Project 403 GAL

After a little over 403 kilometers and seven days away from his native Gijón, Pablo ( @pablomenendezdelbarrio ) reveals some key details of his adventure with Andrés ( @andres_tuercas ) crossing Asturias and the plateau to Santiago de Compostela on our Fabric Light bikes

Because?

I never would have thought I was capable of doing something like this. Andrés had done it several times before, but this was a turning point, both mentally and physically. It's been harder than we imagined, but perhaps that's what I was looking for. The origin of 403GAL went little beyond my father's death in a work accident, something we're still fighting for justice for. Those events broke me. I needed to do something big, to forge a new path, something in my father's name, a search for purpose. I needed to keep pedaling.

Why the Camino de Santiago?

The Camino de Santiago has been traveled for centuries by pilgrims from all over the world in search of the Apostle James. However, as the Archbishop of Lugo Cathedral sadly pointed out, this route has become excessively commercialized, turning into a gastronomic trail unsuitable for all budgets. Nevertheless, there are still many authentic pilgrims, their eyes downcast from the sun and their skin weathered, asking for water and help, unconcerned by the distance, gazing calmly at the horizon. For us, the Camino de Santiago was neither a pilgrimage of faith nor a sporting event (despite the effort); it was a personal quest, and this was the perfect setting for it.

Why a fixed gear?

That was the million-dollar question. Everyone looked at our bikes first—yes, they were eye-catching—and then their gaze quickly shifted to the rear axle, the absence of extra gears, shifters… Next, they'd give us a blank stare, and that's when the question came. There's no other answer: sadomasochism. And to this day, what a fixie makes us feel, no other bicycle has ever made us feel.

It's been a long way, you must have some stories to tell.

To say there were a few is an understatement; there were so many characters. Perhaps one I'll always remember is a half-pilgrim, half-beggar ex-soldier who came to ask us for some tortilla while we were sheltering in the shade of a hostel in León. Every hostel had its own magic in the stories of each pilgrim who spent the night there, and the communal dinners were something you couldn't miss. There were a few disagreements, though. When exhaustion, heat, hunger, and thirst set in, and you still have more than half a day ahead, the GPS doesn't work, the paths diverge, and arguments arise. We always had to think collectively. Sometimes I felt like I had fresh legs and didn't, but you learn from everything. Selfishness is sometimes my flaw, and Andrés was carrying more weight than I was.

Having trouble with the law?

Five kilometers from our departure from Gijón, the Civil Guard stopped us at a drug checkpoint; it was six in the morning, it was not yet dawn.

Did you get a puncture?

No, we were very lucky. I think if the owners of FabricBike had known what kind of riding we were going to do, they wouldn't have given us the fixies. There was a chain drop or two and a slightly damaged spoke, but nothing that prevented us from reaching our destination. Having a solid, shock-absorbing aluminum frame like the Fabric Light and having Schwalbe gravel tires was a huge plus.

How well-suited is the Camino de Santiago for cycling?

I suppose it went well. Our first two days followed a made-up itinerary, a straight line from Gijón to León, following whatever route Google Maps took us. We ended up climbing near the Puerto de Ventana pass, a climb so steep that even Chris Froome could barely manage it. Once we were on the Camino de Santiago, we split up, sometimes riding on roads and sometimes on dirt tracks, occasionally taking different paths (the old one, the French way, etc.). However, once we entered Galicia, from Cacabelos onwards, everything was perfectly signposted. Even if you were in the middle of nowhere, completely unrelated to the Camino, there was a scallop shell marking the way. As for the hostels, especially the municipal ones, we didn't find them very bike-friendly. However, there was complete respect between cyclists and pedestrians; after all, some faster, some slower, we all shared the same goal.

Future?

There's still a lot to see; we still have to finish the documentary about this adventure, which we hope will be something very special with a good life lesson behind it. But as for the strict future of cycling... I have a friend who says that when I get my license I'll forget about bikes, but I don't believe it. An idea is starting to take root in my head: Seville to Asturias, 1000 kilometers. It sounds good; it's easy to dream, but I'm a bit stubborn.