most challenging day thus far with 1700m elevation gain and some very steep roads. Gotta love the Basque Country, the landscapes and views from the mountains are breathtaking. No wonder many spanish pro bikers are from this region. we covered 75km in mountain territory which feels like more of an achievement than 130+ in France. By coincidence we passed the town of Orio, which is apparently Spain's most famous rowing town with people everywhere in the city wearing tshirts and having banners out from the local rowing club. I would have loved to get on the oars but we had quite a journey ahead of us, so that's for another time..

at night we went to a local bar in Berriz to eat and get a little bit of rest and met the most amazing locals there. Me being a Spanish native speaker obviously helped a lot, but the Bilbao fans who were watching their teams' game here were so excited about our project that they even invited us for drinks and to stay the night at their home. Thanks to people like Mikel, travel (and especially slow travel, such as bikepacking) is such an incredible and rewarding thing to do. Gotta love it!