Europe
Name: 'Pico Veleta'
Location: Sierra Nevada, Southern Spain
Height: 3395 metres
"This place is a blast; all we have to do is bear four hours of excruciating pain… then it's all sun and surfing"
- Homer Simpson
The pain in Spain, falls mainly on the… slopes of the Sierra Nevada:
From what I've read this climb is described as a 'nice… but terrible peak'! It's a 26 mile ascent that'll have you wishing that you hadn't left your deckchair and rum & coke behind on the beaches of the Costa Del Sol. Added to the cocktail of fun is the fact that the road deteriorates into little more than a 'spongy-gravel' track for the last 4 miles or so, and also there's the real chance of turning into a popsicle with snow-drifts and bitingly cold weather possible even during the summer months.
Erm… so what's the point in leaving the delights of Torremolinos behind and heading up this beast? Well, there's the view from the top for a start, which on a really clear day can have squinted eyes staring at the coastline of Africa - a mere 120 miles away! Even Steve Austin would be pretty happy with that kind of ocular prowess. There's also the sense of achievement of achieving a senseless achievement! What could be better than that? Finally, a successful climb up the 'Pico Veleta' will mean that the European leg of the 'Continental Cycle Climb Challenge' will be complete! Hurrah!
There is also, the small matter of getting to the base of the mountain - which is probably a better place than any to start a climb. I've decided to cycle along the coast from Gibraltar, a place that has held my interest for quite some years now. It's conveniently another location that I can tick off from my list of James Bond Film Locations, but that's a different story (and website?) entirely…
From Gibraltar, I hope to make swift progress through the resort towns of the Costa Del Sol, before heading inland towards Granada. From here, I'll head up the 'Pico Veleta', but will then have to double-back on myself to Granada. I've looked into cycling down the other side of the Veleta, but it looks like a serious bone-shaker of a ride, and could get nasty if conditions were less than perfect. I've mapped out a route but not sure this one will materialise on the road.
From Granada (second time around), I'll head west attempting to skirt the higher peaks of the 'Sierra Gorda' and 'Serrania de Ronda', passing through the towns of 'Zafarraya', 'Antequera', 'Ronda' and 'Gaucin' along the way. I estimate that the whole trip will be close to 500 miles (including cycling home from the airport).
(New interactive route map with ride elevation coming soon…)
European leg UPDATE - 29th September 2010
Fantastic, life-affirming, joyous news! The European Leg of the Challenge has been successfully completed. Thank you to all who have offered words of support, advice, motivation and sponsorship. I am so pleased to have been able to repay your generosity with the right result.
The trip was much more intense than I had anticipated, with foul weather conditions throwing a spanner in the works. I had made an attempt on the summit on the 23rd, and made it to approx. 2800 metres altitude, and roughly 3 miles left to go. I was forced back down the mountain at the insistance of park wardens. Winds of 120 km/h had been reported at the summit and the weather was worsening and descending down the mountain. Devastated, I forced a hasty retreat back to Granada.
The next day, I woke before light and decided to chance another attempt. The weather was perfect, and despite exhaustion from the previous day managed to make it all the way to the top. Perhaps the most satisfying experience of my life; especially as I had in my heart written off the chance of another attempt at the mountain.
For more details, videos, photos etc, please have a look at the European Leg Photo and Diary pages.
It's not too late to sponsor me for the European Leg should you wish to. Please click here. Huge thanks to all those lovely people who helped me to raise £590 for MSF. You lot are fantastic!