This is how you ride your bike in Spain. Take the lane. The 1.5 meter rule applies. Dan counted about 450 cars passing us today, every one gave us plenty of room, including several large trucks, which all used their turn signals. Yes, there’s a nice shoulder, but it was occasionally gritty. Americans are not used to such equal treatment, but it’s great.
Signs like this are on every national road in Spain. Every ten km or so, augmented every few km by smaller signs reminding drivers of the speed limit and passing rule. It works.
Dolmans dating from about 2500 years ago east of Trigueros on our dirt section. These were dovecotes, and were models for future defensive architecture
There are few choices in riding from Ayamonte, Spain to Sevilla. We wanted to avoid Huelva, which has great bike infrastructure west of the city, but the city itself and north and east are pretty bad with lots of traffic and poor road surfaces. Cycle.travel suggested a 61 mile route with 22 miles of dirt, much of which we knew about, had ridden some of it the previous week, and decided against it. The paved suggestion was a 71 mile course through Huelva. I looked at maps and decided on a hybrid. We rode on the N431 for 30th miles to Gibraleon, then switched to the dirt route for the remainder. The N431 is probably the worst road, condition wise, I’ve ridden in Spain, at least for paved. Lots of potholes and I don’t think it’s been swept this decade. But most traffic is on the autovia, and signs (see pic) made for calm riding.
Our planned lunch stop in Trigueros turned into eating food from the El Jamon market sitting on the sidewalk. Apparently one drinks for lunch in that town. There were several busy restaurants, but none were serving food. After lunch, we headed east to Niebla. Initially, the road appeared to be on the 5 euro per week paving program. 100 meters would be paved, then several hundred of dirt. Then it was all dirt. After the dolmans (pic) we had two short hike a bike sections across fords. We were happy that the rain had stopped, as last week these sections would’ve been impassable.
We rejoined pavement in Candon, and had a nice tailwind for the remaining 30 km to Villalba. I’d found the villa on booking.com and couldn’t believe the price. The owner was very nice. The place would be perfect for four couples. We were happy to have this lodging as there are few options between Huelva and Sevilla.
My ortlieb pannier lost a screw, likely on the bumpy dirt section. I had replacements, but my T25 bit was not beefy enough to make a firm connection. After google led me astray, again, trying to find a hardware store, I went to an auto repair shop, and asked the owner if he had a tool. He very kindly tightened the screws for me and refused to accept any money.
The markets in town open at 17:00. We splurged on a 3,59 euro Ribera de duero wine for dinner and enjoyed dining in.
Today's ride: 102 km (63 miles) Total: 672 km (417 miles)
