Bonking happens when you feel your body is shutting down from sheer exhaustion due to lack of food or lack of water, or both. To ‘Bonk’ describes the condition caused by depleted glycogen (sugar) stores which generally results in a sudden loss of energy or fatigue.

I’d been quite good at keeping to the motto “eat before you get hungry, drink before you get thirsty” throughout the trip – not just because I’m a colossal gourmand -- but also for fear of ‘bonking’ on a hill (!). I had seen its effect on numerous cyclists in our group over the last few days and let me just say: it ain’t a pretty sight. First, your face goes completely white and you have to stop. You can barely stand so you sit down on the tarmac. Next, you’re vomiting and that’s it. You’re out for the rest of the day, sometimes for two!

Luckily, I had a spare caffeine gel in my jersey pocket. A condensed shot of sugar. Although it tastes a little metallic and is 100% unnatural, it’s a monumental lifesaver in such situations. One moment I couldn’t keep up with the boys and was genuinely starting to doubt my ability to tackle the final mountain; six minutes later, the caffeine and sugar kicked in and I got my legs back. However, it’s still a struggle as this is the most challenging day of the trip, covering over 140km and climbing over 3,000 metres. Vas, by far the fittest guy on the trip, cycles back to give me a pep talk in his Ali G accent: “Easy gears for the win”, “Keep ‘em spinning”, and my favourite, “You got dis!”

In cycle-speak he was ‘sweeping’ me. Helping with my morale and helping me with the last climb for the day. As taxing as this trip was on our bodies, and as cliché-d as this is going to sound, the real battle you’re fighting on these hills is with your mind. It’s learning to breathe, to stay calm and to adjust. Take a few breaks, eat, drink and pedal. Drop gears on climbs to avoid lactic acid build up. As long as you’ve got food and sugar in your system, you should technically be able to spin all day. And so we cycled, higher and higher, catching panoramic views that no Instagram photo could do justice (believe me I tried).

70 minutes later, we reached the Apex. This is record time for all of us. We jumped off our bikes, danced a quick celebratory dance, sipped our water, and donned our windproof jackets to buckle up for the down hills.

The Bilbao to Barcelona trip with Break the Cycle was so much more than a cycle trip. It taught me about camaraderie, about travelling, cooking, cleaning, camping and living with new faces. I learned about the wonderful people in the various eco villages we travelled to, how they lived off the land and in nature. I learned about cycling, ‘bonking', eating every 45 minutes and not gaining any weight. But most of all, I learned about myself. I learned that I’m capable of doing a lot. With only three weeks of ‘training’ (which included only four big-ish rides) I was able to cycle up the Pyrenees with 14 other lovely people. I’ve learned to stop talking about things and instead to just do them. To be or to do? I’ve chosen to do.