Welcome to the forum
a Spanish Recommendation
I had the pleasure of being invited to a friends wedding at the weekend - location Spain, Costa del Sol.
Not been there since the dubious package tours as a lad in the 70s so arrived with some trepidation. The venue was your typical golf type hotel that caters for weddings, not necessarily cyclists but was very nice indeed.
Leigh & I did receive a few strange looks & comments at breakfast as we were the only guests in lycra! But heh, you know me always like a bit of attention ;-)
We were about 5 Ks inland from Fuengirola at the foot of the Sierra Mijas mountain range. We arrived a couple of days early to the main event to test them out.
So four days of excellent cycling, interrupted only by a lovely wedding ceremony. The temperature was hot (too hot at times love it!) climbs were brutal the climb to Mijas town in particular was about c10Ks at 10% peaking at 18% with NO shade that one admittedly hurt a lot!! But the view was worth it. Unfortunately the pain didnt stop there as, full of confidence, Leigh joined me on one ride (happened to be the day of the wedding) and unfortunately crashed :-( one badly bruised leg with Road Rash and my cycling partner retired for the day and rest of weekend. I then nearly missed the wedding myself by taking in just one more climb oops ;-) almost attended in CCA kit!! Now I bet that would have been a first?????
One road I must mention was like something I have never experienced. Only recently completed, it snaked from Andalucia & Coin to Fuengirola. It was silky smooth, between 10 & 12% with banked sweeping corners. I have never descended at such speeds (43mph into a head wind) down such a deserted road, which was so wide, smooth and just . Awesome as well as being a tad terrifying! I managed to climb it twice and descend it 5 times !! (It was always at the end of one of my rides ?)
Please just add this to your list of rides to do before you croak it!?
Skelders
PS - I think this experience has tipped me towards a European trip rather than the LEJOG trip... sorry guys, the sun wins!
Not been there since the dubious package tours as a lad in the 70s so arrived with some trepidation. The venue was your typical golf type hotel that caters for weddings, not necessarily cyclists but was very nice indeed.
Leigh & I did receive a few strange looks & comments at breakfast as we were the only guests in lycra! But heh, you know me always like a bit of attention ;-)
We were about 5 Ks inland from Fuengirola at the foot of the Sierra Mijas mountain range. We arrived a couple of days early to the main event to test them out.
So four days of excellent cycling, interrupted only by a lovely wedding ceremony. The temperature was hot (too hot at times love it!) climbs were brutal the climb to Mijas town in particular was about c10Ks at 10% peaking at 18% with NO shade that one admittedly hurt a lot!! But the view was worth it. Unfortunately the pain didnt stop there as, full of confidence, Leigh joined me on one ride (happened to be the day of the wedding) and unfortunately crashed :-( one badly bruised leg with Road Rash and my cycling partner retired for the day and rest of weekend. I then nearly missed the wedding myself by taking in just one more climb oops ;-) almost attended in CCA kit!! Now I bet that would have been a first?????
One road I must mention was like something I have never experienced. Only recently completed, it snaked from Andalucia & Coin to Fuengirola. It was silky smooth, between 10 & 12% with banked sweeping corners. I have never descended at such speeds (43mph into a head wind) down such a deserted road, which was so wide, smooth and just . Awesome as well as being a tad terrifying! I managed to climb it twice and descend it 5 times !! (It was always at the end of one of my rides ?)
Please just add this to your list of rides to do before you croak it!?
Skelders
PS - I think this experience has tipped me towards a European trip rather than the LEJOG trip... sorry guys, the sun wins!
Comments
any takers?
If there is interest I am happy to organise???