We departed our welcoming/ creepy/ chatty host for the night before she had time to wake up, to ensure the awkward cross lingual conversations from the previous night were avoided! Lights were required for the first time, as we negotiated the busying 7:30 am streets of Cuidad Real and made our way smoothly out of the city.
Due to the stark lack of civilisation across central Spain, we were now staring a long day in the face to ensure we had accommodation for the evening. This meant more stops were required due to the ever escalating heat, and so we met the battle bus at the now familiar Carrefour supermarket, for a dip in the love box and water bottle refills. This presented the opportunity of a lifetime for the team... To ride up an escalator! The opportunity was seized upon, and numerous laps were taken to the amusement of the locals and staff alike.
Our route continued in the same vain as the majority of Spain, long straight roads surrounded by low vegetation and rolling hills. Our lunch stop for the day was a break from the norm, as it lay at the top of a rocky outcrop on the otherwise placid plain. We worked hard for our lunch, as the road snaked to the top of the mini Col. We were greeted at the top by the now familiar A2A flag, signalling our midday feed station. Team Price had layer on a treat down a short track, with a beautiful hilltop vista below.
The afternoon promised to be a long one, with a stop planned at our original overnight location, then we would press on to the civilisation of Montoro. Winding our way down through the mountains, the isolation very welcome and the scenery was stunning! We again stopped to meet the bus and avoid the lacklustre cereal bars hiding at the bottom of the love box, before starting our final section of the day towards our overnight accommodation.
The final ride into the town gave us a treat, with a long winding 7km descent, perfect for smashing top speed records, followed by another shorter twisting descent as we approached the town. Montoro is built into a hillside overlooking a snaking river and flood plain. The beautiful white building peppered the hillside, but the long uphill slog to our overnights accommodation was not so welcome! Arriving at our comparably luxurious accommodation, we continued the now familiar routine of meticulously unpacking the van.
The evening promised excitement as we awaited the arrival of uncle Paul (Lauries Uncle) who would be joining us for the final run in to Gibraltar. He arrived having taken an early flight from his home in Geneva, a long train to a local Spanish town and then a 100 km ride to catch us in Montoro! I just hope that our low grade humour will be worth the time and effort expended...
Today's distance: 91.3 miles
Average speed: 14.7 mph
Top speed: 44 mph
Time on bike: 6:27 hrs
Total Distance; 1139 miles
Max heart rate: 88% (176 bpm)
Average heart rate: 66% (132 bpm)
Calories burnt: 4250
- @Access2a
- www.access2africa.co.uk
Location:Calle Laurel,Puente-Genil,Spain
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