October 26, 2024 - Mérida to Torre de Santa Maria - Emerita Augusta to Madrid (Tour 26) - 2024 🇪🇸

October 26, 2024

October 26, 2024 - Mérida to Torre de Santa Maria

If we needed any rinsing, we got it

Hotel Las Glorias, Carretera Medellín, 34, 770, 10186 Torre de Santa María, Cáceres, Spain

Heart

Comment

BUT THE forecast kept saying lots of rain starting at 8 am!

The sky was blue and clear though the tech told us it was 7 C out there. It kept being clear so we gobbled down our goodies then loaded up the bikes to go. The staircase was wide and shallow so we just carried the loaded bikes down the single floor to street level, then hopped on and started a rollin'.

To start out I had to find the start of our route on the gps - the pink line to follow. Fortunately, the route started down by the river's edge so we rode back down to the beautiful Roman Bridge then through the plane trees alongside the Guadiana on the walking and bike path. The sun filtered down through the leaves of the huge trees. How great that the weather forecast had been wrong (aka foreshadowing).

Right from the get-go my rear disc brake had an annoying squeal. I stopped a few times jusy after our start but I couldn't seem to sort out the noise. I had gone through this at home and thought I had figured out the method, but apparently not. Having had to remove the rear quick release for transporting the bike in its box, it meant that the wheel and disc were skewed from where they had been before the change.

After finding the GPS's thin pink line (our GPX track on the GPS) we followed alongside the Guadiana until the line turned north away from the river and started to climb out of the river valley. This EuroVelo route also took us across a second Roman bridge right beside the aqueduct. Certainly a route full of 'wows'.

A couple of times I stopped on the bridge to adjust the brake, but still not sorted! From the bridge the route went from residential to light industrial and finally agricultural with more wide-open skies. Of course, this gave us a better perspective of what was going on up in the sky and to the west could see great big purple-grey pillows steadily marching our way. More foreshadowing.

Though a decent sizeable route, the N630 that we followed was very quiet - the freeway that ran parallel, on the other hand, was very busy. This made our riding very safe and I was comfortable with Alex riding along a highway.Though cool out, with steady cycling I was warm, and Alex even said he was quite hot. There were numerous stops for re-hydration and brake adjustments.

Then there were a few raindrops, then a few more and then it was a steady rain under a lead-grey sky. Any time we stopped I cooled off quite a bit until my hands were kind of numb and I could not re-gain a warm feeling. Right when it started to pour, our route veered to the east off of the N630 and lo and behold there was a wee little restaurant offering cafe con leche and a variety of energy-giving pastries. We stopped to get out of the worst of the rain and to re-energize. While there I noticed two other touring bikes and insude met their owners - a couple from Switzerland who were on their way to Mérida. They had started in Burgos and were ending in Sevilla.

When the rain started to diminish we re-mounted the bikes and headed out on our way. By this time I had adjusted the rear brake to the point of almost completely opening the pads. At least I have an excellent front brake that works. I'll sort out the rear when it is not raining and 7 C. Yes, it was that cold, despite my no-go point being 10 C. This morning when we started out, I figured that cold out was preferable to cold and rainy so we headed out into a morning that was below my comfy threshold.

In the last ten kilometres before our stop the terrain became somewhat hilly, and by now Alex was running out of steam so we were taking it slow and steady. The rain continued and I stayed cold. I finally saw distance signs for Torre de Santa Maria and could see buildings in the distance. And finally we arrived as the clouds started to break up and the sun came out - it was now around 230 pm.

It took a few moments to check in, roll the bikes into the garage and come up to the room but it was a great relief to be here and out of the cold. Alex stayed in the room to clean up and get rested. I, on the other hand, was hungry so headed down to the restaurant for the menu del dia before 4 pm when service ended. The first course was an excellent bean and chorizo stew, and the main was beef and potatoes. Dessert was another flan. All with some... vino tinto.

Back in the room, Alex slept away so I did my post-ride cleanup before having my own little snooze. The first day is already tough and that does not include cold, rain, hills and a long distance. Because we want to be in Trujillo tomorrow there was not much choice - accommodations are few and far between in this region of the country. It is not called Extremadura for nothing. This being said, the terrain is very rugged and interesting, and when sunny, I find it beautiful. Tomorrow's forecast shows sun for the cycling portion of our day. Once we get there it looks like there could be a sprinkling of rain before the skies clear again.

"The Albarregas Roman bridge (Spanish: Puente Romano sobre El Albarregas) is a Roman bridge located in Mérida, Spain. The bridge, which is built of granite, crosses the river Albarregas, a tributary of the Guadiana. It is part of the Vía de la Plata." -- Mérida, Spain

Our route out of town initially had us following the bike path alongside the Guadiana River. -- Mérida, Spain

Along the bike path beside the Guadiana River looking back toward the Roman bridge we crossed yesterday. -- Mérida, Spain

Bike path alongside the Guadiana River. -- Mérida, Spain

As we crossed the smaller Roman bridge we had excellent views of the Roman aqueduct. -- Mérida, Spain

Just north of the city the landscape became agricultural - which it most likely has been for 2000+ years. -- Mérida, Spain

One of the many spots we stopped so I could work on my squeaking disc brakes. The cycling supply network is fraught with 'updates' which relegate tried and trued technology to the garbage bin while introducing new fussy technology. -- Somewhere north of Mérida, Spain

"The Proserpina Dam is a Roman gravity dam built to supply water to the Roman colonia of Emerita Augusta –present-day Mérida, Spain–, capital of the Roman province of Lusitania. It was built in the 1st–2nd century AD as part of the infrastructure which supplied water to the city through the aqueduct of the Miracles. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the aqueduct fell into decay, but the earth dam with retaining wall is still in use." (Wikepedia) -- North of Mérida, Spain

A photo moment and another go-over on my brakes. -- North of Mérida, Spain

Some of our route takes us along one of the Caminos, the Via de la Plata. -- Along the N630, Extremadura, Spain

Alex went to the room to rest but I was famished and went for the menu del dia. It hit the spot. -- Torre de Santa Maria, Spain

Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 84 km (52 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	5
Comment on this entry	Comment	0