Day 11: Rest Day

Finally, a day to rest my butt!!  Oh, did we all need this day.  We were getting both physically and mentally tired.  And with the Pyrenees starting tomorrow, we will definitely need to keep our wits about us.

Hey, anyone got a couple of Euros?  The machine isn't taking paper money!

This morning started with many of us rushing to a local laundromat (laverie) to do a thorough washing of our clothes.  There are only so many days when you can get away with sink washing.  And, after yesterday's rains, we definitely needed a real washing.

Bought some new inner tubes and cleaner/degreaser.  The guys running this place were funny, hospitable and very charming as we all struggled to understand each other.  But the universal language of cycling won the day.

From there, it was a visit to a local bike shop to pick up cleaning supplies to clean our bikes as well.  That, in turn, led to a group bike-washing effort.

Getting all the mud and sand out of our wheels, gears, brakes, etc.  We've got a lot of hill climbing coming up in the next few days, so it's best we have our bikes in top shape.

After that, it was every person for themselves.  Some slept.  Some caught up on e-mails.  Others were working.  There was even a group visit to the Biarritz coastline.  Spectacular views of the Atlantic Coast and Spain to our south.

From the cliffs of Biarritz, that's Spain and the Pyrenees to the south.  And, yes, we'll be climbing up and/or around some of those mountains.