Texted my friend Mike Russum re where to eat in Bilbao (he did a big project for the mayor there several years ago, so knows it well). He told me to go to La Terrazza in the Old City. So we took a tram there only to find that it had closed down some years ago. However, found a great restaurant to eat at. We shared some fried chicken pieces with dips then I had duck breast in port wine with poached pears and J C had the burger with goats cheese. Sweet and coffee. ...

On paper, this always looked the hardest day (with the possible exception of the day after tomorrow). Whilst it was only about 70 miles, it was across a very hilly/mountainous area. We spent around 6 hours climbing under the baking sun. Only interrupted by the occasional hairy decent. This is where all the hours of training proved their worth. One rule: never dismount. However slow. The day started badly for JC, who breakfasted on a cocktail of both paracetamol ...

The crossing was good. A strong headwind in Biscay slowed our progress a tad, but there was insufficient list to cause any real seasickness problems. Watched Man City share the points with Liverpool on the big screen. JC resolutely, courageously and comprehensively ignored the advice on her seasick tablets which stated 'not to be taken with alcohol'. For my part, I ignored my gut feeling that I should avoid the plate of (supposedly) fresh prawns for dinner. So ...