Ciclo Montana Day 9

Climb - 1205 m :-(

Descent -  1350m :-)

Distance- 38.5km

Moving time = 4 hrs 7 mins

Ave speed = 9.2kmph

Killer day!

It seems I have been joined by a cross country bunch. 2 cyclocross Scots training for the Trans Portugal event and a Kiwi lady who races Sport/Expert cross country in the UK. I was not looking forward to this.

We parked above Carataunas at the restaurant had a cola cao and then started our climb. At first I was OK and in mid pack but suddenly I blew up, my head was burning my breath was short and my legs were like lead- I was suffering badly and kept stopping to drink. I guess I was a bit dehydrated and sun stricken from the previous day on the beach but this hurt and I got angry that I was not doing my best.

Eventually after 740m of climbing, and after I had eaten a whole pack of dextrosol and downed most of my camelbak water, we padded up and started a descent which was fast rolling wide doubletrack. Frankly its not my style to climb so far just to descend on doubletrack but this was a cross-country ride. Luckily we then hit some nice reasonably challenging singletrack and I was enjoying that again and feeling just fine on the bike working my way up from 3rd in the group to being at the front.

We descended through Soportujar all the way down to Orgiva again a lot of descent on wide open gravel roads unfortunately. There we ate at the Mirasol restaurant while some reckless Spanish workmen cut down tree tops from high up on top of passing traffic which they failed to have much control over- scary!

After a 3 course meal which I stuffed in - salad, pork chop and chips and a banana and laods of limon and water- we descended to start our climb up Cerro Negro- this was going to be painful and I worried I would blow up again.

I kept my pace going, it was very hot and the road turned from cement to dirt track and steeper and rockier then eventually a few respite of gradual or traversing ascent before a last push up tarmac to the church some 10km and 580m later. Ow! Anyway I arrived 2nd so I was pretty satisfied with that result given I'm no climber and today I am not on good form.

We drove the van back from there to Pitres and this bit was clearly more for me- we dropped behind the disco with me at the front over the rocky steps and round teh switchbacks and then down into Mecina, then we dropped round back of the bar in Mecinilla down to Fondales. Done- I certainly am!