This was the uniform of the day for Sunday, 1 July 2012. We'd been watching the 2012 finals with our breath in our throats, wondering whether Spain would prevail. Unable to sit still and wait for things to happen, I donned the shirt, jumped on the ancient Colnago and pedaled down the Rio Segura Trail to Formentera where I met David, Margaret, Mark and Jane in a sea of red and gold clothing spread across the plaza. The place was packed; tables, chairs, wheelchairs, bicycles, children, grandparents, babes in arms and the rest of us-all with a glass or bottle in hand and a cheer in our lungs just waiting to explode. And it did. Goal #1 brought the crowd to its feet amid thundering applause, wild cheers and the hiss of skyrockets from every plaza in Spain. And the game continued, as most of you know. At half time, I jumped on the bike and hurried back to Algorfa and the plaza which had a television inside and in front of every bar. The crowds were glued to the sets and the tension was palpable as Italy did its best to try and recover. After a beer with friends there, I sped home to finish the game with Is an Tim who had decided to put their feet up and watch from the comfort of the couch. The final two strikers' goals sealed the championship and we all exhaled and had the celebratory brew. Viva Espana!
This may be the last entry from Spain til the fall. We leave on the 15th and are just realizing that we have a lot to do in the two weeks. Butterflies...panic...etc. On top of all the preparations, cleaning, packing and paper-chasing I hope to do 900 kliks. Yup, I've set another goal-10,000 kliks this year. Sounds like a lot, but it's only about 6,250 miles, less than my previous high. The real challenge will be to keep the pace up while in the US and then there are the down days in London during October.
Stay tuned...
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