This post is for Friday’s ride, a couple of days late due to poor WIFI availability.
66.3 miles, 862 metres climbed, 979 metres descended, average speed 13.62mph, max speed 27,43mph. Yet another clear sunny day.
The lovely old Beira Rio hotel had the most architectural bike park of the tour so far, cobbled of course.
By a democratic vote we started a little earlier than usual to try and avoid some of the hot afternoon sun, forecast to be 36C. My choice was for the extra time in bed but the early start turned out to be a good call.
Today’s ride was what Bruno, my good French friend and blog commenter, might call a transitional ride. Not the hilliest but one which covered a good distance, at a reasonable pace and on long straight roads. The down side was that the surfaces were generally not very smooth. We popped into Spain for a few miles where the brew stop was taken.
At times it felt like being on the top of the world surrounded by mountains in the distance – until the next turn or undulation when the road kicked up to reveal -another top of the world.
After lunch I saw my first stork’s nest of the trip. Probably vacant at this time of year.
There was a long sweeping descent down into Mertola which sits on the banks of the Guadiana river and downstream of the wetlands of yesterday.
A bit of navigational trouble led to a short walking tour of some of the cobbled streets of Mertola before finding the hotel. The Garmin Sat Nav is sometimes difficult to read in bright sunlight – my excuse anyway!
After leaving from the architectural bike park this morning we ended at up at the bike park with the steepest, cobbled access of the tour. Not one to be ridden up to.
A good day which could have been more comfortable.
A false day of transition after all. The last stages, desired but also feared, will surely promise beautiful landscapes…and beautiful climbs to negotiate with courage….