Europe - The Lions on the Road: Cycling London to Cape Town - page 38

and weaknesses we can become closer to God and that your faith will challenge you. This
held true as I made my way into Africa.
After receiving a final blessing from the celebrant, I made my way to Spain. When
I stopped for lunch at a supermarket, I realized I was heading south and not east on an
easierroadthatIcycledthreeyearsago. Istartedtoheadbackbuttwothingscametomind
which made me stop. I remembered the words the celebrant said about your faith being a
challenge. I put my faith in God and perhaps this error was really not an error but Him
leadingme.TheotherthingthatcametomindwastheproverbIheardonBBC2intheUK
as I was planning the tour: Don't pray to the Lord to move your mountain, just pray for the
strength to climb over it. As a result, I decided to continue on the southern route.
IheadedtoLuz-St.SaveurwhichwasthegatewaytothePyreneesMountains.After
a three-day rest, I knew that my first day on the bike had to be taken easy for it would be
somewhat of a shock for my legs. I headed past the Col du Toumalet (2115 m) and then to
Arreau passing over the Col d'Aspin (1489m) and through some stunning views. I stopped
in Arreau and found a hotel which concluded my 91-kilometre day. I must admit that the
ride itself was emotionally depressing though. Leaving Lourdes was like leaving home for
the first time. The emotional and spiritual warmth and security I found in Lourdes made it
that much harder to leave. Oh how I wished that I was cycling into Lourdes. As I lay in
bed, I had three questions about the next day's cycle:
1. Was cycling in the Tunnel de Bielsa permitted?
2. Where could I exchange Spanish currency?
3. Was there a bike shop nearby?
Heading Into Spain
All these questions were answered the next morning by the hotel clerk. First, cyc-
ling the tunnel was permitted as long as I had a light since the tunnel was not illuminated.