Spain 1
Sept. 1, 2026,
Hi Everyone,
It seems that I just finished a trip and I am off on another adventure. I am in the National Bank Lounge at Trudeau waiting for my plane and enjoying a Bloody Mary.
I am on the Canadian National Triathlon Team and am headed to Pontevedra Spain for the World Triathon Championships. There will be 4500 athletes from 60 countries. I participate in the sprint triathlon, 750 m swim, 20 km bike and 5 km run. I used to do the Olympic triathlon before covid which is twice as long. I would finish in just under 4 hours. We are 350 athletes on the Canadian team with only 3 in my age group. Overall, there are 29 athletes in my age group. I am also on the super sprint relay team and will race the following day.
In Canada, the world championships are not that important. However in Europe, it is a very well attended event. The whole city will be shut down in the central area and there will be over 25,000 spectators lining the route. The race will be on closed circuit TV. You can subscribe by looking up, ‘World Triathon Championships, Pontevedra, Spain and paying a few dollars a day. I will let you know what time I will start my races.
I will be in Pontevedra for 1 week. Afterwards I will pick up a motorcycle in Madrid and will ride for 10 days. I rented a Honda, Rebel 500 which is a light weight bike well suited for the narrow Spanish country roads. I planned out my whole trip in advance, including the routes that I will take and the hotels that I will stay in each town. I chose tertiary roads, choosing very, very hilly and very very curvy roads which should make for a challenging ride. I usually ride for 5 hours a day and then take off a day to see the local sites.
I will journey from Madrid to the east coast of Spain. I will pick up a ferry in Denia and go to Ibiza for 3 days. When I tell people that I am going to Ibiza, they usually laugh, saying that Ibiza is a party island frequented by the under 30 age group. That explains the high prices of hotels there. I will then take another ferry to Majorca where I will stay for 3 days. The final ferry will take me from Majorca to Denia and for my ride to Madrid.
I then fly to Rome and will see some old friends in Tuscany. Afterwards I will fly to Paris to visit with my medical school buddies in Caen, Reims and Paris.
You can follow me on my blog at: gobriantravel.com
Don’t forget to purchase my book: Swords of Iron’ which is available on Amazon and Indigo web sites. The book is based on my 3 months in Israel where I served on an IDF base and as a physician/paramedic on Magen David Ambulances. All proceeds of the book will go to MDA to purchase an ambulance. To date, I have sold 400 books and have received $25,000 in donations. On my return, I have several speaking engagements to promote my book. If you know any group that would be interested in hearing me give a talk, please refer them to me.
Love,
Brian
