October 15, 2018
La bomba
The idea of the Via Verde del Aceite enchanted me. But after our La Mancha adventure, my hopes were low. I was about to suffer from Paris syndrome, the depression Japanese tourists experience when they discover that the city isn’t spick and span.
Let’s back up a bit. I woke up with no idea as to how much strength, energy, or will power I would have to carry me through the day. I went through the motions of dressing and packing, then our hostess Luzimar (I hope that’s the correct spelling) offered us breakfast. When I actually wanted that second piece of toast, I knew everything was going to be okay.
Israel was off to Sevilla, and the girls were off to school, so we said our bittersweet goodbyes to Luzimar and made for the dirt road we should have taken to reach their house in the first place.
I was nervous to get back on the horse. I discovered two days ago that there is in fact a limit to the amount of weight I should carry, and I was teetering on the precipice of it.
One revolution at a time. We’re going uphill now. Still good. My legs are cooperating. This road isn’t so steep. Now we’re in rush hour traffic. My brain is working. The cylinders are firing. Now the only question is, how much gas is left in the tank?
The start of the Via Verde del Aceite in Jaén is about as unpretentious as it gets. I thought I could close my navigation app when we reached the sports complex, but we had to use it to find the trail itself, not to mention in a few key spots afterwards.
The first few kilometers feel like the Burke-Gilman trail back home in Seattle. A lot of walkers, joggers, and cyclists. Then it slowly fades to solitude.
Speaking of faded, everything on the trail feels that way. The signs and asphalt have been bleached and cracked by the sun. Along with the many abandoned brick and stucco buildings, it gives the trail an Old West feel. I can see why Italian directors filmed westerns in Spain.
Nevertheless, the trail surface is pretty smooth in most places. The bridges are a bit trickier to navigate. They use railroad ties in the center, which is great aesthetically, but makes for a very bumpy ride. The majority have concrete strips on the side that are much more rideable.
There are picnic tables! Lots of them! Even in the remote areas.
There is a pretty long stretch after Martos without services, so if you need to stock up on anything, do it early in your ride.
The grade is very reasonable, as one would expect from a rail bed.
There is even a rural hotel that appears to cater to riders. I wasn’t aware of its existence until we stumbled across it. It was very tempting for us to call it a day right there and enjoy some pampering, but we had enough energy to stick to our original plan of reaching Zuheros as our destination today.
We had a little pressure from the weather forecast, which predicted rain after 6pm. We felt a few raindrops here and there, and by the time we left the trail for town, we knew we had beat it. Sure enough, a few minutes after we checked in to our hotel, the rain started coming down in earnest. The gods had been kind to us.
We had a short paseo in the rain, followed by dinner in the hotel restaurant, since it was basically the only game in town. We were both a bit hesitant, but it turned out to be a lovely experience. The service and food were fantastic, and the prices very reasonable, even on a bicycle tourist’s budget. Flan was on the menu, but so was a quince pastry. Guess which one I had for dessert? Hint: it wasn't the flan.
Depending on how the weather forecast looks, we will either continue on the Via Verde towards Puente Genil, or head for safety in Córdoba. We brought all our rain gear, but we’d still rather avoid having to use it!
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Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles)
Total: 815 km (506 miles)
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