Ep. 27 – Cycling 2750km from Belgium to Spain

All Music by “Under the Skin”: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0AvLxd0MOteC026aTgu8KX
Intro music by NRA lab, Audio File ID: 119647
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Breakfast comes with the usual route check — and two tough climbs right out of the gate. A good test after yesterday’s dip. The first goes smoothly, the second is longer, steeper, and reminds me that Wim still climbs away with impressive ease. Still, he waits. Team spirit intact.

From the second summit we drop onto a dirt track toward an abandoned mining village I’ve been looking forward to. Wim is… cautious. Steep contours, no escape routes, endless gravel. Two locals warn us we’re crazy. I ignore the signs and follow my compass: Miñas del Horcajo.

The descent starts steep but quickly turns into a perfect trail, running along an old mining railway once used for hauling lead and silver ore. The views are spectacular — a clear reward for trusting the uncertain path. A one-kilometer tunnel adds some drama when the lights fail halfway, forcing us to steer one-handed by phone light, laughing nervously all the way through.

We emerge into a ghost town. Once home to thousands of miners, Miñas del Horcajo is now a silent landscape of ruins and forgotten shafts. On the climb back out, we pass a closed viaduct owned by the Duke of Westminster, and moments later a wild boar crosses the track with her piglets, completely unfazed.

The rest of the descent is rocky but manageable, followed by smooth gravel through eucalyptus trees. Finding a bivy spot proves harder than expected — fences everywhere — until we squeeze our tent beside an old stone wall. Not the grandest view, but a perfect ending to a day where trusting the route paid off.