We set off at dawn from the secret gem of Allyon. Our first 10 miles were along an extremely tired and battered road- the worst surfaced road I have ever been on hands down! If that wasn't enough to dent morale, a fierce headwind struck just as we started our climbing for the day. We thought we were in for an extremely long day! We regrouped and talked tactics with the battlebus. For the next 5 miles the battlebus was used to block us from the headwind as we tucked in behind it crawling uphill. We stopped at the peak to collect our breath and take in the vast Spanish countryside that engulfed us. We also noticed that the road signs had been used as target practice as they were riddled with bullet holes! We took a mid morning break in yet another isolated old aged town that was home to no more than 100 inhabitants. We all agreed that we really are seeing parts of Spain that not many have seen (including the Spanish!)
We climbed a little further to our highest peak of tour yet- around 1,600 meters. As we arrived at the peak, the winds died down a little and the sun came out to play. We descended down incredible roads that hugged the hillside and we absorbed the beautiful yet diverse countryside, very typical of what we have seen this week. Hours went past without setting eyes on another sole!
Lunch today was in ..... , a very traditional Spanish town. Another feast which included peaches and cream and Laurie and Marcus picking up 2 ice lollies for a bank breaking 40 cent! The MEF name was spread further-a-field as we gave some of the local kids MEF wristbands much to their delight. The afternoon saw us cycle through more extremely hot temperatures of which we are well used to by now.
We arrived in Guadalajara, a medium sized industrial town north east of Madrid. Our accommodation for the night was an interesting 1 star hostel. The room decor was very mix and match, the staff were doing their best to self induce serious lung problems on themselves by constantly puffing away and a tiny fluff-ball of a dog that thought it was a lot more intimidating than it actually was! McDonalds was on the menu this evening, our first of the tour. Much to the delight of the boys beer was on the McDonalds menu, so of course it would be rude not to! Marcus and Laurie had a comical experience trying to order their food as woman at the till didn't speak a word of English and their Spanish needs a lot of work, but they eventually got their food after lots of pointing, signalling and laughing!
Everyone is excited- Fred's birthday is tomorrow, another rest day is on the horizon and we are two thirds of the way to Africa. Next stop Madrid!
Today's distance: 76 miles
Average speed: 14.4 mph
Top speed: 45 mph
Time on bike: 5:15 hrs
Total Distance; 926 miles
Max heart rate:87% (174 bpm)
Average heart rate: 68% (136 bpm)
Calories burnt: 3300
- @Access2a
- www.access2africa.co.uk
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