KROMVOJOJ - Part 3

CP2 to CP3, Mont Caro to FINISH. 588km 7,945m elevation. 36hours45min.

Jul 06, 2025

I left Bernat at Col du Portalet and went into a shop. This was a border so there were strangely big supermarkets. Why do borders always do this?
Anyway, I was almost too hot and too hungry to want a big supermarket. I didn’t have the capacity to make decisions. As it was on the top of a mountain, there wasn’t much in the way of fresh produce. I decided to buy these donuts as I was looking for high carb items, lots of drinks and a kids and babies factor 50 suncream. This has to save me.
I pay and go outside to eat the donuts. What a terrible idea they were. They were so dry and not very palatable. I tried to eat some as I knew I needed carbs but I just couldn’t. I stuffed a few in my pockets and then didn’t know what to do with them so took them back inside to the cashier.
She looked confused and asked, “You don’t like them?” so I just replied saying, “They are delicious but they are for you.”
Onto the descent, I put the arm sleeves on as usually you need some sort of layer for the descent but this just was unbelievably hot. I knew this valley was going to be hot but I wasn’t expecting it to be this hot just off the climb. I was at 1700m.

Smaller winding roads that were sort of parallel to the main road. Here in my head it was just going to be downhill to Mont Caro. Relatively I guess yes but in reality no.
A couple of little steep kick ups before descending further.
Shocked by the heat and armed with my spray-on suncream, it was in my back pocket and I would spray it on whilst riding. As it was far too hot for the arm sleeves in any capacity and there was limited water.
Aware that the next section had about 100km with no resupply so I stocked up on drinks and snacks. Struggling to eat much in the heat so it was just sweets and Coca-Cola to get me through. And 3 Calippos in each bidon of course. But they were basically melted in minutes.
This section of road was the hottest I have ever been and the closest I’ve ever felt to melting. No shade anywhere and a want to just sit down but I just told myself the only way to get out of this is to just keep pedalling.
I felt like I was moving unbelievably slowly just melting in the heat, to my delight I found a gas station. 3 more Calippos and a cold Aquarius. And I stood in the air-con shop questioning what I was doing. Every time I psyched myself up to go outside I just felt the wall of heat as the doors opened. I gave myself longer than I would usually stop. I really was cooking.
I finally managed to leave with some energy found, the road was gradually uphill for about 30k in the blazing sun. It was along a river that looked so inviting to get in.
I saw a gravel path down, it was very tempting.
By the third path I couldn’t resist and went to cool myself down. Glorious.
Then I got back on my bike and a few kms along found a water fountain-another delight.
Helmet submerged and cooled myself down.
I got to the “top” of this section, at least I thought. It was a slight descent but then onto small almost gravel tracks with some steep little sections.
I was getting excited to reach the main road and tarmac again.
I look up and the division of grey cloud and blue sky. I knew storms were forecast for the mountains on Tuesday afternoon. I hear thunder and saw some lightning. This motivated me to pedal harder. All the way until I got to Barbastro.
Here was my big dinner restock - I wanted a pizza. The lady had just opened, said it would take half an hour. I decided I could do with a pause and charge everything.
To my delight there was a supermarket opposite, I asked the pizza lady if I could leave my bike inside, she directed me to the food storage room and it leant against the freezer.
A cool air-conditioned supermarket. I even got aloe vera to put on my sunburn.
I returned, ate the pizza and got ready for the night ahead.
Mont Caro looming and aware if I took much rest I’d get there in the middle of the day…
So I just planned to pedal for as long as I could until I got tired. This was the last night after all. The roads were flat, I was in the aero bars most of the time.
Still well over 30 degrees even at 9pm.

I got to a town with an open bar, got a Coke and some ice while some drunk men spoke at me in Spanish.
The sun setting and the full moon rose, I was just pedalling along pretty flat roads.
Midnight comes and I’m on a beautiful quiet road with water on one side. Some sort of historical building ruin. Perfect bivvy spot.
The moon was so bright it was almost like a light. A nice breeze keeping me cool. I get my bivvy stuff out, it was still so hot I didn’t even need to bother with the sleeping bag, just bare legs in the bivvy.
The plan was another 90 mins. I sleep for 30 and woke up feeling so ready to ride but thought I need to rest more, I laid there for another 30 mins unable to sleep so just thought I should just get back on the bike.
A little climb, the temperature cooler. I was listening to music.
Felt like I was making good progress with my sights set on the sunrise and Mont Caro.
I ride through a town, it’s about 5am, I see a couple of benches and think that looks comfy.
And this is when I know I’m feeling tired. Aware I hadn’t slept as much as I had hoped earlier, I decided to take a nap for 10 mins.
I wake up refreshed and the sun just rising.
A long descent and a main road. A gas station that opens at 7am-perfect. I was in need of a coffee.
The person who worked at the gas station had this little barky dog that wouldn’t leave me alone. She made us both a coffee and we drank them together. I put the last of my drink mix in my bidons, sun-creamed up and headed towards Mont Caro.

The road up to the climb on a slight incline with a clear view of the mountain ahead. In awe, but one of those where you think, “I can’t really be going all the way to the top up there…”

It was 8:30 by the time I started the real climbing and it was already unbelievably hot. It was here I was happy that I hadn’t slept so much as to climb this any later would have felt like melting and I’d had enough of that feeling the day before.
The climb was steep but the views just got better. And I love when you can see the switchbacks ahead of you. And you look down to see how far you have come.
A water fountain - I couldn’t believe it. I get there to find it was only dripping warm water.
The climbing continued.
I had thought I would go to the top and then go to the CP but I was so in need of a cold drink I opted to go to the CP first and save the last 3km for after.
The volunteers at the CP were so welcoming and this refuge was in the shaded trees. I ordered a Coke and an Aquarius and ice.
I sat down and stayed for a while. They asked if I wanted any food but I didn’t fancy anything, aware that I still had 3k to climb in the heat.
Feeling cool and refreshed I left and continued up the climb. Steep, hot and a windy road.
I got to the top, it was so quiet. I see the viewing platform.
I get off my bike and take a moment. The first time all race I really stopped and thought about what I was doing and where I was. How cool.

This was the risky point where it feels like you’re close to home. But it was still 200k.
But I let my mind feel relief and accomplishment for a little bit.
On the bike and onto the descent. Passing other riders who were climbing up and gave them a wave.
The road along the valley was hot. There was a canal-type river parallel to the road. I needed some cool water. Precariously trying to reach into the water but the ledge quite high. I managed to get my helmet just in and out enough to cool me down a bit. Back on my bike and to a gas station. An Aquarius and a Calippo were necessary before I could make any decisions. I knew I needed food and I felt the lack of sleep catching up to me.
Plan was to go into the town and get some potatoes. I saw bravas on the menu - perfect - but didn’t realise I was at a fish restaurant and that they came with small bits of fish on the top… Feeling the most cooked of the whole ride here but ready to get to the finish.

The elevation profile was misleading. Flat for about 100k but this was actually on gravel and into a headwind… I’d take climbing in the immense sun any day.
The gravel section required some concentration and positive thoughts not to get a puncture. A section of road and you’d think maybe that’s it before it went back to gravel again. Grass on either side. I was starting to feel tired. I thought let’s just do a 5-min nap. Bike on the floor, phone with alarm on chest. 5 mins and I woke up so refreshed.
The route sent me on a private gravel road which led nowhere. I retraced my route to find an alternative to find Dani. We rode together for all of 5 mins before he zoomed off again.
I caught him up in the supermarket. I efficiently got my snacks and was back on my bike while he still ate but unsurprisingly quickly caught me up and zoomed past me again.
70ks with about 2,000m of climbing to go.
This is where you need to tell yourself to keep eating lots as that’s still a big ride.
Photographer Jordi makes an appearance again. I was flagging a bit, the exhaustion catching up to me. Then I remembered I had a can of Coke!! Saviour.

Onto the final three climbs of the route.
This is where things got weird… I was so sure I’d been on those roads before. I knew what was coming next. I knew what the climb looked like. I was so in my own head trying to work out when I would have been on these roads...

(Spoiler I had never been there before. This was some crazy sleep deprivation sort of thing. I even looked at my heat maps after as I was sure I’d been there…)

The sun sets. It’s sort of cloudy. Final climb - it was dark. The film crew at the top. 20ks left to the finish. It finally was actually all downhill from here. But I was still just trying to work out when I had been on these roads.
Into Reus and up the road to the finish.
It was 11pm.
My parents, Aleix and my brother on FaceTime there to greet me along with the race organisers.

I did it and it was still Wednesday. My ambitious goal of finishing some point in that night - I thought early hours of Thursday morning was already ambitious.
To exceed that and to have had the best time - what an amazing feeling!!
And then add on I was the fastest woman and 6th overall!!! What a cherry on the top of an incredible 4 days and 5 hours.
1400km and 28,000m elevation.

I was really, really tired. I think the most tired I have ever been ever. I didn’t plan to sleep that little but I just listened to my body and it just wanted to ride.

This race was truly amazing, the route super nice and the organisers themselves such great people. Thank you Uri, Joan, Tomás and Bernat. What you created is something really special.