Got the chance to see the t
own of Montoro as I cycled through it. What an amazing hotel that was, built on the side of the rock face. Walking through the corridors, the left wall was the actual rock! The view out of the window over the town, just amazing.
So I cycled through and had to get some pictures, as I headed out. I also managed more for breakfast than just tomatoe and oil on toast today! Which was a good job too, as what was to come was pretty unexpected. Which was kilometers upon kilometers of absolutely nothing!
I knew today was going to be a tough day, 140km to Ciudad Real, and also the terrain map showed some pretty nasty hills. What I didnt expect was a complete lack of services, pain in my right leg and a severe head wind. The head wind made the flat parts feel like they were up hill. Lack of food meant i was eating into energy bars, kendal mint cake, nuts etc to keep the energy levels up.
What was remarkable today, was once I got up to those high altitudes, the complete difference of weather and scenary. From yesterday where it was so hot and barron, everything yellow and brown. To today where everything was green. I felt like I'd already hit northern spain. Temperatures barely got above 30 either, and at one point It rained a little bit!
With the painful leg, head winds, climb after climb, there was times I was worried I wouldnt get to Ciudad Real. Or I would and find my pre-booked hotel closed up for the night! So I found myself really pushing it today! Knowing that i had to go much further really made today more of an endurance than it should have been.
One thing that did lift the spirits is crossing out of Andalucia. For those not aware of Spain, this is kinda like crossing a state line if you were in America. And Andalucia is one huge state. So, crossing over into Castillo La Mancha was a hell of an achievement. It also means Im technically not in southern spain anymore, but heading up towards central spain.
Finally cleared the mountain range, and found myself in what I decided to call "The Valley of Death!" A mountain range behind me, and another one right infront! Having just summeted at over 850m, I would have to do it again!
Oh I did I mention the head wind? Oh yes, it was windy! Even the flat bits felt like it was uphill. The whole journey was a complete struggle from beginning to end. Sometimes the wind whipped round to the side and was strong enough to knock me off the bike. It was a tough day mentally too, as I followed just the one road up most of the way. There was no turning off or anything like that.
Finally rolled into Ciudad Real, but one last thing to throw at me. The planned route had me on a road which was prohibited for cyclists. So had to take the back road which added more km! Great! The last 20km just seemed to go on forever! But all in all achieved 150km today on the bike. Considering i've never ridden four days consecutivly before. Im pretty happy with that!
Now I stay in Ciudad Real for two nights. As I am new to this, I need to give my muscles time to deal with the sheer hell i've put them through. Eat a hell of a lot of food, and hopefully make them stronger.
This concludes the first leg of Gibraltar to Yorkshire. Ive now covered 481km. Just another 2000km to go!!! I'll make a start on that on Thursday :)
| Todays stats | |
|---|---|
| Start | Montoro 9:35 |
| End | Ciudad Real.19:25 |
| Saddle Time | 7 hr 33 min 48 sec. |
| Distance travelled | 150.31km |
| Average Speed | 19.8kph |
| Max speed | 68.2km |
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