastline
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Last 'molehill'
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At first it goes slow ... up to the Puerto de Itziar, next I almost ride too far (I thought it was 39 - or was it 37). The woman that welcomes me is very friendly, and so is her daughter, who also manages some English.
I have dinner with two English hikers/teachers doing part of the Santiago track, Rose (computer science) and Fergus (photography and art history), which is nice. We eat outside, though it's rather fresh, until it has been dark for at least an hour (and dinner has been finished quite some while too), and the rains sets in.
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