Not being a medical man I’m all for a bit of self- diagnosis and today is a day to start guessing. I say guessing as my normal course of action would be Dr Google. However, European roaming charges being so high I will have to rely on my own medical knowledge gained from watching series one of E.R. My stomach, or tummy keeps cramping and I probably could leave rather than follow an impressive trail up the valley. My condition has not been helped by two days of fairly intense climbing, where I would have happily opted for a lethal injection than pedal another stroke.
To compound my overall fatigue the concept of decaffeinated coffee has not touched these shores. I’m sure if I tried to order one I would immediately be extradited and ridiculed by a group of village elders. Therefore, and probably not helping my condition, breakfast this morning was a chocolate croissant and a double espresso. This was followed up, only a short distance down the road, by another double espresso. I think the term buzzing could be applied to how I feel. Den seems unperturbed by such quantities of caffeine and happy carries on shake free. On the other hand, I talk like a man possessed and twitch like I’m having ECT.
During our day we had climbed higher and higher. I saw my first snow-capped mountains and the terrain was challenging. The number of downs was definitely less than the ups. Towards the end of the afternoon I realised that I had broken Den. We stopped at a cafe and it was only then that I noticed he had experienced, what is known in cycling circles as a “Bonk Royale”. I bought a couple of lemonades and poured them down his neck. The two old ladies who owned the cafe must have thought we were undergoing some sort of break-up in our bromance. They probably still tell their friends and family about the day those two “nice boys” visited.
Anyway we made it to the Italian border tonight. Just experienced my first earthquake!!! Hopefully, cross into Italy tomorrow morning and on to Como.