Day 6
This morning I was awake early again and once more had a good breakfast to set me up for the day's ride, or so I thought... Today I would not be at my best despite feeling good this morning.
The day started much better than arriving in Valladolid yesterday and within 400 yards from my hotel I was on a cycle path leading out of the city which just got better and better, it lasted 8 miles and after I cleared the City at about 4 miles it turned into what I can only describe as a cycle road alongside the main road, it was set back 20 yards and about half the size and the surface was perfect
What made it even better was that it was going through a pine forest - not our type of pines though the smaller Spanish type that form a ball rather than going up more than about 20 -30 feet. The type of pines that I know too well from experience that do not ever ever let a golf ball go through !
I paused to take photos as there as the sky was clear and brilliant blue making the trees look fantastic. There was some type of military base nearby, this morning at my hotel there were lots of army type checking out when I went for breakfast and all the way along the cycle path there were squads out running through the forest tracks.
At 10 miles by now I was on normal roads and I crossed a very small looking Deura, or to give it its correct Portuguese name ... The Douro but nowhere near its magnificent size in Porto.
The coutry opened out into a massive flat plateau which kept rolling 100 feet up then 100 down just to annoy me, it was also so open there was absolutely no sheltering from the wind which was yet again a straight headwind. This was starting to feel tough, I had left my base layer off and my gore jacket this morning thinking I would be hot with the usual 5 layers on but tgat wind was cold and the distance between the villages was big making it tough. I eventualy passed through Nava del Rey at 32 miles and wondered what Nava meant - I thought to myself add an L for Naval del Rey and the town would have been called the Kings Belly Button, that amused me but I still dont know what Nava means
Another 10 miles with nothing but rolling roads and wind an I rwached Alejos where I planned ( and needed) lunch. I cycled into a town that waz a rabbit warren of small stone building deserted streets but I would see the rough direction the church was and I could smell food. I eventually found a slightly bigger street which turned into a small market square where strangely enough there was a market on.
I could see a roast chicken van which was tempting but I spotted a bar restaurant in the square so I parmed up the bike and went in. It was really authentic with lots of old timers catching up on talk.
By now I was determined a hot lunch would arrive today unlike yesterday in Antiguedad. I asked the barman for a hot coffee and asked if there was anything hot, a girl I suspect was his daughter appeared wearing a chefs outfit and proper hat, I asked for bocadillolo caliente gain and she asked what I wanted in it, she rhymed off a list I didn't understand but I did catch tortilla and jambon so I ordered a hot omelette and ham sandwich and that's exactly what arrived and it hit the spot as I think I had developed a bit of a chill from cycling, I ordered a second coffee and settled the bill €6 which was amazing as it was 3/4 of a baguette.
I put on my gore jacket to keep the wind out and headed off feeling much warmer, but did I suffer, it was like constantly cycling to Ely, you would see a church 10 miles in the distance and a dead straight road into the wind and the churches just seemed to never get any closer. Progress was so slow I hardly managed to get onto the big chainring due to the wind and was beatly doing 10mph having to stop frequently as there was no let up - give me hills to wind any day !
So those last 35 miles tok over 4 hours and Salamance refused to arrive, even 2 miles from my hotel I was still in the countryside but then the town started and after a series of infuriating traffic lights I arrived but just couldnt see my hotel, I was right in the Grand Plaza so I thought it must be just before the Plaza and sure enough the it was in a very nice looking square. I chained my bike up and decamped and was pleased to find the hotel allowed me to take my bike inside again.
So that was day 6 ... A bad day at the office lets hope tomorrow is better as I have 135 miles to Madrid and the weather seems to be conspiring again, there may be rain in the afternoon and thatwind that has been from the SWall week while I have been cycling SW ... well I have seen a forecast that suggested its going to turn to the east tomorrow ... Guess what direction Madrid is ? Unbelievable.
No comments :
Post a Comment