Dave and his Bike

Spain

Days 207 to 210.

Day 207.

Madrid.

The flight wasn’t the best I’ve been on. The legroom was obviously good since I’d paid to be at the emergency exit, but the food was average, the in-flight entertainment less so. It was also really cold for the full 12 hours. That said, I dozed on and off for much of the flight. It dragged a bit, but I enjoyed seeing the Brazilian coast at night, and the Canary Islands in the sun as we flew over them.

The process on landing in Madrid was simple and efficient, and I collected the final stamp in my passport for the trip. A bit of hassle getting a taxi, but not for long which meant I was at the hotel and reunited with Jane (and Gordon) in no time. Ian wasn’t far behind (his flight was an hour behind mine), so the team for the final leg together.

The restaurant recommended by the hotel was good. Nice to have the variety provided by a selection of tapas, but I need to re-adjust to European prices.

Not an early night, too much to drink, but brilliant to be here. Bike build and some admin tomorrow in preparation for riding the day after, which I believe is Thursday.

Day 208.

A welcome lie-in (post flight) followed by a hotel breakfast started the day. The task of rebuilding my bike (for the last time on the trip) took up the rest of the morning – a lengthier process than usual as the wheels Jane has brought me have slightly narrower rims, meaning some brake tinkering was required. I took the opportunity to change the brake pads whilst I was at it.

A walk to the nearest bike shop in search of a new helmet was next (fruitless – nice helmets, wrong colour). We picked up a sandwich on the way back from the hotel, and after lunch Jane and I did my laundry, an all too frequent task. By the time we were sorted, it was almost time to go exploring, so along with Ian (Gordon was meeting a friend for dinner) we got the tube to the Gran Via, where I stood and looked in awe at the stunning buildings around us.

I have not been to Madrid before. Jane and Ian have, so I followed along as they guided me to the Prada Museum (outside only), Parc de El Retiro, and then on to the Plaza Mayor.

By the time we reached the Plaza we were all in need of refreshment, so downed a small beer while contemplating what and where to eat. A great little restaurant just off the Plaza provided a really good paella and a glass of Rioja for a very reasonable price. The metro back to the hotel was absolutely packed, and weirdly my room key tag operated the barriers (I wasn’t looking what I was doing). Kit check. Bed.

Day 209.

Nearly overslept. Awake half the night, then deep sleep when I should have been up. My body clock isn’t quite sorted yet I don’t think.

Despite my tardiness, we were still away just after 0900hrs, flowing along with the traffic until we picked up the first of the day’s cycle paths out of the city.

The views in the direction we were heading, of snow covered mountains, was absolutely fantastic. It felt so good to be back on the bike again after two weeks off, and even better to be riding with friends and family. After what seemed an easy and quick (but probably wasn’t) 40km we met Jane in Manzanares el Real for a relatively swift coffee stop. Then came the climb…

I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses, but two weeks off the bike and a long time since I have seen a hill didn’t help. I’ve never been a good climber anyway. The net result was that I was about ten minutes behind Gordon at the top, and my legs were cramping up. Apparently it’s my third biggest climb on Strava though. Having said that, I really enjoyed it. The road surface and views were magnificent.

Jane had been shopping and bought food for sandwiches for lunch, and then made the sandwiches for us. Excellent. The top of the climb in Puerto de Navacerrada (1858m) is a ski station, and still had enough snow on the ground for people to be able to ski so the car park was busy. It was also windy, so lunch standing by the car didn’t take long and we layered up for the long descent. As we left the car park, the views were well worth a photo.

The descent was brilliant. The best part of 30km of downhill, occasionally having to pedal. The last few kilometres into Segovia was on a great cycle lane, thus avoiding any traffic. It couldn’t have been better. The first hotel that we’d identified had nowhere for bikes, and hadn’t seemed very accommodating when Jane had tried to book us in, so once in the town centre, having paused for pictures of the 2000 year old (still functioning) aquaduct we tried the hotel almost next door. Far better result. Bikes indoors, car collected by a garage owner and parked somewhere.

After a quick refresh we regrouped for a beer, a walk around the beautiful town centre, and a meal in a nearby restaurant which was one of the few open for food, as most don’t start serving until 2000hrs (far too late for us). Dinner had a bit of a mixed review. Jane’s and mine were good, Gordon and Ian’s not so great.

Tomorrow is a slightly longer but not so hilly day. The downside is the weather forecast which mentions rain in the afternoon, so a bit of an earlier start is on the cards. It’ll be interesting to see how my legs feel after today, which was one of the hardest rides I’ve had in a while, even though I wasn’t carrying panniers.

Distance cycled so far: 9790.66km

Day 210.

Rubbish nights sleep again, as I was awake for at least a couple of hours from 0230hrs onwards. That needs to improve. Breakfast was at a local bakery / cafe, as the hotel didn’t serve anything until 0915hrs – far too late.

In an attempt to stay ahead of the rain heading our way, we were on the road before 0830. The morning roads were quite undulating, not much traffic, and only around 11°C. At that temperature, I sweated on the climbs, then got cold on the descents, so by the time we met Jane for a coffee in Turégano I was chilly. We sat indoors for our refreshments, then I added an extra layer and we continued.

The undulations continued, and the temperature increased a bit. Add to that a tail wind at times, and my extra layer ended up back in my handlebar bag. The scenic, but occasionally industrial farming villages also continued, making the ride even more enjoyable.

Lunch (thanks again to Jane) was at the roadside just outside San Miguel de Bernuy, in a nice sheltered spot. It didn’t rain at all whilst we rode, but the threat and heavy skies followed us all day. The last 40km was generally downhill – long, straight, gradual descents with the occasional little ramp just to remind our sore legs that they still had a purpose.

Jane was already at the hotel when we arrived. The garage was on the opposite side of the road. Secure, but slightly frustrating not having immediate access to the car and bikes.

After a shower and a bit of refreshment, I fell asleep, to be woken in time to go out for proper food, in the form of a huge (and excellent) pizza. The town is a mixture of old a new. I quite like it. An early night was always going to be on the cards, in the hope that I sleep better. I’m so tired I don’t think that should be a problem.

Distance cycled so far: 9895km