We get off to a late start today, which was a bit frustrating considering we have a long, difficult day ahead. Breakfast isn't until 9, and we wished we had elected to pass on it and find a street cafe down in town. After breakfast we spent some time walking around the historical quarter of Ainsa, which was well worthwhile - it is a beautiful, fascinating old historic town. At one time in the past it was the provincial capitol, and it certainly has the feel of a place of importance. The entire quarter is a protected historic district, and is well preserved. It feels like a setting that looks much as it might have centuries ago.
So I was wrong last night - this isn't an unused area - it's the breakfast area. Our bikes were somewhat in the way, which the German guests appeared to find somewhat annoying.
In the historic quarter, Ainsa. The entire quarter looks pretty much like this, with immaculately preserved elegant stone homes lining stone mosaic streets.
The Romanesque 11th century church of Santa Maria. I wish I'd brought my zoom camera along this morning, so I could show you that the arches above the entrance are lined with swallows nests.
Outside our hotel, readying for departure. The entire perimeter of the Plaza Major looks this way, lined with arch-supported overhangs. It reminds me of French bastides, such as Mirepoix.
Considering our late start, we did pretty well to be on the road by 10:30. We didn't go far though, stopping in the commercial district at the base of the hill so that Rachael could buy lunch fixings. I was happy to see that we were across the street from a sporting goods store with a bike shop, so I checked to see if they had tubes for 20 inch wheels. Surprisingly, they did, so I picked up a pair. It's surprising how many flats we've had so far, and I'm feeling a bit exposed.
Today looks like one of the harder ones of the tour, and there's some uncertainty about just how hard. My notes from planning the trip show it as a two pass day with 5,500' of climbing; but when we drew the route this morning on Ride with GPS, it registered as 7,100' with three passes. That's getting to be off the upper edge of what we can handle in a day, so we're a bit anxious as we start riding.
Just five miles into the ride, we experienced what occurred to us yesterday - we approached a section with a five hundred foot spike in the profile, which was erased by an unrecognized tunnel. Looking over the whole profile I see another similar spike down the road, so we're hopeful that the total climb will be closer to my original estimate after all. The tunnel itself is like yesterday's - well lit, and safe to navigate given the absence of traffic this morning.
The first of three tunnels today. Together, they caused our ride estimate to be over 1500' high. We started the day thinking we faced three passes instead of the two we knew about, but one was completely erased by a tunnel.
Through the tunnel, we emerge a bit above the floor of a shallow valley. A short descent, and we start climbing the first pass of the day: to Collada de Foradad, eight miles away and sixteen hundred feet up. Not too bad, but it's pretty heavily back-loaded. After a pretty easy five miles, the last three are about eight percent. We're definitely feeling our age by the time we summit, but still: one down!
Which reminds me - I forgot to check the weather report this morning. Hopefully we'll be staying dry today! Somewhere along here, a wasp flew in under my helmet and stung me on the forehead. It still hurts this evening, but only when I smile. I think Rachael captured my evasive actions on video - and she even by chance rolled over the thrashing pest as she passed by.
The east side of the Pass is steeper than our ascent, and we drop thirteen hundred feet in four miles, coming soon to the base of the apparent second climb - a shorter but still significant climb of about a thousand feet. This pass is a mirage though - it disappears completely when we come to the Campo tunnel. Hurray! We're happy, but we don't care for the tunnel itself as much: almost a half mile long, curved, slightly uphill. We're in it for a while, long enough so that two cars overtake us, safe enough, but it's always a bit spooky.
On the other side of the tunnel, we're on the outskirts of Campos. It might be the last facilities we see for awhile, so we stop briefly for a cold drink and then ride on. We enter a much different landscape - the contorted canyon of the small Esera River. We enjoy a few scenic miles as we gently climb along the river, and then pull off to sit at a tranquil spot by its bank to enjoy lunch. One of the most pleasant lunch stops we've had.
This looks like greywacke. It reminds me of the formations we saw in the French Alps two years back.
The long Campo tunnel, which was a bit spooky but mercifully erased our phantom second pass. With an extra 1200' foot climb suddenly off the table, I felt much better about the day's ride.
After exiting the Campo tunnel we found ourselves in Campo and soon entered the astonishing Esera Gorge. The next eight miles along the Esera are a ride I'll long remember.
Our lunch stop, at a quiet spot on the Esera River. Very peaceful; from time to time a small fish would jump or a few vultures would soar above the cliffs.
Continuing upriver, we soon come to a short, narrow, dark, single lane tunnel. We gauge what passing through it will be like, when a car passes us and enters the tunnel. At the far end it comes to an abrupt stop when it encounters a giant truck enter from the other end, almost completely filling the tunnel. The next few minutes are great entertainment, watching the car back out as the truck inches forward. Quite uncomfortable for the car's driver and passengers, I'm sure. The drama continues when they emerge from the tunnel and encounter another giant going the other way. Great fun!
The next few miles of the gorge are pretty amazing too - narrow, twisted, sheer sided. I can't recall another gorge that seems quite this tortuous, given that it's a significant highway.
Soon after lunch we came to our third tunnel for the day - dark, unlit, but short. Before entering it we stopped to look at the incredibly narrow slot canyon the river passes through on its left.
This is the start of an amazing little drama. This car was nearly through the narrow tunnel when a huge truck entered from the other end. The car gave way, backing out of the tunnel so the truck could pass through.
The car and truck emerge from the tunnel. Amazingly, the car just kept backing down the road instead of pulling off on the wide shoulder we were standing on.
Somehow the car finally got out of the way, but then the truck was stymied by another huge truck coming the other direction. We watched in amazement as the road was completely blocked and cars started backing up. Finally it occurred to us that this would be a great time for us to make our break and dash through the tunnel.I've no idea how the trucks resolved their impass. It must have been about ten minutes before the one going our way finally caught up with us.
The tunnel from the other end. All of our photos from the next mile are very dark - the huge vertical cliffs lining both sides of the canyon are too close together to let much light in.
Rachael's in the shadows on the right, waiting on the narrow shoulder for me to catch up. Not much maneuvering room here, considering it's a two lane road used by trucks and busses.
With that drama behind us, we finally leave the canyon and begin climbing the last pass of the day, to Coll de Fadas. This one's no mirage - it's a fairly steady two thousand foot grind, not too bad but the cumulative elevation gain is certainly starting to take its toll. I'm just as happy to reach the summit, where I find Rachael waiting, looking relaxed and ready for her portrait to be taken.
From the top, there's a short descent and then an annoying but short additional climb to a second summit; and then it's downhill all the way to our hotel. The final few miles are on the busy, truck-laden N-230, one of the primary routes to France. By the time we reach town it's getting late in the day - 6:30 - and quite chilly. Nights come early in the mountains, and we're glad to have gotten off of the highway as soon as we did.
Finally leaving the gorge, we begin the two thousand foot climb to our last pass of the day, the Coll de Fadas.
Oh no - it's a three pass day after all! Actually though, there's nothing to it going our diection. After dropping four hundred feet we had an easy three hundred feet lift to this second summit. It's a real peace of work going the other direction though.
