TERRA INCOGNITA

For over 150 years, cycling has delivered heroes, battles, and stories. But these big classics and grand tours, they're more than races. They're windows—into the soul of mountains, towns, and hidden valleys. And yet, it all rushes by. No time to linger. No time to truly see. Not even for Laurens. Twelve years in the pro peloton, always moving. But he kept a list—a little black notebook - a quiet promise to return.
Now, that time has come. Laurens and Stefan go back. To the famous climbs and the forgotten roads. On the bike. And beyond.

The Little Black Notebook
In 2010, Laurens bought a little black notebook to keep track of all his travels. You could say it was some kind of diary, or maybe better: scrapbook. Not the pink kind your nine-year-old niece would make of it, but more like a black chaotic bundle of everything, held together by an elastic string. Restaurants bills and flyers of interesting sites are mixed with dates, personal notes (how did a stage race go), fun facts and a lot of names. Names of villages, names of mountains, names of roads. And let's not forgot the names of bars, restaurants and cafés. He would tell everybody he knew, that, once this part of his fast life was over, he would come back. With his wife, with his kids or with his friends. Not just passing them by on a bike, heading for another crazy day in the peloton. 

Lagos de Covadonga
A few places in particular stayed in his heart forever. One of them was the region Asturias in northern Spain. A region that is located in between the impressive waves of the Atlantic Ocean and the rugged Cantabric mountain range. The National Park Picos de Europa forms an important part of these mountains and is well known to cyclists. The Vuelta a Espana loves to take it to the top every other year, as a decisive way to separate the men from the boys. High up in the mountains, there are two lakes, Lake Enol and Lake Ercina, reflecting the light as mirrors. The main road that takes you to the lakes is awfully steep and leaves no discussion about its role as a butcher in the big races. It was at exactly this spot where Miguel Indurain had decided, enough is enough. His cycling carreer endend at the foot of this climb, near hotel El Capitán. He got off his bike, entered the hotel and that was it. Laurens and Stefan visit the hotel, hoping that important part of Spanish cycling history comes alive again.   

Food and drinks
The region of Asturias is especially known for its cider, cheese and no-nonsense kitchen. Beans, chorizo, potatoes and a love for stews - this region breaths the live slow, cook slow-life. Next to the meadows where goats and cows can feed themselves, there is a whole sea of fish to catch. The moderate maritime climate makes sure enough water falls yearly, so this is one of the greenest places in the whole of Spain.

Ancient tales
The Lagos de Covadonga are not only known to cyclists for being a great way to test your legs. The popularity of the region is also linked to a very important historical happening.  It is said that the road that leads to these lakes has been the battlefield of an ancient war against the Moors. In 722, the warlord of that time, Don Pelayo, hid with his men in the caves of the mountain to await and ambush their opponents. As the legend goes, with the help of the appearance of virgin Mary herself, the Moors, after having suffered countless casualties in the resulting battle, began to seriously doubt their decisions and fled. An important moment for Spanish culture, because with this action, the Reconquista began and they slowly but steadily took back their country, that had been invaded bij the Moors. The La Huesera climb that is the final climb before the top is not surprisingly named the Bonecrusher. Not just for being really steep, but also as a reminder of all the bones of the fallen soldiers that are buried deep under the stones. 

The road less taken
The best way to get to the Lagos the Covadonga is probably by taking the main road. The AS-114 takes you out of the village of Cangas de Onís and by taking a right on the AA-262 in Soto de Cangas, you are beginning the climb to the lakes. At Campera del Canalón the main road to you right takes you to the lakes, but Laurens and Stefan took the gravel road to their left. An amazing way to get to the Lagos, but not the easy one. A lot of hike-a-bike, pushing and sweating, but you will be rewarded with amazing nature, spectacular views and unbelievable silence. 

Project Terra Incognita
The Lagos de Covadonga are the first trip of, hopefully, many more to come. They will all be part of the Terra Incognita project of Live Slow Ride Fast x Skoda. Every destination will have its own episode, including the gpx-route, highlights, history and other interesting facts about the region. Check out the website, that has been created for this project, to discover the movie and all the extras. And stay tuned for the next episode: Laurens and Stefan take on the Stelvio.