Europe
Day 7: 25th September ’10
Distance: 70.27 miles
Total Distance: 418.95 miles
Route: Granada » Alhama De Granada » Vinuela » Torre Del Mar
A short hop across town to the campsite was needed yesterday evening. I’d not booked another night at the hotel before leaving for the Veleta; and found the hotel fully booked on my later than expected return.
Met a young South Korean called ‘Charlie’ who had just arrived from travelling in Colombia. Hmm. Charlie and a couple of travelling companions had stayed up till 6am playing music around a small campfire. Didn’t bother me as I slept soundly, and woke just as they were going to bed.
A very slow start to the legs today; a general strike on anything even approaching an incline had been called by my aching limbs. The roads were lovely though, with Olive groves perched high on rolling hills. Plenty of club cyclists were out today; a very nice bunch, keen to offer assistance, directions or just a friendly nod when passing.
A note on Spanish drivers: for the most part, good, safe and courteous drivers. Most appreciated. However, I now know why F1 driver Fernando Alonso usually has poor starts to his races. It is customary at traffic lights in Spain to finish smoking a cigarette, end a phone conversation or just stare vacantly at the recently changed green light before making any efforts to advance. Possibly a sensible ploy to avoid collision with the frequent drivers who speed through red lights? I’m not sure.
Unable to locate the campsite at Vinuela, I’m forced to drop down to the coast where I know I will find one. Maybe it’s for the best as there are not many climbing miles left in my legs. But I will still need to try and avoid the awful roads around Malaga. Enthusiasm for the bike has waned since yesterdays excitement. To be expected really. Ideally the last day of any trip would be the summit day; you can’t top it with anything else!
Day 8: 26th September ’10
Distance: 60.46 miles
Total Distance: 479.41 miles
Route: Torre Del Mar » Malaga » Coin » Marbella
Woke to rain, so damp tent packed in a hurry and I get on the road. Weather clears soon enough and it’s a very straightforward ride to Malaga. I decide to head inland to avoid poor roads west of Malaga; and also for some last few small climbs as I’m a sucker for punishment.
A rear spoke breaks just before the last climb of the day. Luckily, the spoke snaps on the non-drive side and I’m able to fix it quickly. Hadn’t brought my chain-whip or rear cassette removal tool to save a bit of weight; a snapped spoke on the drive side would have been trouble. The bike has taken a real beating over the last few days. I will have to nurse it back to Gibraltar, and most likely need to do a full service when I get home.
More observations on Spanish motorists: Very considerate to cyclists and mostly safe. However, there are only 4 cars in Spain with fully functioning indicators, and it’s highly unlikely that there is an emissions test as part of the MOT (vehicle road worthiness certificate.)
Staying in a 25 Euro / night ‘hostal’ in Marbella. The lady owner is a firecracker; mad as a hatter but very genuine. We communicate in Spanfranglish; a garbled mix of words – some I recognise from the various Romance languages. The hotel room is old-fashioned but clean; after a full days ride and 2 nights camping in the smallest tent in the world, the room is elevated to the absolute height of luxury.
Day 9: 27th September ’10
Distance: 51.68 miles
Total Distance: 531.09 miles
Route: Marbella » Sabinillas » La Linea » Gibraltar
Dull, dangerous and deafening dual-carriageway for most of todays ride. This was the payoff for making the second attempt on the Veleta; having to abandon my original route back to Gibraltar avoiding the coastal roads. I belt the miles out just to get it over with, and reach Gibraltar before 2PM.
My saddle turns into a razorblade for the last 20 miles, and the molehills just before Gibraltar turn into mountains. A usual pyschosomatic response to getting very close to completing the goal; your body loses a little drive and adrenalin. It’s also likely that my body is truly fed up of 8 consecutive days on the bike.
It’s been a fantastic trip. Much better and rewarding than I could have dared to dream. Had I not made the summit it would have been quite the opposite of course. However, the success of the trip has really boosted both confidence and motivation to go on and complete more legs of the challenge. 1 down and 5 to go; it still seems like a mammoth task, but you’ve got to start somewhere…