Second attempt Day 42

Sierra Nevada stands 2075 meters high. Ben Nevis, in comparison, the best the UK can muster stands a mere 1345 meters in stature. Even Alpe D'Huez, the most famous and most gruelling Tour de France obstacle only boasts 1860 meters - Phoa! 'small fry' I thought! 

Getting there would be the highest ride of my cycling life without a doubt - at times during it, it started to feel like my last - but eventually, very eventually, 35km of agonising climbing to be exact,  it was reached, achieved and duly ticked off the bucket list. 

The ice-line appeared around 1500 meters up, by 1750 meters it was minus 2 and thick snow was lying on the ground. Fortunately the main roads near the top had been well gritted but still treacherous in places. The  off road, mountain gravel tracks lower down even more dangerous - thank god for the versatility of the recently invented gravel bike - even so, it took well over 3 hours to complete the climb. 

A lot of thoughts flash through your mind during a climb like that. But it's sure a great way to do your  thinking - clearer, more creative thinking. I thought about the last two years and how they had flown by. So much had happened. The death of my Father and the start of the Pandemic, how my focus had correctly changed from work to life and family, and how our future had changed from the UK to Spain. The pandemic had not stopped us, we had refused to let it. We had carved a beautiful life for ourselves, and whilst the sweat poured off me and immediately turned my brows to frost, I realised giving up the booze had been the final piece of the jigsaw. The shackles were now off, I could achieve so much more with my remaining time. 

Now before I drift off into a Miley Cirus-esque emotional tirade about climbing life's obstacles, I just want to say four days in a ski resort, with family and partners all drinking and partying was not an easy achievement. Staying dry in such an environment bloody torture - I was very tempted indeed to have a wee dram. But dry I stayed, and had a wonderful time with all. A rare occurrence for us all to be together in the same place due to busy lives. Very proud of myself I am too for doing it. 

After our slope time came to an end, my reward for getting up to the peak of Sierra Nevada was about to come  - the descent back down. What a ride - looking like Michelin man with huge amounts of layers to protect me from the freezing downhill wind, off I set to Jayena and then on to Colmenar for two nights of stopovers in more sedate and temperate Andalucian climes. 

A lot of the things I am doing I have always done, but doing them whilst staying dry is enhacing the whole experience. Allowing me to do these things more often, to do more ambitious things and to do them to my full ability.

As I was in dreamland attempting the Sierra Nevada climb last week, many people were bibbing horns and hanging out of car windows waving and encouraging me all the way up. The Spanish love their cycling - and it was a lovely gesture that really helped me. The pain of the climb offset by the biggest smile on my face.

Me and the bike were literally the closest to heaven we had ever been.