April 8, 2015
Wednesday, April 8 - Torre de Santa Maria to Montijo: A strong tailwind propels me past olive and cork trees before the rain falls
THE wind rattling the gate outside all night did not alleviate my concerns for today's ride and soothe me to sleep. Nevertheless, I did finally get to sleep. And was wide awake by 6 am!
Figuring I would like to get going before the rain came, I was down loading the bike by 7:30 am then snacking on croissants til it was light enough to set out. It was still a bit gloomy, but the wind was blasting from the ESE so I basically had an awesome tailwind. I must have been zipping along at times at 30 km per hour. Make hay when the sun shines. I pushed the pedals and went.
The terrain was slightly rolling with stone fences everywhere. Deserted former farmhouses dotted the landscape. Villages could not have been any more picturesque. And then 20 km were gone.
A few more villages, a few climbs, some awesome descents. Another 20 km down.
One more town before the road headed south with 20 km to go. Not a full tailwind. Getting a bit tired. Still no rain. Then suddenly there was an overpass crossing the tracks and here was a row of palms and I was in Montijo. Minutes later I found the hotel... another great family-owned hotel with a great tub.
I listened to Morning North on CBC Sudbury just in time to hear my message that I had left on Talkback yesterday. Cool.
- Montijo, Spain
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For lunch, I went downstairs for the menu del dia once again. The server had noticed me coming in earlier and mentioned that he, too, is a touring cyclist, and toured the Camino de Santiago a few years back. I asked him for local suggestions so as a primero had gazpacho with jamon, then the secundo was bacalao in orange sauce, completed by a postre of fresas con crema. All with a bit of vino tinto. And it was a good thing, especially considering it was now raining so I had totally avoided it today! Point Brent.
I was on the east side of the city and not right in it, so with the rain falling I was not much more ambitious than a little walk in the area before heading back to the room for an early evening. I also made sure everything that needed protection from water was bagged in plastic for tomorrow's wet ride.
Hotel Gran Sol €26
Today's ride: 72 km (45 miles)
Total: 321 km (199 miles)
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