Up and over:
I decided to leave the
sensible option for another day, Sorbas would have to wait. I girded
my loins for a more direct crossing of the Sierra de los Filabres
mountain range. I retraced the route from day 1 as far as Uleila del
Campo and resisted the temptation to take the outward route in full
and head towards Lubrin.
I could see the onward
route to Albanchez high on the mountain ahead. It was sufficiently
daunting for me to stop and dismount the bike, check my tyres,
brakes, water bottle levels and my sanity.
The onward route can be seen top centre rising across the hillside from left to right:
I passed a sign which
said 'Cantoria 38km' – not a great distance in cycling terms but
with 40deg C and a mountain range to cross it prompted a moment of
concern.
The climb started on
the road which skirts the village to the west and continued
relentlessly.
I soon abandoned any
thought of completing the climb without stopping, the hot still air
seemed to provide no fuel for faltering legs. I tried to stop where
there was a hint of dappled shade from roadside trees but there was
little. What breeze there was would be strongest on the bridges
where re-entrants in the mountainside funnelled the air a little so
that's where I stopped, baking in the afternoon sun to try to cool
down!
Brown signs with the word 'Sierra' generally warn of a hard day at the office!
The high point of the
pass had been in view for some time, or so I thought. Of course
around each bend there was further ascent. I came across the first
good patch of shade and stopped to rest for a few minutes. The only
food I had was the sticky remains of a bunch of grapes I'd plucked
from my sisters terrace the night before departure but they were much
needed. At least I had water, warm water!
Everything comes to he
who sweats and eventually I reached the Puerto de la Virgen, the Pass
of the Virgin.
My hard earned rendezvous with the Virgin!
I hoped that the ascent
had all but ended for the day and after a photo stop on the pass I
enjoyed the reward of another flowing descent.
I took a small detour
into the village of Albanchez looking for a cold drink and food. As
is generally the case it was deserted. I was half way
through the village when I heard voices,
I followed them and
came into the plaza to find a small stall setup serving drinks and
food. The locals stared inquisitively as always as the dripping
cyclist slurped his first cold drink.
The food being served
was paella and I had a small plateful with a chunk of bread for 1
euro, delicious.
The roller coaster ride
continued down the the road between Cantoria and Almanzora which I
was familiar with from my local excursions. From there a mixture of
Rambla (dry riverbed) and road took me back to Alforquia and a couple
of cold bottles before tea.
The trip has opened my
mind to further possibilities, it is an option to ride in extreme
heat and it's certainly preferable to riding in the wind and rain.
Short days, lots of
water and a tolerance of incredulous looks from the locals are the
secrets.
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