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Mike Cotty's early report from his 690km Pyrenees challenge

Fresh-ish from his stunning 30hr 43min ride across the Pyrenees last week, Mike Cotty has sent over a few words and photos from this ride.

Another deep breath and the Mediterranean finally comes in to view. Light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, or something like that. The roads are busy, a far cry from the serenity of the hours that have just passed. The aroma of sea salt drifts inland with increased potency, acting as a stimulant for both body and mind.

A smile as long as the coastline beams brighter than the intensity of the mid afternoon sun. The type of warmth inside that you wish you could reignite during the darkest depths of winter. They say it takes exactly 119.53 seconds to pour the perfect Guinness. I’ll confess I’ve never been much of a drinker.

Two hundred and eighty thousand leg revolutions, quarter of a million heartbeats, twenty-one thousand calories, eleven thousand metres of elevation, four hundred and twenty-five miles or thirty hours and forty three minutes. These are the numbers that have relevance to me. Numbers that make up a ride…