Day 144
Record breaker #2
We knew today was going to be hard, so even without Pam and David to prepare us breakfast, we managed to get on the road by 8am. We started with a downhill. I saw Pomegranates growing on a tree but Tom wouldn’t let me pick one, well I guess they were technically growing in someone’s garden! The sun was out and we were enjoying the ride. We went up, we went down, but nothing too dramatic, it was just fun.
As we were in the hills, we had decided to tell Komoot to keep us on the road. A steep gravel off-road would be hell to ride. All was going well, until we came to a small village. I could see that we were to leave the main road we were on and head up into the village. I checked we wouldn’t simply rejoin the main road in a mile or so, no we wouldn’t. There was another way but it was longer and my Garmin showed that it was a gravel road. So, into the village we went. This was simply not a road, more like a brick wall tipped over slightly. Tom to the rescue, somehow, he found the strength to push his bike up, then come back and rescue me. It took several goes but finally we were at the top. It got worse, not as steep, but rutted gravel. I nearly wept, but Tom forged ahead so off I went too. He had to help at times, but finally we crested the next hill. We were confronted with tarmac! The longer gravel option rejected by Komoot was clearly the way to go!
Back on the bikes, we rode on, up, down, up. We came to a junction. Granada was signed posted on the road we were leaving. Tom said no, our way was better. It was certainly a quiet road, but dear me the hills. They grew steeper, we dug deep. Twice Tom ran back downhill and pushed me as I pedalled. Oh, I want an E-bike! On we went. The views though made it all worthwhile. Riding on these roads, overlooked by the Sierra Nevada mountain range is simply worth every bit of pain it took to get here.
One last hill and there before us was Granada. Two nights in a hotel and a visit to the Alhambra Palace to look forward too. We had certainly earned it! We had matched yesterday’s elevation gain exactly, 4,425 feet. Spooky!
