This next morning is full of activity: Juliane has a flat tire and has to walk to Maceda, Pacôme needs to post his 6kilo package of newspapers he collected, and Nicolas wants to get it on camera. But first there is an improvised breakfast (the cook is not there yet) at La Diligencia. We ask the owners a little bit about Maceda. The young people we’ve seen are not from around. Many people come to the little town (which used to be twice as big) for holiday. 5km outside Maceda lies Os Milagros with an ancient monastery and cemetery, a tourist attraction for many Spaniards. When the holidays are over in September, nothing is happening in the town anymore until next year. The young people of Spain mostly live in Bilbao, Barcelona, Madrid, the bigger cities of Spain or go abroad for jobs.

Juliane’s tire seems to be okay and we head for the post office. It’s quite something for them to send such a package to Belgium, and to be filmed while working. Juliane also takes advantage of the post service and sends her first book of notes, drawings, paintings, etc to Belgium.

Next stop, Laza. A trip of 40km of which the first 20km are going up (until 950m) and the next 20km down. Laza is the first village of a valley that will later lead to Verin and the border of Spain and Portugal. While having lunch in Laza we are surprised by a heavy rain hose passing by. We doubt to go further to Verin, but when the sky clears up we go anyway. The road through the valley is fantastic. During 20km we’ve never been riding so flat. Arriving in Verin, we notice a nice ambience of people and many bikes. The first thing we see is a bike shop called Bicicletas Chinquena. A very nice bike owner helps Nicolas out to find some extra brakes. We spot a very nice wooden bike in the shop and the owner gives us the number of the maker of it who actually lives in Verin. We decide to meet up with the guy later.

First we take a look at Pension Venecia that was recommended to us as a place to stay. The rooms are cheap here (24€ for two people) and we decide to spend the night in Verin. The owner of the pension takes us outside and directs us to the building where we’ll sleep.

Once unpacked and installed we get in touch with the bike builder Gerardo. He picks us up with a truck and drives us to his atelier. We learn that it’s a family business that already works with wood for four generations and that they are specialised in woodbending. It was the grandfather of Gerardo who builded the first wooden bike. The model looks very much like a solex designed by Piet Mondriaan. The new models that the current generation made (and patented) are more sportive and technologically advanced. The team consists of Gerardo (designer, PR and engineer), the father (woodworker and poet) and the brother (sportsman and tester of the bikes). After presenting the bikes and the family history, Nicolas makes a small interview for his documentary show, La Ruta del Trompe. And then comes the wine, sausage and bread, all his homemade. We find ourselves chatting like acquaintances, laughing and exchanging experiences, secrets about Cyclo Wood etc. We ask if the team of CycloWood would not be interested in a workshop designing and making wooden foldable bikes for our next Default. They like the idea and our project very much. Let’s keep this both crazy and wonderful idea in mind! A workshop like that could in fact gather all the bike related people we me(e)t on this fold to gather in Verin.

Gerardo takes us back to the town centre where we get a last drink and tapas to close this wonderful day and surprising evening.