My satnav had found an unnecessary short cut to take, which put so much strain on the loose chain that it jammed. Shit. I’d broken down in a small town in the middle of nowhere. I took a moment, and then went looking for help.

The only place that seemed open was a bar in the centre of town, in the summer it seemed dead but with the surrounding mountains I imagined it would come alive when the snow fell. They had a garage round the back; conveniently, with some tools they let me use. I got to work removing the crank casing and freeing the chain, then aligned the rear wheel to stop it happening again. By midnight I had fixed it but I was shattered. For some reason they wouldn’t let me sleep there but I wasn’t going to argue as I would’ve been screwed if they hadn’t let me use their tools. I ended up sleeping behind the library in the town. I felt like a homeless person, it was horrible. The cold concrete sucked up my body heat all night. I think it was the worst nights sleep I’d ever had. When the morning came I was glad to be up and moving getting some warmth back in my body.

Dante the cook there had popped in a few times and I got the feeling it was his garage, he was very understanding throughout, despite speaking no English. I’d been hoping he might’ve provided me with some food but sadly not.

I had to go back up the Tonato pass the next morning, which was a bit gutting as it meant having to go back on myself. I admired the snow-capped peaks. I saw a wild cat, which was tiny; it scurried off as I went passed. I had booked two nights at a hostel in Milan when I was in Austria and knew that there was a garage there. I knew if I could make it I would be all right.

I got very lost on the way in; the satnav was useless so I ended up using my phone, which ran out of power as I got to the hostel. I checked in and slept. The city was incredibly uninspiring - if I could I’d level it.

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