DAY ZERO


Arzak Restaurant
San Sebastian

Thanks to the excellent foresight of Cycling Rob half a dozen of us will get to sample the wonders of the three star Basque restaurant in San Sebastian next Saturday before starting out on the Pyrenean Raid on the Monday morning. Arzak has been voted in the world's top ten restaurants for the last two years and chef Elena Arzak was awarded the title of the world's best female chef earlier this year. This may be setting the culinary bar a little high for the rest of the trip, but I for one can't wait!

"The philosophy of father and daughter chefs Juan Mari and Elena is simple: take good, honest Spanish food and raise it to new heights of flavour and texture, and transform eating it into a multisensory experience. While certain dishes, such as monkfish with gooseberries, are now served on computer screens, classic Basque recipes remain the bedrock of all the restaurant does, and flavour the guiding principle."

Stay tuned for...

DAY ONE

Biarritz - St Martin d'Arrosa

80 km     1200m climbing