X-PYR: The days before the race:
We arrived in Barcelona on Wednesday the 22nd of June and headed directly to pick up our rental camper van.
The van was not in a good shape! It had several electrical issues, smelled like shit, and was in general in a poor condition. Unfortunately this was the only car available, and we had no time to find a new camper. We decided to make it work. My supporter is an electrician, and I have an education in mechanics so we didn’t waste more time arguing.
We spent the first night just outside of Zaragoza. Clear sky and the car now smell like artificial apples (something we picked up at a gas station…) and we had an OK night in the van. Next day we arrived in Hondarribia, and it rained heavily in the afternoon. Now we discovered that the van had a hole/leak in the roof. A major leak! And it was not unknown to the rental service, because it was “repaired” or at least they spent a roll of duct tape on the roof…
With a forecast that predicted rain during the first days of the competition this was not good!
After some research we were heading to Bilbao where we could change the camper van. It was in way better condition than the other, but unfortunately the beds were only 170 cm long. We are all 183 cm or more… not ideal!
But now there was really no time to do anything about it. We had to pack and organize the car before the race.
Finally race day came and we were almost ready. We didn’t have much time to look at the forecast or strategy in advance because of all the hassle with the van, so we felt a little unprepared when the countdown at the beach of Hondarribia began. But we were optimistic and in a good mood. Ready to enjoy this adventure!
