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MAR/APR 2019
ADVENTURE TRAVEL| SPAIN
TRIP OF SURPRISES- SPANISH BASQUE COUNTRY
BY EDDY KULA
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After enjoying the hiking along the ocean for four days, our first adventure ends back in
Mundaka, which will be my launching pad for the rest of my trip.
As luck would have it, the 2018 Vuelta de Espana cycling race featured several stages
in Basque country. We decide to see two stages: a time trial and a mountain stage. Both
were within a couple of hours from Mundaka. Time trials can be very important in a
stage race and this one was 32k, iit could help decide the final outcome. Honestly, I was
expecting some boredom that day. Racing against the clock one rider at a time sounds a
bit tedious. I was wrong for a couple of reasons.
The time trial was first. It ended at the Oscar Freire Gomez velodrome. We got to the
stage early and stationed ourselves at the final crucial turn entering the velodrome. It was
basically non-stop action with rider after rider coming in, a couple missing the turn and
others perfectly executing the 180°. It was non-stop action with spectators banging the
advertisement boards as the riders arrive. It was a lot more exciting than on TV!
As we watched the riders executing that last turn, I spotted Ian Boswell coming through
the turn. While he circled the velodrome to finish the 32k, I headed over to the fence sur-
rounding the finish chute.
“Ian, Ian…Bend, Oregon” I yelled as he headed toward the team van. He turned and
acknowledged me. I let him cool down a bit and then headed over to the van, introduced
myself, and had a conversation with him despite his exhaustion. (Evidently an excited fan
has no mercy though I judge myself better than the father who has stationed himself
right at the end of the chute with his two boys and attempts to stop every rider in hopes
of getting pictures with his kids).
Eventually, the team handlers shooed me off, but later that evening we exchanged text
messages and I wished him well in the rest of the race. He apologized for the chaos at
the end of the time trial stage. What a great surprise to meet this Bend native in a grand
tour!
The mountain stage turned out to be exciting and fun. A glass of wine or two in a small
village at the base of the mountain beforehand, race favorites losing it as they grind up
double digit gradient roads, fans running alongside their favorite rider, fog blanketing the
summit finish. It was the Tour de France but on a slightly smaller scale. Ian was riding
in the middle of the pack with some great riders including Peter Sagan (former World
Champion) but this day he was more about supporting his team leader than contending
for the stage win. He finished minutes behind the winner.
It turns out that I am surprised every day on this trip. From the small villages of the
Camino to the large cities of Spanish Basque country, the people are friendly, the culture
rich, the scenery quite awesome, and they love their bike racing. Fortunately, I also had
an opportunity to meet a local Bend athlete, an international bike racer, up close and
personal!
I hesitated…I had been to Spain two years before, cycling in Andalusia- southern Spain,
so I assumed a trip to Spain’s northern Basque country would be similar. A discussion
with a cycling friend from Bainbridge Island, who now lives in Mundaka in the heart of
the Basque region, was tempting; a chance to see the Vuelta de Espana (Tour of Spain)
cycling race and maybe hiking one of the ancient pilgrim routes (Camino de Santiago)
was too good to pass up. Little did I know this was to be a trip of surprises.
Unfortunately, the first surprise was missing an international flight out of JFK on a Friday
night without a hope of leaving for a couple of days. Luckily, I sleep well enough on
planes so that on Tuesday morning my ex-pat friend Michael and I are able to start hik-
ing on a coastal Camino route. Think of this route as a version of the old movie “Planes,
Trains, and Automobiles”. To get to our start in southwest France from Mundaka, Spain,
we used a train, two bus connections, a cab, and a little bit of cross town hiking. It was
worth it.
I had certainly heard about the Camino de Santiago, a Christian pilgrim route emanating
from the Middle Ages. I had American acquaintances that had hiked the route for spiritual
reasons. I was hoping to experience the culture, the people, and the scenery of Basque
country.
The coastal route has it all, from small charming towns, ferry rides, auberges to get ac-
quainted with fellow “pilgrims”, historical ruins, and lots of views of the ocean. Oh, and lots
of ups and downs. Along the way, I began to understand the strength and pride of the
Basque culture. Traffic signs in Basque and Spanish, menus in Basque/Spanish or just
Basque, and political signs that voice their continued expression of independence from
France and Spain.