Our six day self-guided bike trip (from May 4th through 9th) in the Cantabria region of northern Spain will entail 30 to 40 mile days on the bike. If there’s one thing we learned from the Ireland trip, it’s that we weren’t in shape for those kinds of days! It worked out okay in the end, but man were we tired and sore by the end.
So this time we plan to be ready. We’ve been going to spin classes all winter (Mallory more consistently than I, in all honesty), and for the last ten days before we leave we’re riding as far as possible every day.
The weather hasn’t exactly cooperated, but it’s good training for the possibility of frequent showers in Cantabria. The first ride, last Saturday, was a good example. We rode to the top of Cty Rd 24 and started out in sleet, alternating with groppel. The road was really muddy at first, though it was dry for the last couple of miles to the top. When we turned for home on Hwy 62, we were quickly riding into freezing rain combined with a headwind! Needless to say, we were soaked by the time we got home.
A few days later we rode to the top of Log Hill and back. Here’s a view from Cty Rd 1, near the top. Note the snow in the trees near the bottom of the frame!
