There is a reason the Pro's go on winter training camps

It is too damn hot in the summer

This one is a bit late as  returned at the end of July but having had enough of the so called British summer drowning me every time I went out on the bike I packed my bike and disappeared to Southern Spain for 25 days in June and July thinking I would grab some  sunny  rides in the Morning of a hundred miles or so and sit and watch the Tour D'France in the afternoon. Great plan and have to say I loved the experience in advance of anything else you read to the contrary.

I arrived at mid-day on a Sunday and by the time my bike was back together,mid afternoon, I went for my first ride of the break. Just a 25 mile spin along the beach. With temperatures at 43 degrees and a 17% climb today was my first lesson in Spanish cycling. It takes a while to get used to the temperatures and by the afternoon the sun had dried the air completely making breathing difficult. Still good to know on a short ride. The other problem is that you don't realise just how much you are sweating. It dries out instantly, until you stop that is and then you look like you just got out the shower.

Luckily I met an ex-pat called George who showed me around the area. (I was south of Alicante in a place called La Marina). It was different to the UK for a number of reasons. First of all I was on a flat valley floor some 30 miles across. At the edge of the valley the mountains just sprang up after being visible and taunting me for miles. Averaging 6-7% climbs but with short sections of 17-22% the climbs could continue for ten miles with the longest descent being 12 miles. Now that was fun and well deserved but displayed another problem. Riding the drops with your hands hovering over the brakes is painful (but worth it).

That said Spain has amazing roads. They are well looked after and empty. I could ride for two or three hours without seeing a car. It looks as though the roads have always been well maintained but as tourism increased new and faster roads were built leaving the old ones all but abandoned. There are still cafes along the way which are fairly cheap and essential for topping up on food, cake and water. The Spanish have laws which are strictly enforced. Don't expect to get away with jumping a red light or not wearing your helmet. On the plus side, motorists are fined 1,500 Euros for going within  1.5m of a cyclist or failing to give way. As a consequence they will sit quietly behind you until it is safe to pass, often shout encouragement and stop on a roundabout to let you through.

 

This became all to apparent when  started riding with a group called Amigos de Cyclismo, a group of ex-pats from all over the world and including former pro Harry Steevens winnerof Paris Roubaix all be it a number of years ago. With groups of thirty often riding five abreast I started out quite nervous but quickly realised this was normal in Spain and quickly settled into my drastically reduced rides of between 50-80 miles.

 

The rides were surprisingly varied. It was easy to go for a long flat ride along the valley, or after a ten mile warm up hit the mountains. One of my favourites included a ten mile stretch along the Mediterranean sea around Santa Polo with a stop at a beach front cafe. With stunning views and the buzz of people enjoying the beach it left me trying to thing of a joke about a cyclist going to heaven only to be told as he was so good heaven wasn't the paradise he deserved and he was being sent to Southern Spain to cycle for eternity, but, you will be pleased to know, I couldn't think of one.

 

So, the downsides,

1. It was too hot, you need to go outside of the summer season. I left the house between 7 & 8 when it was a chilly 28 degrees. It still hit 43 to 46 in the mountains and 38 in the valley. I returned home between 12 and 2. Mid afternoon is too dry and hot to ride safely.
2. Hydration was a problem. I heard on the Tdf commentary that on a hot day (only 34) riders could drink up to 25 bottles. I was taking two! Clearly not ideal even with two gels and a melted energy bar. On an early ride I found myself weaving along the road with no inclination to do anything about it. To remedy the situation I had to review mileage and drop to some 50 mile rides and take a couple of days off. I started stopping for coffee and coke mid ride and buying a bottle of water to refill the bottles using some tablets. I also drank 4liters of water in the afternoon and a litre of fruit juice. Finally, and the hardest one, I avoided spending too much time in the sun off the bike. That said I was there to ride not sunbathe and the TdF on Tv helped.
3. Despite the angelic approach of the Spanish drivers it still isn't that safe to ride on your own on the near empty roads. Hydration really is a risk, so try to find group that will let you ride with them. On the occasions I did ride alone, there were that many riders on the road that you can form a group once you are riding, just don't forget to save your holiday location in the garmin if you get lost.
4. You need to slow down a bit if you want to keep the mileage up, it isn't possible to hydrate quickly enough or suck in enough oxygen at speed, (excuse made)

And that is it, would I go again in the summer? yes but I would get more out of it in April, though i am booked onto a trip to Lanzarote in February and may try Spain in April but drive there and take a few other trips in on the way.

 

So all that remains is to say Spain is a cycling paradise, recovery is quick if you hydrate properly allowing for plenty of mileage. I will post some more pictures when I figure out how to recover them off my broken lap top.

 

However here are some of the routes I enjoyed