Oh no !!! I must have left the shower or tap running. I was woken up by the sound of gushing water.... I looked at my phone and it said 3:30 a.m. I went into the bathroom and to my surprise the sound of running water went quieter. I suddenly realised it was outside. Rain was pouring out of the gutters onto the street below and it was raining hard outside. I had another 3 hours before my alarm was due to sound but I don't really think I got more than an hour of shut eye after this discovery.
6:30 a.m. ⏰ The Nokia tune played quietly on the bedside table and I turned to see the water still pouring down and off the roof to the street below and my heart sank. Surely not. I had mentally prepared myself for 2 or 3 bad days. I told myself at that moment that not finishing was now a possibility. If it was horrendous today I was going to be passing near to Almeria airport and I could just get there, sort out the bike (no idea how) buy a plane ticket and get home. I really did not care anymore. Stupid idea anyway.....
I heard the voices in my head of friends and family. Especially, the ones I had spoken on the phone with this week. This was just like LEJOG 2016 Day 6 and LEFROG Day 5 all over again but worse. The low point.
I remember thinking that if I set myself a target of just getting dressed, getting breakfast and trying to just get down the hill and turn right onto the coast road that was good enough for now. Baby steps....
“The best rides are the ones where you bite off much more than you can chew, and live through it” – Doug Bradbury
Breakfast was not until 8 am so I had ages to prepare. I thought I could wait for a break in the weather before I start out. I did not really care about finishing the challenge. Just getting today done whatever the outcome was. If today was the last day at least I had gotten this far.
I had 2 coffees, a croissant, toast, jam and yogurt whilst staring out of the window to the perfectly shaped conical hills covered by rain clouds surrounding Mojacar.
The terrace was coated in Martian Haze juice.(the reddish brown sand) You can see it all over the tables on these pictures....
I checked the weather app on my phone and was instantly encouraged and motivated as it looked like today might actually be the last of the rain for the rest of the trip...
Motivated enough to commit I got up, checked out and started work on Henry by topping up his tyres. I pumped air into the tyres from southern Spain to mix with the good old Shropshire air I added before I packed him up for the DHL delivery. It's weird to think that wherever you go you always bring a bit of home with you. The air you pumped into your tyres. Unknown to me at the time but this was the one and only time I did this the entire trip.
All set I went to reception and once again looked outside. It was raining heavily and windy also. I had fully implemented Operation Drowned Rat so I was as ready as I would ever be.
I set off down the hill trying to double check the brakes as I went, they felt really weak. I knew I had a big climb and a gorgeous descent near Sopalmo early on at the 10 mile point. I was quite worried. I used the barrel adjuster to tighten the calipers closer to the wheel rims and this worked OK. The wet roads were also a big concern so today whatever happened was going to be a long slow careful drag.
I said hello to the launderette as I went past. So glad I waited to dry my clothes there last night. Although they would all be wet again in about 2 hours after this rain had penetrated the five layers I was wrapped in. I felt like a lycra pass the parcel. The puddles on the roads were horrendous. The water covered most of my designated area of the road meaning I was forced into the middle of the road all day. Luckily the roads were deserted. Also I have to say that the Spanish drivers are absolutely brilliant. I never ever felt at risk for a single second. Not a single close shave was to be had at any point. On my usual 25 mile circuit round my home in Ellesmere I average 3 !!!
It is amazing how you actually get used to the rain after a while. Especially when you are moving. I kept telling myself I am going so fast the rain drops miss. The wind was getting stronger.
Eight miles done. Now for the first climb of the day up to one of the highlights of this coastal path, Mirador de la Granatilla.
Smile for the camera....
Why pull a face like that...... it was the wind and rain lashing straight into my face.
Note the sexy bonnet de douche on my head hehe
I have to say this was one stunning bit of road. Congratulations to the designer and builders.
I am writing this on the 22nd April about 3 weeks after the event and I have to say this day was the hard one. It is also one of the most memorable and I am already starting to look back on it and rate it as one of the best days cycling I've done. Nobody remembers the boring perfect days that go exactly to plan. If you can beat the demons in your head it makes it special. Anyway, back to the route. I haven't done the day yet.
I wondered why my right foot felt cold. These shoecovers have seen better days. If the weather forecast is right and this is the last bad day these will end up in the bin tonight.
This was someone's lean to that I sneaked into to get away from an absolutely torrential down pour for 10 minutes.
Welcome to the middle of the ride..... I took this picture exactly at the 300 mile point. Exactly half way through. 300 miles done. 300 miles to go.
I realised from my research that this spot was also the hump of the day. It was the highest point of the day and the road was pretty much all downhill apart from a few little hillocks to the end 50 miles further into Almerimar.
About a mile further I could see in the distance what looked like an ocean appearing but it was not in the right place. I thought I was hallucinating at first. It was like a massive white sea on the land. I also wrongly thought it might be a huge inland flood. When I got closer and closer I realised it was miles and miles of polytunnels as far as the eye could see.
Once again with Operation Drowned Rat in full flow I had no energy, desire or motivation to take any pictures so again forgive me if I rely on good old google maps for photos of the area.... At this rate I might as well have used this and kept my phone in my pocket the whole week.
Polytunnel city......
This stretched on for about 15 miles !!! Somewhere roughly in the middle of this area was a clearing and a tiny village called Los Albaricoques where Clint Eastwood's film For A Few Dollars More was filmed in 1965. I don't think it had changed much by the looks of it. Apart from the puddles.
Anyone interested in film locations can check out some great websites to see then and now pictures. Here's one I found for this area in Spain......
This is an aerial shot of the area. I wonder what produce was growing under all that poly ?
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The downside of this area was the puddles. I have no idea if the water used in the growing process added to the already rain soaked land but every lane. road and path I travelled on from this area all the way to Almeria was flooded. It was an absolute nightmare.
Wind was coming from the north which meant I had a side wind now for the rest of the day.
Now I needed all of my will power and bucketloads of positive mental attitude to keep going when I passed a sign saying Almeria Aeroporto 5 miles Turn Right !!!!
I actually cycled alongside the runway for 2 miles near Costacabana. Time for a break and well earned food and drink stop I think.
I passed through Almeria without stopping and then entered the N-340 for the first time which I hopped on and off of many many times over the next few days. This road hugs the coastline so tightly along the southern coast of Spain it makes it a must do for anyone wanting to do a coastal ride either on bike, motorbike or motorhome. Loved this road. Even in the rain....
Just outside Aguadulce.....
The rain really started to come down hard again now and I suddenly felt all of the remaining positive energy drain from head to foot and I stopped on the side of the ocean in a huge puddle and looked out to sea. It reminded of an infinity pool except I knew exactly where the land and sea met as the puddles were all this reddish brown rain and the sea was blue. Hand on a minute, once again thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me I noticed the sea had a distinct line of the brown stuff hugging the shoreline. I ignored it and moved forward again. I later found out that what I had seen was the effect of millions of gallons of red rain draining down every channel, river estuary and drainage outlet all along the southern coast of Almeria and entering the blue Mediterranean Sea. It looked like a natural disaster as each estuary mixed the horrible brown water with the blue sea but it separated like oil and water. I had 20 miles left and almost felt like turning around and heading back to the airport in Almeria. I remember coming into Roquetas de Mar with a massive black cloud in the sky and in my head. This was another low point. Tears mixed with rain mixed with tears and I turned the pedals slowly towards the outskirts of this holiday town. I started to shake when I stopped to try and check the most direct route on my phone. The combination of being wet, slow speeds and lack of motivation lowered my temperature so I reached for my third spare snood and wrapped it around my neck along with the other one. I've never had to do this before.
I did not think it could get any worse until I suddenly without warning entered another area consumed by polytunnels which made the last one look like a council allotment.
Here is the aerial shot... It would cover every mile of the rest of the day and the roads were waterlogged and flooded worse than any other I had encountered the entire week. In the end, you get to a point when you are so soaked and wet through you simply cannot get any wetter so you pedal on through water and don't really notice it.
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I also got lost when I tried to find a detour and more direct route through this horrible area. This was the new lower low point and I had absolutely had enough. For me this was now over. Done. Finished. I was going to get to the hotel and get home the day after.
Strava data... https://www.strava.com/activities/6881375991
Constantly looking for ways to make any shortcuts and get this day done I stupidly made a left turn off the main road into Almerimar down a rough track meant only for mountain bikes. It turned out to be a rough track meant only for people to get off and carry their mountain bikes. I cannot believe I made such a stupid error but I really did not give a damn anymore. I was free. I had already become detached from this stupid crazy dream of cycling all this way during the worst weather this region had seen in decades. I know I booked the trip back in December and watched the weather forecasts the 3 weeks before get steadily worse and worse but I never in a million years thought it would be this bad.
The track went down steeply and had massive ruts and holes all the way down the steepest part of the descent. Here are some pics of the track....
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So I just got off and carried the bike down the track and made my way to the hotel.
The Apartamentos Turisticos Spirit Mar was a big hotel and reminded me of the hotel in The Shining as it was completely deserted apart from me and two other guests. The manager was British and was really cool and very helpful. I hate being so needful but I once again asked for any help with where I could get some food and clothes dried. When I entered reception I was Drowned Rat. I must have looked pitiful as he quickly got on the phone to the only local restaurant in the area and ordered some food to be picked up asap and went to the lost and found cupboard and fished out 2 T shirts, some jogging pants and a dressing gown for me. I went up to my room on the second floor and dropped off my new hand me downs and went back down to go and retrieve my dinner. Adam the manager said the restaurant was only a couple of minutes away on the sea front. He was headed there in about 20 minutes and would walk with me but I said Thank you So much but I will shoot on the bike and eat as soon as I can. He said the name of the restaurant and I shot off down the road dodging huge puddles all the way. When I got to where I suspected it was I went inside and the place was absolutely full of smart looking people and every seat was taken. This must be the place. I went up to the bar and asked for the takeaway Adam from Spirit Mar had ordered. The waiter looked at me and I could tell immediately he did not speak a single word of English and I had left my phone and translation app back in the hotel. As much as I tried there was no way we could communicate. I suddenly thought I had picked the wrong bar so I quickly said Sorry and Bye and made a sharp exit.
When I returned to the hotel, the manager Adam said you were right and just ask for Joaquin and the order was pollo fries pronto. I shot back now feeling weak with hunger and when I entered again I could see he recognised me as Adam had rang him and said I was returning. He handed me the plate of food covered in foil and I asked if I could sit at the bar and eat it here and now. He was so kind and cleared a table in the corner for me and got me a large glass of Cola. The food was amazing and I sat there and ate every bite.........
When I got back to the hotel I had time to check out my room again properly and started the process like on autopilot of prepping for tomorrow. I had no idea if I was cycling tomorrow yet or not but I had eaten a great meal so I felt a lot more positive than when I arrived at The Shining hotel.
Stats for the day. 82 miles. 3500 feet climbed. 2400 calories. 13 degrees C. BIBLICAL RAIN ALL DAY AND FLOODS TO MATCH
Problem 2 was solved as I found this apartment had its own utility room and washer/dryer. Just needed to work out how to use it and I was sorted.
I needed all the motivation in the world right now so I needed to make 2 phone calls that second.
Motivated beyond belief I will pass this positivity on with not 2 but 6 quotes of the day......
“You either love spinning the pedals and watching scenery whiz by, or you don’t. And if you love it, not much can sour you on the idea of riding your bike.” Keith Mills
“In Mendrisio I felt it – the exhilaration of what the bike has to offer. It’s a simple machine that conjures a vast mix of emotions. It can evoke the senses and raise the spirits of people who watch. For those who ride it can seem like the perfect vehicle for transport. For those who race, there’s no better sensation than being on top of your gear making mountains feel like flat roads. Cycling throws up plenty of obstacles, unknown territory, high speed split-second considerations. Where to next? What’s around the next corner? Who cares? You’re flyin’!” Cadel Evans on winning the World Championships
“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking” – Arthur Conan Doyle
“In Mendrisio I felt it – the exhilaration of what the bike has to offer. It’s a simple machine that conjures a vast mix of emotions. It can evoke the senses and raise the spirits of people who watch. For those who ride it can seem like the perfect vehicle for transport. For those who race, there’s no better sensation than being on top of your gear making mountains feel like flat roads. Cycling throws up plenty of obstacles, unknown territory, high speed split-second considerations. Where to next? What’s around the next corner? Who cares? You’re flyin’!” Cadel Evans on winning the World Championships
“I don’t ride a bike to add days to my life. I ride a bike to add life to my days” – Unknown
“To me, it doesn’t matter whether it’s raining or the sun is shining or whatever: as long as I’m riding a bike I know I’m the luckiest guy in the world” – Mark Cavendish
“Cyclists see considerably more of this beautiful world than any other class of citizens. A good bicycle, well applied, will cure most ills this flesh is heir to” – Dr K.K. Doty
I am raising funds for Cancer Research UK in memory of so many people it has affected but mainly for my mum who died 30 years ago. Love you mum XXXXXXXX
This link takes you straight to the cancer research page to donate, it is safe and every penny goes straight into their bank account.
https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/el-fondo
Thank you so much, stay tuned for Day 5
I am raising funds for Cancer Research UK in memory of so many people it has affected but mainly for my mum who died 30 years ago. Love you mum XXXXXXXX
This link takes you straight to the cancer research page to donate, it is safe and every penny goes straight into their bank account.
https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/el-fondo
Thank you so much, stay tuned for Day 5
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