Day 2 // What Meanest Thou, O Sleeper!

Words by Stuart Downie

Photos by Liz Seabrook and Tomás Montes

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For us the day begins at sunrise, for some riders the past day is yet to end. At breakfast we find several riders in Coll de Nargo at a cafe having food and coffee, including Roman Meil (078) who is keeping it simple – plain bread and honey. Usually vegan, he says that he’s been feeling his throat and fancies its antibacterial properties. I say that a lot of honey is practically vegan anyways because they stuff it full of syrup, but this looks like the real deal – I hope it’s done the job.

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Outside, at a table under the cafe awning, three local gentlemen are ruminating quietly. Photographer Tomas Montes tells us what they’re talking about: cows. The cows are mooing – the weather will change, rain is coming. It could certainly do with being a little bit cooler after a red hot start to the race.

Just out of Coll de Nargo we find Robert Mueller (003) getting out of bed – a pile of leaves outside a municipal cemetery gate just beyond Coll de Nargo, halfway along Parcours B. He’s managed seven and a half hours on the ground. He’s been having problems with his borrowed kit, but he’s also motivated to get to CP1 and collect his page.

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While Robert slept, the top ten passed through the first passive control point, all between 22:11 and 04:08. First through, Max Agut opts to stop at el Pont de Suert for three hours. With half an hour lead over chasing Nicholas Chatelet (008), Max will know he’s ceding the lead in favour of rest. At the finish of TPRNo5, this was one of his key takeaways – pushing through the night did not work for him. Slipping five places overnight, Saturday will be spent chasing those spots back down – how many will he pick up?

One rider who didn’t stop is Anna Richter (004), putting in a commanding ride firmly within the top ten. At the point of writing, Anna has stopped for less than an hour in total. By the numbers, there’s next to nobody in the race with more resolve, more appetite to ride. At some point that rest will become necessary, but not yet. As the sun sets on day two, Anna is in France, looping around toward Parcours D, perhaps looking for a good spot to rest before tackling the Basque crossing.

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Ship and Boat Diverged

Today has cooled a little from yesterday, but it’s still hot. There’s a breeze to take the edge off, but the sun is still going to be a formidable adversary. Fortunately, there’s some shade to be had later today.

We climb up to Coll de Bóixols to take in the view at the mirador, and see Sylvain Arhancet (096) who’s on his 2nd TPR. He’s been capturing little bits on the way and posting to social media – it’s important to take the time to look at the view. Not far behind is Jesko von Werthern (125), a five-time TCR veteran. After dipping a toe as a volunteer at TPRNo5, it appears it was time for a change.

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After this, the head of the race winds its way through the Añisclo Canyon, a spectacular gorge in Aragón up to 1000m from top to bottom that draws hikers and dogs (but only on leads). A winding, one-way balcony road runs 34km through it, the cold water of the Bellós river coursing invitingly below. Here we see Jana for a picture in the mid afternoon – a swim has crossed her mind, but so has a hotel, which is still 240km away. A fair bit of work to do before bed, but it’s important to have goals. The shade of the canyon and its trees offers its own respite to riders.

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When salty Norwegians Jorgen Mellem (152a) and Henrik Fiskådal (152b) call it a night, Swiss riders Kaspar Arn (153b) and Urs Mannhart (153a) swoop in to claim the pairs top spot. Let’s see how this goes – when we saw Jorgen and Henrik at a resupply just yesterday the heat had been an issue.

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At CP2, we see Jaimi Wilson (007) in the late afternoon. Jaimi’s longest stop has been 20 minutes. And 5 minutes… a million times. For those who would say that faff is a part of cycling, Jaimi counters by telling us about an encounter with Jana at the supermarket – unsurprisingly, Jana is the picture of efficiency, getting in and out in the time it takes Jaimi to think of what it is she’s even looking for. For what it’s worth, I love to zone out in the supermarket too.

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Later on, Adam Bibbey (065) is caught binraking on a petrol forecourt by Control Team 2 – but for good reason, he’s dropped something valuable – an item yet to be determined (let us know, Adam?). Of all the divers, thou hast dived the deepest.

Inscrutably Constructed by Divine Providence

Bursary rider Katharina Wirth (027) arrives into CP2 after dark, spirits still high and bright. We learn strawberry Haribo are the wrong kind – sour is the best, although Katharina sickened herself of them at TCR. It seems she’s saying that the race wasn’t hard enough for her taste – maybe TPR will be the lozenge she desires. Sweet preferences aside, there’s a more pressing decision to be made: watching the dots, most have gone into France after the CP to reach the next Parcours. By her reckoning, this means more climbing than choosing to go through Spain and double back later. Katharina has routes for both, but hasn’t been able to decide which.

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CP2 is the first staffed control point. Here, riders will identify themselves – name and cap number – and hand over their brevet card and the page they took from the book at CP1. If they have a preference on the line, they can let the volunteers know, otherwise they can have it chosen for them. Katharina lets CP2 volunteers Jim and Wendy choose the line that’s to be written into her brevet card:

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“Crossing this dusky entry, and on through yon low-arched way…”

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Spain it is. How’s that for divine providence?

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To explain, and for those who have not yet guessed: the book that has been affixed at CP1 is a copy of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. What is it about? Some might read the sprawling tale of Ahab’s relentless hunt for the white whale that took his leg as a metaphor for humankind’s search for meaning and the unknowableness of nature. Or, for those who eschew frou-frou symbolism, maybe it’s simply a tale about a man who hates a fish?

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After Parcours D, there’s broadly two choices to get to CP3 and Parcours E on the coast, west of San Sebastian. Nicholas and Bruno Wicht (066) have both turned south towards Pamplona. Max has turned north, back towards France – perhaps familiarity, perhaps an advantage to be gained by looping round and down via Hendaye and San Sebastian. The morning will let us know who has gained the upper hand.

Not 48 hours and the race has reached the Atlantic coast, not without obstacles: the power of the bicycle apparent.

SCRATCH REPORT

After a hot, fast start, day two has claimed seven more riders:

Ben Bradley (145) opened the account at 06:34, followed by Seattle’s Liam Donoghue (015) at 08:26. Stefan Van Gijsel (135) and Dominik Engelke (107) followed in the morning, and in the afternoon Rainer Renquet (020), Valentin Escalona (071) and Joel Marques (023) joined them. Hopefully we’ll see some of them at the party in Girona – they’ve earned a beer.

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