Physical training

Of course you cannot do such a trip without proper preparation. Training trips through the mountains and through the woods, many hundreds of kilometers we did this year already... Bucharest is not really a bicycle friendly city. We normally put our bikes in the back of a car and it takes us 1-2 hours to get to the best cycling environment imagineable. We have been in places where no bicycle has been seen before. Romania really is a beautiful country with an incredible landscape. With trial and error (there are no good maps available) we have now put together a nice series of mountainbike routes. We are curious to see if the Camino is very different from what we are used to.

The trip

We will cycle from right to left on this map. In total some 850 kilometers (depending on how many wrong turns we take, some people already told us it is only 790 kilometers but they do not realise how bad we are at following a track).
We will start with a nice down-hill trip from Roncesvalles to Pamplona, though many mountains will be on our way before we reach Santiago de Compostela!
The middle part leads us for some 200 km through the flat 'Meseta' (table land) between Burgos and Leon. Little shade, lots of sun.
We have been training very much, so we believe we are ready for the trip!

Preparation

We used to go cycling in the mountains of Romania every other week. Then Richard came up with the idea of doing the Camino about one year ago. Since then we have spent more time off our bicycles talking about it than time on our bicycles trying to work on our physical condition. We discussed packing lists, we hired bicycles in Portugal and reserved our first night in Roncesvalles in Hotel Posada. We can hardly wait to start!

Letter to friends - Buen Camino

Dear all,

The final 2 days before we leave: on Sunday morning we will be at Bucharest's Otopeni Airport carrying as little luggage as possible. Our flight to Madrid will be followed by a 450 km car drive to Roncesvalles. We are curious to see if our rental bikes will be waiting for us. And if they look sufficiently mobile. As of Monday morning we will be researching how hard the saddle is. On that first day, 11th June, we will cycle to Pamplona. After that we'll take it one day at a time with the goal of cycling around 65 km per day. Around 23rd-24th June we should arrive in Santiago de Compostella. Tired but happy for having lived this new experience.

As you know we will try to post a short update and some pictures on a regular basis on our blog www.janrichardsam.blogspot.com

You can already check it now. Enjoy a good read. Feel free to send us a mail at janrichardsam@gmail.com or leave a comment on the blog.

As you know, we are combining our trip with fund-raising for a charity in Romania. So far we've raised 8,574 Euros for the Village Saint Jean (more details on the blog). We'd like say a big thank you to the over 100 people who have already made a commitment for a donation. Of course there's still time for others to join in. Just send a mail to janrichardsam@gmail.com indicating the amount you would like to donate. After we return from Spain we will send you the bank details of the Village Saint Jean so you can make the transfer.

We end this message in the style of the next 15 days, using the greeting given to each pilgrim on his or her way to Santiago:

Buen Camino!

Jan/Richard/Sam

Letter to friends - Where does the pelgrim sleep?

Dear all,
The countdown is nearing its end. 6 more nights in our normal habitat. On Sunday we leave for our journey into the unknown. Yesterday we did our last training run. 45 kilometres of hard work in the Carpathian Mountains, climbing 700 metres in height, in temperatures of over 30 degrees. The muscle pain is bearable, the training of the past months has paid off. Less of a success is the way our arms and legs look. Full-on sun and no protection has left us looking like 3 lobsters. A good lesson. Protection from the sun has not been a priority on our list. We know better now. A daily cream-rubbing session awaits us on our road to Santiago. Friends who did the pilgrimage before tell us that quite a few pilgrims have to withdraw because of sun burn. We will cycle with the sun continuously on our backs. Our calves and necks will truly enjoy the next 2 weeks.
Where does the pilgrim sleep? Along the Camino you find the so-called ‘refugios’, which are often run by volunteers (hospitaleros). Sometimes you find a refugio in a monastery, but most are just in normal houses in a village. The accommodation is adapted to the basic needs of the pilgrim. You find a large room with many beds, you take a shower (‘most refugios now do have warm water’ I read recently; I suppose real pilgrims – such as Richard and Sam in our group – refuse the offer of warm water…). Often there's a place where you can cook. And hopefully there's also a back room where we can lock away our bicycles.
Only pilgrims with a Pilgrim Record ('credential') can sleep in the refugios. It will therefore be crucial for us to obtain this document on our first day, in Roncesvalles. You let this small passport-like document be stamped once or twice per day (in the refugio, a church, etc), and when arriving in Santiago you use it to prove that you walked at least the last 100 kilometres or cycled the last 200 kilometres of the Camino. If all is ok, you receive the ‘Compostella’, a sort of certificate.
Another important point for us to remember is that the refugios give preference to pilgrims doing the Camino byfoot over those doing it by bicycle. Normally, cyclist-pilgrims can only be sure to get a bed at the refugio after 18:00. Before that, only pilgrims on foot are welcome. This is understandable. A cyclist can easily go on for another 5 or 10 kilometres to the refugio in the next village. More so than someone on foot. And if we are really desperate (or we want to limit the snoring to the 3 of us) we can always book ourselves into one of the many small hotels along the Camino.
As you might know, you can follow our pilgrimage on www.janrichardsam.blogspot.com
Our fundraising for the charity run by Frere Mathieu (www.unitate.ro) has reached 5,307 Euros so far. Thanks to all those who support this good cause. Others can still contribute. Sending a mail stating the amount you want to sponsor is all that is needed.
Talk to you soon.
Your pilgrims.
Jan/Richard/Sam

Letter to friends - What do we pack?

Dear all,

What does a pilgrim take on a trip of 850 km from Roncesvalles to Santiago? Normally, the pilgrim overestimates his need for luggage, and his own force to carry it. All the places where pilgrims sleep are full with luggage items that were left there by pilgrims realising that less means more. So we have to be careful when packing. The pilgrim-on-foot carries his luggage on his back and limits himself normally to some 12 kg. Our luggage will be carried in bags on our bikes. The guy who rents us the bikes told us we can take 20 kg per bike. So we can take more than the backpack pilgrim, but the road is hilly, and one kilo less will still be nicer than one kilo more.

Our packing list has a clear effect on how we schedule our days on the road. We leave early in the morning (making progress before the heat of the sun comes through). Maybe a ‘siesta’ at noon (at the place where we will spend the night, or under a tree for a couple of hours before we continue cycling in the late afternoon). After a day of cycling our first task is to wash our pilgrim outfit. Cyclist shorts, cycling shirt, socks, preferably all in modern nylon and gore-tex material. There is no time for cotton. A quick wash and we hope to find some evening sun so that all is dry again by the next day.

Our list: 2 cycling shorts, 2 cycling shirts, 2 pair of socks, 1 pair of cycling gloves; 1 pair of cycling shoes; 1 hat to protect us from the sun.

We hope for as few rainy days as possible. None if possible. It is no fun to cycle in the rain. And it breaks the normal daily routine of washing and drying clothes. Shorts and shirts will not get dry in time. The 2nd rainy day is saved by our reserve outfit. But a 3rd rainy day in a row is drama. Have you ever experienced the pleasure of putting on a half-wet shirt when waking up?

A sleeping sheet (sleeping bags are too warm), a couple of t-shirts, underwear (another item for our daily washing activity), easy shoes for the evenngs, toiletries. And not to be forgotten: earplugs, our insurance against nights full of nerves and frustration. Pilgrims ar famous for their snoring capacities.

A cycling bottle, rain coat, long trousers, long sleeve t-shirt for the chilly morning hours, a camera as backup for our visual memory, and a book ’Spanish for pilgrims’ (where is the road to Santiago, por favor?).

A bankcard, some cash (where are those old Pesetas again?), a map or a book on the road to follow.

The last item on the list is a stone. The tradition wants that pilgrims leave it behind on the way (at Cruz de Hierro). How many romanian stones have taken this route before?

As you might know by now, we are supporting a charity project during our trip (http://www.unitate.ro/). Our thanks go out to those who already support us with this initiative. We have reached a total of 3.410 Euro by now. There is still time for more. In case you want to support this nice project of Frere Mathieu, then just send us a short mail indicating what amount you want to donate.

Talk to you soon.

Your pilgrims.

Jan/Richard/Sam

Letter to friends - Why do we start in Roncesvalles?

Dear all,

We start our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela on June 11th from Roncesvalles. Somewhere in the mountains, just across the border between France and Spain. The first few days we will be cycling up and down out of the Pyrenees.

The real pilgrim starts his journey from home. Close the frontdoor behind you, hide the key under the flowerpot and off you go. From Bucharest that would mean 3.000 kilometers of cycling. Maybe later sometime. Now we don’t have the patience. Nor the time.

St Jean Pied du Port probably is the 2nd best option as a starting point. On the french side of the mountains, in the middle of the Pyrenees. A day-walk away from Roncesvalles. But what a day. You have to climb 1.200 meter on that first day. We did not fancy that idea. Not on a first day. And also our Portuguese bicycle-rental guy did not want to drive to France to deliver our 3 bikes. Lucky us. And that’s why we start in Roncesvalles, 20 kilometer closer to Santiago. The first village past the border in Spain.

We will follow the traditional so-called ‘french route’ (we will be cycling all the time in Spain though). Some 850 kilometers till Santiago, covered in 13-14 days of hard work. We do not have fixed stops; we will go through a few bigger cities on the road (Pamplona, on the first day, later on Burgos and Leon) but I suppose we will be happy to continue without long stop there.

Our charity action for Village St Jean has raised 1.847 Euro until now. There still is space for more. Just send us a mail with the amount you would like to sponsor (http://www.unitate.ro/ gives you more info on the charity we support). Thanks to those of you who did so already. A quick example: you sponsor 0.2 euro for each 10 km we cycle; at the end we come with proof (and we do estimate now it is going to be 850 km); in this example you would sponsor a total of 17 euro. Of course we accept all donations, smaller and bigger. The ones amongst you who did not have high marks in maths can always go for a fixed amount for the whole trip, don’t feel obliged to go for a value per 10 km. One of you indicated in his support mail that he would only accept kilometers that were really cycled. Putting our bikes on the back of a truck would not count. Andre, as if we would be up to such a thing. Our Spanish really is not good enough.

Talk to you soon.

Your pilgrims.

Jan, Richard, Sam

Letter to friends - Introduction to our Camino plan

Dear all,3 weeks to go.
On 10th June, we, Richard, Sam and Jan, fly from Bucharest to Madrid. It will take us 4-5 hours to get from Madrid to Pamplona. From there we have another 65 km to Roncesvalles, from where we start our trip to Santiago de Compostela following the historic pilgrimage route (the Camino Francés for those in the know). Pension Posada in Roncesvalles has been informed in Manuel à la Fawlty Towers Spanish of our scheduled arrival, and we hope to find 3 beds reserved. We also hope to find 3 bicycles waiting for us. Delivered by a Portuguese bike-rental company called Bikeiberia. All paid for by credit card. Over the Internet…. Do I sense the raising of eyebrows? Pilgrims are well known for their trust in their fellow human beings. Especially, it seems, in a man called Didier from Bikeiberia. He’d better not disappoint us.
3 weeks to go.
More than enough time to pack. We’re each taking 10 kg. More is not necessary. More is not done. Each gram counts when you cycle in a hilly environment. And as a consequence every T-shirt, every sock is taken into consideration. No room even for a good book. Let alone the bible. The extra kilos around Jan’s waist have been dealt with over the past few months. Sam and Richard still have some work to do in that area. Quite some work in fact. At least they won’t have any problems with the downhill sections of our trip.
3 weeks to go.
Time for this mail. A wake-up call for those already awake. An action for a good cause. One that does not end in Santiago, but back home in Romania. We have known the congregation of St Jean for many years. Just like Jan, Frere Mathieu came to Bucharest from Belgium in 1997. He established the St Jean community here. An oasis in a busy Bucharest. He builds bridges between different religions, different ways of life. He became a friend. An example in much of what he does. For the last 2 years he has been working on the ‘St Jean Village’ project. Giving a chance to those without. A project we fully support. See for yourselves at http://www.unitate.ro/.
The road from Roncesvalles to Santiago is some 850 kilometers long. We have started a sponsorship campaign. For the St Jean Village. You transfer an amount for each 10 kilometers cycled. At the end we’ll provide proof of the distance travelled. Together we can make dreams come true. And in the meantime Richard and Sam can loose some more kilos. Everybody’s happy.
Here’s an example: you donate 0.2 euros per 10 kilometers. In Santiago our bike computer shows we covered 850 km since leaving Roncesvalles. That means you sponsor us for a total of 17 euros. After we return home we send you the bank details and you make the transfer. Of course you can sponsor us for more or less than the above example. Just send us an email before we leave on 10th June indicating how much you want to sponsor us for. We’ll keep you up to date on the length of our sponsorship list. From previous sponsored events (e.g. the New York Marathon in 1993 and 2003) we know how sponsorship for a good cause provides that extra motivation needed when taking on a physical challenge. Especially when going downhill.
Thanks.
Your pilgrims
Sam, Jan and Richard