Having been given two options for today’s route, we’d all opted for the longest, hilliest route.  And yes, that does include me.  That’s what we were there for, after all, no?  I wonder at myself sometimes.  So this morning I was nervous *sigh*.  Which is pretty daft really.  I mean what was there to dread really?  Here am I, on a holiday I’ve chosen to do.  There’s no-one to beat, no cut-offs to avoid.  The worst that could happen is that I wouldn’t make it up something and would opt for a ride in the broom wagon which, let’s face it, considering my stubborn streak and my recent performance, was seriously unlikely.  But still…

Time to make sure I ate breakfast then.  My requested rice cakes had arrived so I ate some of them with various preserves, including Nutella obviously, as well as half a Clif bar and a banana, all washed down by lots of coffee.  It was slightly a case of having to force it down, as I don’t really eat breakfast, but I knew I had to.  Well, how else does a girl do an advertised 70 miles and 2,400m of climbing?

Breakfast done, I distracted myself by reading on the balcony, faffing, making sure I had food and gels on me, and drinking yet more coffee until our inevitable departure.  We were off pretty much on schedule, and I had arm warmers on as it was a bit chilly and we had 10 “flat” miles to do before we got to the first climb of the day.  Having come down from Bedar before, I knew exactly what I was about to go up, so I wasn’t pushing it.  Luckily the group wasn’t hurtling this morning either, as James & Margriet wanted to keep us all together initially, while Graham brought up the rear with the van.

As the climb started, steeper at the bottom, it was agreed that it was now ok to split up, which is always better for me.  I hate holding folk back, and I was never going to be able to keep up with them up this.  I was already getting a bit hot and was about to drop back and stash my arm warmers in the van, but James sorted that for me – again with the Pro experience 😉  As the group pulled away from me, even the van and the girls went ahead for a while, leaving me toute seule and happier for it.  Lots of hairpins to admire both behind and ahead as I plodded up in the sun.  Oddly I like hairpins 😉  Of course the girls overtook me, after a stop in the village, and went past me like I was standing still 😉  Graham eventually arrived behind me, but kept the van further back as I’d asked, so that I could hear the world, not just the engine 😉  And you know what?  It really wasn’t too bad, which was great, because if I could do this one, then I can do the other ones.  Very reassuring 🙂  I was also being a good girl and eating and drinking, so when I finally joined the others at the top, and James told me to, I just had, and could say so with a clear conscience 🙂

Next on the ride horizon, and probably the real thing, was the Puerto de La Virgen.  There was plenty of climbing in between as it turns out, but apparently that didn’t count 😉  It sure felt like up to me!  Luckily the girls kept me company for while.  They chatted away, I concentrated on breathing 😉  Well it was around 30°C!  Once the ups were done, and as we got nearer, Graham pulled alongside and gave me a timely warning, so I got a gel down me.  Every little helps right?  The world became wide and flat, open and like a big agricultural dust bowl as we got closer.  The climb ahead could be seen snaking around the hill, by the looks of it relatively gradually.  Certainly not as steep as what we’d already been doing anyway, right?  I knew it was a six mile climb though, so however it was it was going to take a while!  We had a pitstop at the bottom, where I’d really liked to have had a comfort break but there was nowhere to hide.  Everyone seemed happy to stand around and eat and drink, but I just wanted to get going.  So with the road only going one way, and there being thus no way to get lost, James okayed me setting off on my own.  Well it’s not like they weren’t going to catch me right?

And I loved it.  Really.  I had it all to myself.  Views that went on forever but just wouldn’t photograph well.  Sun, cacti, occasional birds.  Still no tortoises though 😉  It was indeed a gradual climb.  My kind.  One where you actually change gears from time to time rather than just grinding up the whole thing in bottom gear.  There was also enough of a breeze to cool you down when the wiggles were in the right direction.  At some point James and the girls went past like a steam train having decided to race for the top (madness!).  And behind me around the wiggles, the others slowly approached…which maybe pushed me a long a little bit faster 😉  In and out of the contour lines, getting higher and higher, before eventually going around, back on ourselves and up on the other side of the ridge.  It certainly went on for a while as predicted, but it wasn’t bothering me.  In fact I think I can have been said to be enjoying myself.  And although a couple of riders caught, and passed, me, not all of them did.  Which is a very cool thing indeed 🙂  Go crawler gear!

We took some time at the top, re-grouping, taking the obvious photos, and then putting on layers for the descent.  I was in a pretty good mood, and just a little bit pleased with myself 🙂  I’d earnt a down, and what a lovely down it was.  Apart from my Garmin guttering out on the way down.  I swear it said 100% the night before or I’d have charged it!  *grrr*.  No time to worry it about it though, as there were technical hairpins to concentrate on.  Not to mention trying not to look at a monumental marble mountain, slowly being broken away by chunks, that loomed over us.  Very impressive, and probably logistically complicated from a quarrying point of view.  Apparently they just blow chunks of it off and collect them at the bottom!  I’d have taken photos, but I believe I mentioned I was concentrating 😉  The Garmin finally failed, the glorious down came to an end and, since I was near the front of the descending hordes, we were met one by one by James at the bottom and guided to the lunch stop just up the road.  Not literally up I hasten to add 😉

I was feeling a bit hot and bothered sat in the sun, annoyed by the Garmin failure, and annoyed at my insides because I couldn’t have a sandwich like everyone else when I knew I should be eating.  I’d been doing so well up until then, and without the Garmin it’s really hard to work out when to eat, and to keep track of the route – how far to go, how long – especially when I there was more climbing to go and I’m always the one a bit behind so I’d have no-one to ask.  Yes, I was fretting.  Sometimes bad moods just pop up.  And this was a doozy.  Mind you, watching a local arrive on his donkeys, debate forcefully with some leaving clientele, presumably grab a coffee inside, and then ride off into the sun once again was distracting.  Very Don Quixote or something.  It’s very rural out there, and that wasn’t the only donkey being used traditionally; I saw them pulling things, carrying things.  Yes, I look around a lot when going up hills 😉  They looked pretty well cared for – but then I guess when something is your tractor/car/4*4 you’re nice to it!

Lunch was followed by a several mile up on a really nasty gravelly road, in the very hot, followed by an equally unpleasant gravelly descent.  I understand that to avoid it would involve a 40km detour though, so it makes sense, but I really wasn’t in the mood for it.  I was always a chunk of metres behind everyone, I was fed up of being behind, I didn’t know where I was, how long I’d been out, how far there was to go, and I sure as h*ll wasn’t following an eating strategy.  I think I was running on empty, that always puts me in a foul mood, and I always forget that.  I think I may actually have been sulking 😉  At the top of another climb, or up, or whatever it was, when I pulled up to join everyone, I must have been looking a bit past it as Becky asked me if I was tired.  I said I was ok, which I was really, but that I was just getting a bit lonely stuck at the back.  From there on in she kept me company, towed me, chatted to me, and generally stopped me from being such a grouch.  She even forgive me for nearly knocking us both off when I got distracted and bumped into her back wheel – sorry Becky, and thank you! 🙂

After a final 2km climb, and as promised, the final ten miles or so were a flying peloton race to the finish.  Or the Finca 😉  Even a puncture didn’t stop us.  We rolled on, the wheel was swopped, and the afflicted rider was drafted back to the pack by the van.  It was definitely fun, but it was still a relief to roll slowly, carefully as ever, down the gravel drive back to the villa, and to call the ride quits.

After 71.1 miles and 2298m of climbing, according to another Garmin, I should have been feeling pretty proud of myself for surviving, but it was clearly going to take a while for me to get my sangfroid back.  It was later than usual so we’d all cooled down on the final stretch, but my blood was still up 😉  It was definitely time for another cold beer, which I’ll have you know tasted absobl**dylutely fabulous.  Even better, Julia had made a fantastic batch of flapjacks for us, but especially for me, so that I would have my usual fodder to ride on for the rest of the week.  Did I mention Julia is awesome? 😀

I took my beer up to my room and had a bath.  Both restorative.  I’m fairly sure I wasn’t being great company downstairs!  However after another lovely dinner – salads, BBQ ribs with veg & rice, and fruit salad, by the time I got to bed I was feeling a lot better.  I did do ok you know.  Yes, I was still feeling like the weakest link but I did like some of the ups, I loved the Puerto de la Virgen and that at least I did well.  And hey, with all that slow climbing sunshine, my tan lines were growing and I had the sunburnt nose to prove it.  Time to get some sleep and look forward to our rest day 🙂

Cycling time: 5:08
Distance: 71.1 miles
Avg: 13.8 mph
ODO: 8269.2 miles

You’d think with all the riding, and the post-riding beer, I’d sleep like a log wouldn’t you?  No.  No idea why really.  Sleeping in a single bed is not something I’m used to.  And something liked to wake me up around 6:00am every morning, quite probably a cockerel, which you’d have thought I’d be used to, considering the number of them there are around here.  Still, at least getting up for the 8:00am alarm call was never an issue.  I was usually a little early down for breakfast, making a beeline straight for the coffee machine!  Having been made to realise that boiled eggs were a bad idea yesterday, today I decided to have a Clif bar for breakfast instead, and asked if maybe we could get some rice cakes for following days.  Those at least I can eat.  And cover in Nutella 😉

Day 3’s ride was due to be considerably flatter, but longer – 80 miles this time.  Once again the weather was lovely, and we set out at about 10:45, this time with mein host Wheels in Wheels MD Graham Temple driving the support van.  You’d have thought flatter would be better wouldn’t you?  Oddly……no.  The rest of the guests were just that bit too fast for me on the flat, and I was constantly slogging to keep up, without any respite from downhills.  I was finding it pretty hard work and my PMA took a bit of a nosedive to be honest.  However, it being the ‘Ride Like A Pro’ experience, and with all the ride leaders miked up, they did their best to communicate this to each other so as to rein things in a bit when necessary.  Oh, and I also accidentally dropped a Clif bar at some point, and Margriet retrieved it, raced back to us, and returned it to me.  Even more Pro 😉

There was a long stretch through citrus groves in the sunshine where I just gradually dropped backwards, however hard I tried,…my PMA doing the same…until we got to the top and I was informed that we’d actually been doing the climb of the day, at which point I felt much better!  In fact we’d been going up, albeit gradually and not very high, for about 15 miles.  That explains it then.  Maybe I should check the gradient on my Garmin from time to time?

I cheered up even further after our break at the top and the fab descent afterwards which was not at all technical, and therefore large amounts of fun.  The downward trend also continued for quite some time which was far more me than up is! 😉  I didn’t do so well on the coast road afterwards though.  I think the word James used for it is “undulating”…  It was very scenic, in fact stunning in places, but most definitely rolling, with a nasty coast head wind to boot.  Never enough down to get me up the next up, and never enough up for me to get into my crawling rhythm.  I sat at the back of the group and did my best, occasionally sheltered by Margriet, and tried to let those views and the sunshine distract me.  Hey, I might not have being doing that well, but it was a Monday and I was riding my bike in the sun by the beach, which is more than could be said for anyone else I know 😉

We had a coffee stop about halfway ’round, somewhere facing away from the beach, which mean we were sat in the shade, and restorative though it was, I was just getting colder and colder.  I could have used half an hour sat in the sun, listening to the waves, and doing nothing.  But then that’s always true 🙂  Becky and Hannah didn’t stop, and headed off to do their own thing, presumably because we were too fast for them 😉  Still, having been told off by James the night before for not eating enough when riding I was doing my best to eat more today, and coffee and Fanta count too right?  And yes, I know, my not eating enough is not news to anyone 😉

It was really good to get back underway and warmed up again, though the coast road didn’t get any flatter and the wind seemed to get worse.  Fighting a non-stop headwind is hard work, and I’m glad I wasn’t on the front!  Everyone went a bit quiet after a while and, taking his queue from that, James made an executive decision to cut the route a little short, turning 80 miles into 70, but no-one was complaining.  As we came back down the rural lanes, past the golf course, the wind was a little more in our favour, which was nice, and also a lot quieter!  Again with the not flat though.  There’s an annoying climb there through a leisure resort which seems oddly pointless as it doesn’t really seem to go anywhere, followed by what was starting to feel like our bête noire – the 8% main road climb at Antas, which had to be negotiated before we could get back to the villa.  I’m sure it’s not a big deal really, but it always felt like it at the end of a ride!

Cycling time: 4:05
Distance: 69.0 miles
Avg: 16.9 mph
ODO: 8198.1 miles

I was definitely flagging towards the end, and sneezing a lot for some reason.  Flat for Andalucia is not the same as flat for Somerset for sure!  And if James ever tells you the route is flat, find yourself a very large pinch of salt to take that with, it’s just a comparative term 😉  Still, another ride was under the belt, and there was plenty of time leftover for some R&R in the sun, as well as for me to both wash my kit and get it dry.  Even more fabulously the beer was still cold 😉

To further emphasise how wonderful chef Julia is, tonight the main course at dinner, after vegetable soup and salads, was lasagne.  Which is not me-friendly.  So she made me my own version, with no cheese sauce, and replaced the pasta with layers of grilled aubergine.  Aw.  How cool is that?  And it was delicious too.  As were the local strawberries, some even coated in chocolate, that were the alternative to tiramisu.  See, I was doing my best to eat, honest!  Well, it wasn’t really optional, Day 4 was ahead, which threatened to make this one look like a walk in the park 😉

Well, I’m here! And apparently I can blog from here too – you lucky, lucky people 😉

 But you know what?  I’m not going to.  Not every day.  I may pop by.  But I’ll write it up properly when I get home.  I’m making notes and taking photos and everything.  But this is supposed to be a holiday as well as work, and I need one of those so…you’ll have to forgive me if I spend some time out appreciating that element of it too 😉

But just so as you know, today we did an easy flat spin out ride to the beach.  In short sleeves and shorts with pasty skin exposed to the unfamiliar sun. The novelty was joyous 🙂  It was maybe a little too easy going for me – we’re a mixed bunch still finding our level(s) – but that’s probably no bad thing.  Always good to feel like you could do better, rather than knowing you can’t.  Mind you,  I’m still hankering after mountains…and yes, that’s still weird 😉

Cycling time: 1:24
Distance: 19.5 miles
Avg: 13.9 mph
ODO: 8076.1 miles

Since last Wednesday I have been fighting a losing battle against the slowly returning pain.  Which leaves me feeling somewhat like the above picture.  After a screamingly painful Sunday, with all the weapons at my command in action, I finally got things down to a manageable background level.  Well tolerable anyway.  And it’s slowly receding.  However it doesn’t particularly like core work, which I felt the need to test out with two workouts, as you do.  And historically it doesn’t like cycling either.  So I needed to test that out too, right?

Well, it is Wednesday…and though it may be the last one for a while, once again that meant Alan and hills.  Fourth hump day, so four hills.  Though oddly, our route turns out to have had exactly the same mileage as last week’s three hill route, yet with slightly less climbing.  Not sure how that works!

So, which ups were on the menu today?  Shipham, Burrington, the A39 climb up to the aerial, and then Old Bristol Hill.  Relentless hard hills, but in weird variable weather.  I was so hot, and thus over-heating, by the time we got to the top of Burrington Combe I had to stop and take off a layer and squeeze it into the saddle bag.  It was practically Spring-like up there.  But by the third time we climbed up the Mendips we were climbing into what felt like damp freezing fog!  At least I didn’t have to do Old Bristol Hill in the snow again…  It did mean I had to be a bit more careful down Cheddar Gorge than usual…boo hiss 😉

Having opted not to take the magic pills this morning, so as to be as with it as possible, I was occasionally painfully reminded that maybe I should have done.  Going up decent hills sets it off, and that’s what we were doing.  It certainly didn’t make going uphill any easier.  But then I’m not sure what would 😉  Apparently the only way to get better at going up hills is to keep going up hills.  So we kept going up hills *grin*.

All in all, at the end of the day, <insert annoying phrase of your choice here>, etc., I’m really pleased with how it went.  Alan enjoyed discovering yet another hill, and once he’s done West Harptree and the Glider Club hill I think we’ll pretty much have covered the Mendip climbs.  Oh, and the last one of those two he can do by himself – I still know my limits 😉  But I performed ok overall, I got up everything, and I got up Old Bristol Hill a couple of minutes faster than I did three weeks ago, so that can’t be bad.  And best of all, I’m not feeling worn out now.  Mind you, it is time I took some of those pills…  Ho hum 🙂

Cycling time: 2:45
Distance: 36.3 miles
Avg: 13.1 mph
ODO: 7984.7 miles