From the Caves to the Costa

Friday 14th September:

The cave dwelling at Baza had been 'different'. I'd been surprised at how well equipped it was; full plumbing, modern appliances, etc. So much so in fact, that the whole complex appeared to exist merely for its isolation & novelty value. Still, the restaurant served up some reasonable Moroccan style food and the company was excellent as usual.

Steve & Phil in the cave's kitchen

An aperitif, caveman style

The trails & tribulations of the previous days route debacle were forgotten as we set off slightly earlier than usual. Today's route was going to take us straight up and over the mountains, as we headed south for the coast and our final destination of Almeria, and we needed the cooler conditions of the morning as we commenced the 2000 metre climb.

We rolled out into a cool breeze on a flattish approach to the base of the climb at Caniles, then it was straight into the 15 mile climb up and over the Canada del Tesorero. Mel & Alex pressed the pedals hard and quickly moved away from Dave & I. The first few miles weren't too steep and on another day I'd have been inclined (no pun intended) to go with them, but I was determined to take my time and enjoy the scenery......well as much as you can when you feel the rivets loosening!

And they're off.....Mel, Alex & Dave...

Phil had elected to sit out the climb in the car with Steve, siting tiredness as the reason, but I suspect the news that his baby daughter had been hospitalised following an accident had switched him off to much else.

I reckon it took me a couple of hours to reach the summit, but oddly enough, I was feeling better as time went on. Some of the views were spectacular and I even enjoyed the change in road surface nearer the top, the coarse, loose chippings, added to the experience.

Put some new batteries in me pacemaker Phil!

The reward fo all that climbing was a 10 mile plus decent into Abla. The surface remained a little rough, requiring caution through the bends, and the wind was quite strong, so really high speed wasn't achievable. An enjoyable decent nonetheless.

Nearly there

We stopped for elevens's in Abla and then had to tackle the steep climb up and over the lip of the valley towards Ohanes.

Climbing out of Abla.

It was about 500 metres I reckon, but the increasing heat and steepness made it particularly tough. Me & Phil caught Alex & Mel on the decent that followed and then we all regrouped for lunch near to Ohanes. Our full time support man and head chef, Steve, did us proud again with some seriously good roadside nosh.

Lunch at Ohanes.

The next section, the decent to Canjayar, has to be one of the best biking roads anywhere. Incredibly technical, with a fantastic road surface and stunning views, it's one of those memorable roads that just makes you want to come back and do it all again.

Then we hit to main road to Almeria. We all anticipated a relatively easy run in, but turned out to be a real time trial. Although chiefly downhill, the undulating nature and strong headwind meant that we soon split into two groups. Alex, Mel & I, easing away from Phil & Dave, as we hammered towards Almeria. The much anticipated final sprint into the city didn't materialise, because we never saw a sign, but that didn't stop Alex jumping around in an attempt to shake me & Mel off.......he had no chance:-)

So it was that we all rolled onto the beach and, as you would expect, toasted our efforts with a large beer or three.

The end of the road. Packing it all away.

The hotel Nuevo Torreluz was excellent and we had a splendid evening amongst the bars in old town Almeria. Beautiful plumage everywhere ;-)

Job done!

Special thanks to Steve. We simply could not have done any of this without his support. Top man.

 

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The Trogs of Baza

Thursday 13th September:

Great food at a small Italian place in Granada last night. A few drinks and a good nights sleep......though some of us did turn in before others; Steve leading Phil astray as usual ;-) Me & 'Dave the Caveman' had a good night. I think 'Peaches Chisholm' (soft, plump & slightly furry apparently) also settled off alright, despite his nervousness anticipating Phil's early morning return!

We had a brilliant ride today. What a route. Fantastic scenery, quiet roads and sunshine.

Heading out of Granada, we went straight into a steady climb through a lovely, shady, tree lined valley on the road out to La Peza. From there and on to Guadix, the scenery remained stunning and was getting more and more 'Wild West'.

Great climbing today

Guadix to Foneles was proper Spagetti Western, interspersed with an ace lunch break in the shade of trees as designed by Steve.

Steve in catering mode

We then made our way to Garafe, but it was mighty hot! Another 'fluid' stop there and then a vicious little climb out of the canyon. A brief stop for a photo shoot;

then it was on the 'false flat' back towards the Autovia. The intended route had been significantly modified by then, because then intended road was impassable. Phil had hopped in the car with Steve and gone to the overnight digs. The rest of us got to the motorway junction, had a beer or two, and waited for Steve's return.

Tonight we stayed in a remote cave complex near Baza. Really very good.

Had a good evening meal at the cave complex:

 

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Red Veleta Day.....

Granada is probably best known for being home to the Alhambra Palace & Gardens, but for skiers & cyclists, it's the starting point of for the accent of the Pico Veleta, through Sierra Nevada. Today, Wednesday, was originally planned as a rest day. Time to recover from the rigours thus far. That was until the Chain Gang's 'climbers' decided that instead of chilling out in Granada, they'd prefer to ride to the top of the Veleta. 2700 metres of climbing in 30 km!

So it was that Mel & Alex were up and on their way before I'd rolled out of my pit (8.30). Dave had a more relaxed take on things and considered that a 10am start would suffice, something to do the the quantity of red wine he consumed last night no doubt. He even had time to attempt a partial fix of his rapidly failing rear cassette.

Alex & Mel about half way up

Dave. About two thirds of the way up. Pico Veleta in the background

Phil & I did consider joining them, for a brief second, but then common sense prevailed and we decided to take the easy option. Leave at 11am and go up in the car with Steve. Come back early and have beer & tapas :-)

The bag exploded at 2250 metres...the crisps went pop later...

Steve & Phil on the tough climb to the top..

Looking down on Granada

I don't know what all the fuss about? It's a modest climb with average views really...........and I never noticed the lack of oxygen over 2500 metres, or the searing heat, the dehydration, or imminent heart failure!

Mel & Alex are in this shot.. Look closely, just to the left of centre. About 400m from the summit

Chapeau guys! Hope you're feeling okay tomorrow, cos Phil reckons he's going from the gun!

 

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Grinding to Granada

Tuesday 11th September:

After a pleasant evening in Antequeras; involving modest quantities of tapas, beer & wine; and a reasonable nights sleep, we were up early(ish) and having breakfast in a small cafe over the road from the hotel. Tasty, but very basic, so I knew that we'd be calling on Steve's services pretty early on in the journey for the staple of peanuts, cakes, etc.

The roll out was pretty flat for about 6 miles. It promised to be another scorcher, but a cooler breeze was keeping things pleasant as we moved towards Archidona. A stiff climb followed the roll out, followed by a great downhill section, which we took our time on due to the surface being made slick by polished tar. Another couple of longer but less severe climbs through some lovely countryside brought us to our first intermediate sprint.....won, of course, by yours truly (Chipolini was still battling up the previous climb).

Easy!

Then it was on to the first refreshment stop with Steve, who'd found a shaded spot.

Refreshments

We then had a fantastic downhill run into Loja. About 15 miles down a steady incline, keeping the average speed at about Wiggins' time trial pace....makes you realise how quick those boys are...gulp!

Great countryside...especially going downhill

Heading into the Sierra Nevada

A quick stop in Loja for a coffee, then we had a right caper finding the correct road out to Huetor-Tajar. Ended up on a cart track for a few miles before navigating back onto the correct road. Then we stopped for lunch.

The afternoon run took us on a long undulating climb through Tocon and on to Pinos Puente. The second intermediate sprint saw Chipo take the honours (we waited for him and it was down hill :-)), but it kept him in good spirits.

Chipo in top form!

It was now red hot again. Probably about 40 degrees. The streets in the villages were deserted and there was very little traffic. Sensible Spaniards! We were suffering now and it wasn't made an easier by the extra mileage and vicious climb we somehow added on at the end.

That's definitely a 50 cent coin in there!

By the time we reached the hotel Suecia near the Alhambra in Granada we'd covered over 90 miles again and shattered. Picking our way through the back streets of Granada had also been rather 'entertaining', particularly watching Alex trying to follow his Garmin's instructions.

View from out breakfast terrace.

After a bit of rest & recovery, we drifted into town for a beer and something to eat. All tired, but pretty satisfied with how things were going. The plan for tomorrow is for some of us to relax for the day ;-), whilst others climb the 2700 metres to the top of the Veleta! Their heroic efforts will be chronicled tomorrow, either from the hotel or the local hospital.

 

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The Road to Antequeras

Yesterday had been real tough. We sort of realised that as we staggered through Ronda and into the first Pizzaria that we came across. Sod any notion of quality, we needed bulk carbs! Patatas Fritas and Salad, beer, chips, salt, beer, pizza, beer, salt, chips....... It did the job mind, we were all walking much more smoothly after we'd finished. A brief walk round the town with an ice cream, then bed.

Ronda's nice....no bull.

Built on a precipice.

Ronda's impressive bridge.

The Hotel Polo did us proud. Good rooms and a decent breakfast. A quick walk round the town again to take in some of the splendour of the place:

We set of at around 10 am, straight into an 8 mile climb on our way to Antequera in the northeast. Cloudless skies again, a steady breeze, but the day was warming up quickly. We all got to the top of the climb within a minute of two of each other. Steve had picked up the days supplies and was waiting for us there.

Heads down and on it as usual

The top of the climb out of Ronda.

After a brief stop, it was on towards Ardales. Straight into a really technical descent, made more difficult because of the broken road surface. Now I can descend a bit and had been following Mel & Alex, but elected not to go past because of the aforementioned surface and limited views, so imagine my surprise (not) when Dave passed us all, head down, chewing the bars, bugger the view! Next thing I see as he disappears into a blind left-hander, is his back wheel bouncing from side to side, fully locked up, as he desperately avoid slamming into the rear of a reversing truck! Hadn't a clue how Mel & Alex fared, because I just concentrated on picking a line and braking hard. Thankfully we all came out of it unscathed, well apart from Steve, who came across the same truck a few seconds later, reversed and hit a wall.

Lunch in Ardales was fantastic and much needed. Steve did us proud with a great picnic. Baguettes, bananas & peanuts!

Picnic lunch in Ardales

The next section saw us passing close to the famous El Chorro gorge & climbing area. Famous for being dangerous! Check it out on line...........frightening.

El Chorro's access path in the background.....gulp!

The route wasn't getting any easier. Some tough climbing on indifferent road surfaces and it was getting a lot warmer. We stopped for a break in Valle de Abdalajis, which proved to be disappointing due to the lack of a suitable cafe, but we needed to stop and the petrol station forecourt had the required shade.

Antequeras.

The last 15 miles to Antequera were tough and hot. We all arrived at the Hotel Colon pretty knackered and my muscles were dancing nicely:

Thankfully the welcome at the hotel was good and after a wash & brush up, it was into town for a few beers & tapas. Nice.

 

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Help Me Ronda

La Linea, on the Spanish side of the Gibraltar border, is not a particularly attractive place to be honest, but the AC hotel turned out to be a good choice. Helpful staff, who stored our bikes safely, and great rooms.

View of The Rock from La Linea

We wandered into town last night and hunted down a Moroccan restaurant. Had a pleasant evening wading through various North African dishes as provided by the very friendly owner. Not sure that lamb tagine is the cycling food of the future though?

The Moroccan evening

Had a crap nights sleep, mainly due to the heat and the aircon units, but felt okay.....little did I know!

Alex, me, Dave, Phil, Mel

The first 30 miles out to Jimena de la Frontera and our first coffee stop were predominantly flat and covered in warm sunny conditions and a cooling breeze. Phil had the first 'mechanical' of the trip when the carcass of his brand new rear tyre failed and necessitated a raid on our spares. All sorted, we attacked the first climb of the day. A few km long and climbing to about 400 metres, it was a taster for what was to come. The day was getting hotter, much hotter, and we were all drinking as much as we could to replace what was being left on the road. The real problem however, was not lost fluid, but sodium.

Phil & Alex

Dave

Mel

As the day wore on and the temperature soared, cramp was becoming an issue for some of us. We'd all dispatched the earlier climbs quite comfortably, and I was feeling fine until the middle of the afternoon when my calves began to turn to iron! Alex & Phil fared little better, but Dave & Mel seemed to be okay.

No....I hadn't p**sed me self!

By the time we got to Ronda, I was finished. I'd carefully nursed my cramped up legs the final 15 miles. Alex & Phil were equally shelled. Mel & Dave had found it tough, but not suffered cramps, so were in reasonably good shape at the end.

A cold bath didn't help much and it wasnt until we'd 'pizza'd', a couple of hours later, that we stopped leaping out of our chairs to hop around like crazed loons!

I love cycling........

Ps. Ronda a nice place though

 

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The Sierra Nevada Psycho's

Yep, I'm on another jaunt! This time joined by 5 other like minded 'nutters' on a cycling trip across the Sierra Nevada mountains in southern Spain.

Arriving at the 'Rock'

Alex, Dave, Phil, Mel, Steve (our top support guy) & I, flew in to Gibraltar from East Midlands this afternoon, picked up a hire car (support vehicle), assembled the bikes and rode to our hotel in La Linea.

Dave, me, Alex, Phil, Mel, Steve.

Tomorrow we commence the first of 6 days of riding; picking out way north and west across the Sierra Nevada towards Almeria, before flying home next Saturday. It promises to be a hot, arduous and eventful journey. I'm looking forward to it.......I think!

Keep you posted

 

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