We bought our wrestling tickets with difficulty from a voiceless, faceless vendor behind thick opaque glass at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico and scooted into the building.
We were quite early and the place was deserted. We took our seats, about 10 rows back from the ring, and waited for something to happen.
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You may have heard in Episode 16 of our podcast that my parents flew from New Zealand to meet Baden and I in Havana.
Cuba was something a bit more intrepid for them. Baden and I had been in Cuba five years before and, expecting lots of changes, even we were unsure what we might find when we arrived.
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We mention the word “hot” quite a bit in this podcast because that’s what it’s been here cycling on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. We’ve been checking out some significant Mayan sites and having fun but the heat ended up being a bit too much for Baden.
Clockwise from top left: Baden swimming in a cenote; Chitchen Itza; Casa de los Venados folk art; Alan enjoying his Cuban poolside.
Clockwise from bottom right: shelter from the sun; hotel in Felipe Carrillo, the Talking Cross; Sanctuary of the Talking Cross
Clockwise from bottom right: Pedro Santos (triage is under the tree on the right); Baden struggling with heat exhaustion; our impromptu campsite; got a ride with Manuel to rescue the bikes
We spent our final night in Europe in a circular room with a few hundred besotted spaniards watching a beautiful woman sing love songs.
Our hosts were going to a concert and recommended we join them. Geraldine spoke so lovingly of Silvia Perez-Cruz, espousing her voice, lyrics, song choice, vulnerability. She said there was so much more to her music than simply a woman singing.
It was music that made Geraldine’s jaw drop and rendered her unable to think of, or do, anything else until the song had finished. Having watched a YouTube video of her singing Pequeño Vals Vienes that nearly made me cry, we obviously decided to go along.
Our stint off the bike continued with a holiday in Cuba. It’s our third time in the country so we discuss our observations as the socialist paradise begins to open up to change. We also speak with Shelley’s parents who joined us on tour for the month of July and what went wrong with Baden’s cycling plans for Cuba?
Clockwise from top left: Havana taxi, Sheila at La Ceiba, Che, street scene, Sheila and hibiscus, old dilapidated school, bar in Santa Clara
Clockwise from top left: Sheila and Baden in Trinidad, dancing in Santa Clara, waiting for bus tyre change, cycle taxis, pig on a spit in Las Tarrazas, cabana in Las Terrazas, John Kerry on Cuban tV
Recorded under a shady tree in Retiro Park in Madrid, we take some time to fill you in on our preparations for Central and South America. We visited Cenas a Pedal in Lisbon to get help with our bikes and do some last minute shopping for supplies before our flight to Cuba. We also discuss our route, goals for the trip and thank some people who have helped us prepare for the next part of our journey in the regular feature, ‘In praise of’.
Clockwise from top: boating lake at Retiro Park. Sign outside school. The Maas River mud on Shirley. Ana, Baden and Bruno at Cenas a Pedal. The wasteful packaging for some new pieces of kit. Palacio de Cibeles.
I have spent a lot of time and money with my friends at Cyclefit in London in setting up pedals and shoes to find a pain-free riding position on my racing bike. Time and money that I believe was well spent.
I can ride my Serotta Classique Titanium dream machine for hours on end without a problem. My position on that bike is perfect for me and me only and I’m a great believer in the concept of bike-fitting.
We found an oasis during the Madrid heatwave in the cool waters of our hosts’ plastic paddling pool, so we recorded the podcast there. This time we review our whole European trip. We pick out some bests and worsts, count up kilometres travelled and other statistics and discuss some of the things we’ve been reflecting on since we finished in Lisbon.
Centre: Castrojeriz. Clockwise from top right: paddling pool podcasting in Madrid. Atop the Cruz Ferro. Finishing point for Camino de Santiago. Colourful sign on our way into town. Delicious apple flan by Michele. Cycling along Galician coast from Baiona to A Guarda.