Author: gavscyclingadventures

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 4

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 4

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Etape 4 –Carteret to Granville (Monday 23rd June)

We woke to moody, grey skies & damp roads, evidence it had rained overnight. The breeze from the North-North-East had already blown it away & would be giving us a slight tailwind for much of the day! As if that wasn’t good enough news, breakfast was a delicious, locally sourced hot & cold buffet – it was all you could eat for €25, so I enjoyed bacon & scrambled egg, bread & jam, pain au chocolat, almond cake, quiche & a couple of small pain-aux-raisin washed down with fresh OJ & coffee.

Leaving Carteret, we quickly joined a white, gravel track, similar is style to Strade Bianche. The track ended after a couple of miles & we picked up a small back road that took us through the small communes of Les Rivieres and La Huellerie.

When we reached Portbail, we joined up with the Voie Vert, a series of old railway lines that have been converted into hard-packed cycle routes. For the next 7 miles we had the track to ourselves & we reminisced about the different trips & countries that had similar cycling infrastructure.

As we passed through Le Haye, I spotted a café next to a patisserie & we stopped briefly to watch the world go by as I tucked into a tartlette de fraises washed down with a café au lait. We rejoined the Voie Vert for another 5 miles or so, before joining a deserted country lane, which in turn directed us onto a mud trail.

We learned from yesterday’s fiasco & quickly turned back. I then had to find an alternate road to get us back on course after our detour. Luckily all worked out well & we soon joined up with the planned route again.

The skies had clouded over again by early afternoon & there was a field of cows who were expecting rain, as they were all laid down – unless of course it’s only British cows that lay down when it’s about to rain!

We were now in the hilly part of today’s ride & although our pace slowed as a result, the views across the valleys were worth the effort. After 1 long descent, we left the lanes & joined the larger D20 that connects Le Pont de la Roque with Montmartin-sur-Mer.

We stumbled upon the fact that Pont de la Roque was a key part of Operation Cobra during Worle War II, when the old bridge was destroyed by Allied bombers, with the aim of trapping the German troops on the peninsula. It was a sobering reminder of the consequences of war.

The route into Montmartin took us across a plateau of wheat & corn fields, before delivering us onto more deserted lanes. There was just enough time for 1 final surprise, as my Wahoo re-routed us onto a sandy lane that took us between a golf course & a gallop for horses. We had to get off & push our steel steeds for a few hundred yards.

The final part of our ride took us along the seafront, with big views of the Atlantic Ocean in all directions.

Carteret to Granville was 54 miles in length with 1,900 feet of climbing. We made good progress & made our way to our hotel by 4pm, so I had some time to relax before we head out for a beer & some dinner. A large number of restaurants close on a Monday evening in France & Granville was no exception. In the end we found something in between a fast food joint & a greasy spoon cafe where we had a burger & fries. On the way back to our hotel I watched parascenders making the most of the warm evening thermals, as they soared high above the town.

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 3

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 3

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Etape 3 – Poole to Carteret (Sunday 22nd June)

This morning was all about crossing La Manche to commence the French leg of this year’s cycling adventure. We were booked on the 8.30am crossing from Poole to Cherbourg, so we were on the road by 7.15am to ensure we were checked in on the Barfleur by 7.30am.

The early start gave us a great excuse to try out the buffet breakfast as we set off past Sandbanks & the Jurassic Coast – I would have no hesitation recommending it! We had blue skies & calm seas as we made our way to Cherbourg & the 5-hour crossing seemed to fly by.

We had disembarked & made our way through Passport control within 30 minutes of docking, so we were on our way by 2.30pm. Having navigated our way across town, we soon picked up some lovely lanes on our way through small communes.

The main roads were a joy to ride as we bounced up & down the rolling landscape on our way towards Breuville where we spotted a tribute to 100 years of the Tour de France, with a huge bike dedicated to Benoit Cosnefroy.

We took a right turn the immediately took us up to ancient woodlands that reminded me of Sleepy Hollow & as we summitted we were both surprised to encounter a loose gravel descent. For the next hour or so, we experienced a bit of wild exploring.

The RideWithGPS directed us down an even sketchier mud descent – I had to stop at the bottom, when we encountered a small stream!! We trusted the route, took of our shoes & socks & forded the stream, then walked up a rough gravel track until we were confronted by another even deeper stream with a field protected by a barbed wire fence.

Frustrated, we accepted our fate & retraced our way down the unrideable gravel trail, took off & shoes & socks & cussed as we spent 10 minutes walking back up the mud track!! The road we were trying to join was less than 100 yards from the barbed wire, but it remained the road less travelled, as we never found it!

I was certain that Surtainville was in the general direction of our destination, so we picked up the D66 as it took us up to a ridge where we occasionally saw glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean way off in the distance. Just before Surtainville we joined the D650 for the final 8-mile ride in Carteret, our base for this evening.

We celebrated with a double scoop ice cream (coconut & cherry for me, strawberry & mint choc chip for Sean), as we looked out over the beautiful estuary next to our hotel.

We found another historic railway station to add to our collection – Gare de Carteret has been converted into a food & drink paradise, where you can choose from 9 different food vans, plus a bar. We toasted our 1st day in France with a burger & fries, washed down with a pint.

Cherbourg to Carteret was 29 miles in length with 1,900 feet of climbing. The hiking & biking element of today’s ride added about an hour to our time in the saddle & it was 5.45pm before we made it to the hotel.

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 2

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 2

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Etape 2 – Mere to Poole (Saturday 21st June)

Saturday 21st June is Medieval Mere Day. In May 2023, St Michael’s The Archangel Church in Mere received £250,000 of lottery funding to restore the church tower & today was a an opportunity to celebrate the completion of the work & also recreate some of the scenes from when the church was first built. This meant that that the local café wasn’t serving its standard Saturday morning full English fry-up, so we enjoyed a bacon bap & coffee, as we learned about the history of the town from the owner of the Angel Corner Cafe.

We re-traced the final mile of yesterday’s ride under a sky of bruised, grey clouds, with the likelihood of rain at some point on the ride. Within 5 minutes we picked up the B3092, before joining a series of lanes that took us through the small village of Milton-on-Stour & around Gillingham.

For much of today’s ride we followed the National Cycling Route 25 (NCR25) – at various times this involved riding small lanes, cycle paths, gravel trails & occasionally relatively quiet B roads. The section from Wyke to East Stour was all on deserted lanes with a few birds of prey monitoring our progress, before briefly rejoining the B3092 for about a mile.

Today’s route was flatter than yesterday, but when we climbed, it tended to be short, sharp ascents which left us short of breath on the heavy bikes! East Stour to Child Okeford was memorable for 2 such climbs & because the threatened shower finally arrived. After putting on our rain jackets, we joined the old Bristol, Temple Meads to Poole railway line (the same route as the Bristol to Bath & Two Tunnels cycle paths we were on yesterday) which had been turned into a gravel cycle track.

We stopped for coffee & cake at Shillingstone station, has been restored to its former glory after Dr Beeching’s decision to close the Somerset & Dorset Railway in 1966. It was a lovely look back in time to the days of steam engines. A bonus was that the rain shower had also stopped by the time we were ready to start riding again.

We followed the gravel trail all the way into Blandford Forum, before picking up a small lane that climbed 1 side of the Stour valley (another naughty, steep climb!). We bounced along the ridge of the valley, before eventually dropping down into Wimborne Minster.

Once we’d made our way across town, we rejoined the old railway line on a hardpacked gravel track that took us to the outskirts of Poole. From there, it was a 4-mile ride along segregated cycle paths into the centre of town, where we quickly found our accommodation for the evening.

The Antelope provided a delicious pint of Moretti to toast another glorious day in the saddle. Dinner was steak & ale pie, chips & broccoli, plus a 2nd pint of Moretti to wash it all down!

We’re on the 8.30am ferry to Cherbourg tomorrow, so we decided to stop after our 2nd pint. Mere to Poole was 42 miles in length with 1,500 feet of climbing. After a month off the bike, my body let me know what it thought of the steep climbs & doing back-to-back 4-hour days of riding. We have a short day of riding planned tomorrow, so hopefully I’ll have a chance to recover a bit!

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 1

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 1

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Etape 1 – Mangotsfield to Mere (Friday 20th June 2025)

This year’s summer cycling adventure is on my touring bike, so I’m carrying everything I need for the next couple of weeks in front & rear panniers – I’ve packed quite light, so apologies for the lack of different on-bike & off-bike attire!!

As some of you may know, I was knocked off my bike a month ago by a jogger in Bath. The 1st week of my recovery was waiting for the cuts to heal, the bruising to come out & my ribs to stop hurting so I could lie down. I only add this context, as I haven’t been able to do any training since I came off.

I’ve had quite a bit of physio to get the mobility back in my elbows & wrists so I can change gear & brake safely, but I still experience some discomfort when cycling. I’ve been taped up to help reduce the pain & there was no way I was going to cancel an adventure that I’ve been looking forward to for 6 months!

I met my cycling buddy Sean at Bitton Railway station, where we had bacon baps & coffee before setting off towards Bath on the cycling path. The sun had its hat on, so we were in for a hot & humid day in the saddle.

In Bath, we picked up the two-tunnels cycle path out towards Midford. It’s a lovely route along an old train route, with the highlight being a cooling, 2-mile long tunnel that was a welcome break from the heat.

From Midford, we picked up a gravel track to Wellow, where we joined almost deserted country lanes as we climbed & descended the surrounding hills. We were following a National Cycling Route, so were a bit surprised when a couple of the climbs hit 15% plus – not what we needed on heavy, steel bikes weighed down with about 25 pounds of luggage!!!

We skirted round the edge of Radstock on more cycle paths, as we headed towards Frome. This section of cycle track was though ancient woodland, so we had some protection from the sun, before we rejoined the country lanes for some more hill training!

Just before Frome, we spotted our first wildlife. A kite was hovering above a field, clearly on the lookout for a snack. We crossed to A303 as we started a long, but gentle climb up to Maiden Bradley, where we stopped for some refreshments. After a classic magnum, washed down with a lemon San Pellegrino & a shot of powerful espresso, we were ready to hit the road again, for the last push into Mere.

We checked into The George Inn, dropped our panniers off in our rooms & spent a relaxing couple of hours enjoying a drink or 2 in the beer garden. Dinner consisted of fish & chips from the shop around the corner – they were delicious!

Mangotsfield to Mere was 43 miles in length, with 2,400 feet of climbing. It was the perfect introduction to this year’s cycling adventure. More UK riding tomorrow, but then the overseas element of our adventure begins!

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Six

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Six

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Pego Loop via Puerto de La Vall d’Ebo & Puerto de Tollos

The last day of my Denia cycling adventure has arrived already & today we embarked on a loop on some of the most remote roads in the area. We began with another commute to Pego & parked just outside town on an industrial estate. Under slate grey skies, we began the climb up to the Puerto de la Vall d’Ebo, perhaps the most scenic climb in the region.

The lower slopes rose through a forested section, & during this section a group of Brits quickly cruised onto my wheel, said a cheery ‘Good morning’ & pedalled off into the distance. A timely reminder of my place in the pecking order on the climbs!! About halfway up the 6 mile climb, the view opened up & we could make out the road below as it snaked its way up the mountain, with the Mediterranean providing the perfect backdrop.

58 minutes after setting off we were at the summit of Puerto de la Vall d’Ebo, some 1,800 feet above out start point. We stopped for a selfie, then descended into the village of Vall d’Ebo, where we took a left onto a tiny track that immediately started climbing again.

The lower slopes were both steep & barren, but soon the gradient eased off & we entered a lush, green, ‘hidden’ valley.

We descended to the larger CV-720 for the gentle climb into Castell de Castells where we stopped for a café con leche & a slice of manzana brazo gitano (think of an apple filled Swiss Roll).

We stayed on the CV-720 & continued climbing through the trees until we reached the summit of the climb at the small village of Fageca. The views across the valley were stunning – in the far distance we could make out Planes, which we had visited earlier in the week.

Our next climb was short but brutal, as the gradient pitched up to 16% again on the way to the Puerto de Tollos. We were in an area of forest that had been affected by fire – I’m not sure if the charred trees were the result of natural fires or controlled burning.

As we bounced along a ridgeline, we spotted a natural arch in the far distance, something that instantly transported me back in time to 2009, & a previous cycling adventure in Moab, Utah that included a side trip to Arches National Park.

We hadn’t seen a car for more than 45 minutes as we continued to follow the natural contours of the surrounding landscape – we built up enough speed on the sweeping descents that we could get halfway up the next drag without needing to pedal.

Cova del Rull provided 1 last opportunity to capture the majesty of the surrounding mountains before we swooped back into Vall d’Ebo to complete the ‘loop’ element of the ride. Ahead of us was the short side of the climb back up to Puerto de La Vall d’Ebo.

The views on the descent of Vall d’Ebo were completely different now the sun was out & backdrop was a blue sky, rather than grey clouds of earlier in the morning.

Even the Mediterranean looked a different colour. We stopped to stage 1 final action shot, before heading back to the car in Pego.

Today’s ride felt like the perfect way to end our adventure, as we explored remote backroads, experience rugged scenery & enjoy a local delicacy. I had to delay writing Friday’s update, as we had to take the bikes apart & pack last night, due to having an early start this morning.

Denia was a great base, with lots of bars & restaurants within a 15 minute walk of our hotel. The Hotel Nou Roma was perfect for our needs, with car parking on-site, delicious breakfast options & peaceful rooms. At some point in the future I feel sure I’ll return to explore more of the region. In the meantime, I’m already beginning to think about my next cycling adventure!

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Five

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Five

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Planes & Lorcha Loop

Today’s adventure began with a 30-minute commute in the car to the small town of Pego. We were riding by just after 9.30am & headed up a wide valley road CV-700) that gradually narrowed for the first 3 or 4 miles. As we passed through Benirrama the valley widened, with bare rock faces visible high above us.

We briefly left the main road & joined a narrow track that took us ever higher into the mountains & offered up brief view of Benissile. This was perhaps the most remote landscape of our adventures to date.

After 1 hour 45 minutes of climbing, we finally reached our first summit of the day – we had climbed 2,000 feet in 16 miles. Now it was time to enjoy the descent as we looked across to Planes, where would retrace our tyre tracks from Monday’s ride.

There was a short descent where in the space of ½ mile I went from a standing start (I wanted to get a photo of Sean with the mountains in the background) to 46 mph. The road was almost ruler straight except for an ‘S’ bend at the bottom which could be straightened out of there was no traffic coming the other way.

There were a couple of places where cars & camper vans could access the reservoir (the white blob in the middle photo below is a camper van parked on the beach) with huge views to the mountains in the far distance.

After skirting the reservoir & crossing the barrage, we picked up the main road into Beniarres where we topped up our water bottles & enjoyed our 2nd descent of the day into Lorcha, which had an ancient castle perched on a rocky outcrop high above us. As we hit the valley floor we knew we were in for a long climb up the valley wall.

The climb was just over 6 miles in length & the gradient hit 17% at its steepest. There was a ½ mile section where the gradient didn’t drop below 14% (I was doing less than 4mph) – that’s hard going on day 5 of a cycling trip! The views in all directions were stunning, but I only managed to get 1 photo, which was of Sean as he battled his way up a steep ramp.

We ascended 1,500 feet in a little under an hour, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story, or give the context. The climb split into a spiteful opening 2 miles, followed by a gentle 3.5-mile stretch, then a brutal final last ½ mile. This was the 1st climb that had an Alpine & Pyrenean feel to it.

The view from the summit made the climb worth every pedal revolution. We could see the Mediterranean in the far distance & we also quickly realised how much descending we would be enjoying.

The descent was switchback heaven with views across the coastal plains all the way across to Oliva, some 10 miles in the distance.

We were at sea-level in next to no time & all that remained was to battle a cross-headwind back into Pego.

On the drive back to the hotel I picked up my bike which had been repaired & also dropped off my rental bike. It was my 1st time riding a Scott Addict & it did me proud. A big thank you to Cycles Desnivell for sorting out my rental bike at no notice.

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Four

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Four

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Benissa & Pego Loop

We made an earlier start to today’s adventure, although it began with me having a flat rear tyre on my rental bike. Luckily, it appeared to be a very slow loss of pressure overnight & it retained air when I pumped it up. Despite this slight delay, we were on our way by 9.15, which enabled us to ride in slightly cooler conditions during the early part of the ride.

There was also some localised cloud which made for dramatic views, as well as keeping the temperature in the high 20’s for the first hour or so, rather then the low 30’s. Leaving Denia, we headed towards La Xara & on towards Xabia. Those 10 miles flew by, as we had a tailwind & we only had to climb 1 small hill, although we could see our later challenges waiting for us in the distance.

As we turned towards Benitachell the road started climbing & would rise in ramps for the next 15 miles. The views across to the Mediterranean were stunning & although there were plenty of small descents in amongst the climbing, the gradient was always comfortable.

Just past the town of Teulada we took a right & picked up a small lane that took us to Benissa, where it was time for Elevenses of cheesecake with strawberry compote & a café con leche. The climb up to the coffee shop was a 14.5% gradient, so it was well deserved!

I stopped in Senija to get a photo of a mural of a cyclist that had been painted onto the house & wall in front of it. It looks like I didn’t quite line up the perspective right, but it looked great as we rode past it. Senija also marked our first proper bit of descending on today’s adventure, as we snaked our way to the valley floor below.

As we reached the town of Alcalali the road started rising again & we saw lots of cyclists going the opposite was to us – we had a small tailwind, but the had gravity propelling them!

We were back amongst the lime groves & we gradually climbed up to Parcent & Benigembla. We visited both towns on Sunday’s ride, but today we arrived from a different direction, so it all felt new.

At Benigembla we turned right & enjoyed a fast, flowing descent through the villages of Murla, Orba & Tormos, before we arrived at the day’s final climb of note – it was 1.5 miles long & we passed through a narrow gorge to reach the summit.

We were then rewarded with big views across to the Mediterranean beyond the town of Oliva.We continued descending into Pego & then took a 90 degree turn into a howling headwind.

I sat on the front for 13 miles as we headed back towards Denia on flat roads that cut through the Parc Natural de le Marjal Pego-Oliva where we occasionally received some shelter from the surrounding trees & vegetation.

I’m looking forward to exploring some more of the eating establishments this evening, so I can replace some of the calories I’ve been burning. Who knows, I might even enjoy a cheeky beer too!!

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Three

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Three

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Oliva Loop via Puerto de Sorell

You may remember I mentioned that I had gearing issues yesterday. Once I got back to the hotel it was clear the cable was frayed & very close to snapping, so my immediate priority today was to get the cable replaced. This became more complicated than I hoped, as my preferred bike repair shop (5* rated for workmanship) won’t be able to fit a new cable until Wednesday afternoon. Although they hire bikes, they are all currently rented out.

I’m a project manager, so solving problems is my day job – I left the bike to be repaired & set off to find a rental bike – luckily, I found 1 in my size that was available for the next 3 days. It cost an additional €4 to increase the booking from 2 days to 3, so I now have some contingency if my bike repair is delayed.

By 11am I’d got the bike fitted with a saddle bag, pedals & Wahoo mount. We’d chatted last night & agreed that we should both do our own thing today, so Sean had set off at about 9am to do a gentle 40-mile ride along the coast.

I set off towards La Xara on deserted lanes that offered occasional views of the mountains in the distance, then carried on to outskirts of Pedreguer, where I picked up a small service road that ran next to the Autopista de la Mediterrania for a couple of miles. Huge reeds separated me from the traffic on the motorway – it felt as if I was in the middle of nowhere.

I was edging ever closer to the mountains but was happy in the knowledge that I wasn’t going to be tackling any big climbs today. I stopped briefly to capture a photo of the Scott Addict which will be my ride for the next 3 days. It has a bit of bling in the paintjob & it rides well – any issues are due to the rider’s limitations! I had a tailwind during this section & I flew along without needed to expend much energy. I had a small degree of sympathy for the peloton of riders that were battling the headwind as they headed towards me!

The only climb of any note today was to the Puerto de Sorell, a 500-foot ascent in a little over 2 miles, so nothing compared to some of yesterday’s beasts.

The view from the summit was glorious, with the Mediterranean Sea glistening in the far distance. The descent was over in the blink of an eye & I was back on flat lanes that headed towards the town of Oliva.

This was the turnaround point of my ride, which meant I turned into a headwind for the next 20 miles.

The reward was that I was cycling through the Parc Natural de la Marjal de Pego-Olive, which is an area where the natural wetland has been preserved.

The last 10 miles were on a slightly larger road that was slightly set back from the coast. This was by far the most populated part of today’s ride & while there wasn’t anything of note worth photographing, it was pleasant enough (except for the nagging headwind!).

Sean & I met up this afternoon over a café con leche & delicious slice of chocolate & caramel cake to chat about our different days.

After a very slow start to the day for me, I ended up getting out on a bike to explore a bit more of Denia’s beautiful countryside.

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Two

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day Two

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Beniarres Loop Including Mont Benicadell

Today’s adventure began with a 55-mile commute by car to the town of Ontinyent, a small town nestled in on the valley floor but surrounded by large hills & mountains. Our planned ride was 54 miles in length with 4,700 feet of climbing, so we would be either climbing or descending for most of the day.

Within 2 miles of leaving Ontinyent, we passed Pou Clar swimming lake in a small canyon & this marked the start of our first ascent of the day. The gradient was a gentle 3% to 5% as we climbed the river valley via the CV-81 for about 4 miles. As we reached the summit, we took a left onto the CV-700 & followed the valley floor for about 5 miles as we passed through the towns of Alfafara & Agres.

The road descended for the next 7 miles as we headed towards Benamer. This was a temporary reprieve as the next 6 miles were mainly uphill with no protection from the sun, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees centigrade. Much of the route was on remote roads, which meant we didn’t have a coffee stop & we were permanently on the lookout for public water fountains to keep our bidons topped up.

As we reached Planes we took a left & skirted the edge of Barranc d’Almundaina y Planes reservoir. There were a few steep climbs & descents (I hit 46 mph on 1 of the descents & less than 4.6 mph on the climbs!). After we crossed the dam, we had a choice of following a main road to Beniarres or taking the road less travelled via some small single-track lanes.

The summit of Mont Benicadell would mark the boundary between Provincia d’Alicant & Provincia de Valenciana, but first we had to conquer the 5-mile, 900-foot climb – today we had the added challenge of climbing into a headwind! The views back to the reservoir made the effort worthwhile.

The 3-mile descent into Salem offered huge views down to the valley floor below. By now we were 3 hours into the ride & had only covered 34 miles – the constant up & down nature of the route also started to play havoc with my feet, as I began to experience numbness / pins & needles from the pressure I was putting on the pedals. This has happened before, so I knew that my best way of managing the pain was to stop for 5 minutes & take the weight off my feet.

In addition to my sore feet, the gears on my bike were jumping, which was causing me a few gear selection issues on the uphill sections – as the ride progressed, the issues increased. Luckily the final 20 miles were a bit flatter, as we wound our way through orange & lemon groves which had been planted in terraces.

My first job in the morning will be to find a bike repair shop that can fix my gear cable issues & potentially get a hire bike sorted out. I’ve seen a few options already, so hopefully it won’t interrupt my cycling plans.

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day One

Denia Cycling Adventure: Challenging Climbs & Scenic Descents – Day One

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Coll de Rates & Puerto de sa Crueta Loop

My final cycling adventure of 2024 finds me in the cycling mecca that is Denia, Spain. Denia is over 2,000 years old & much of its history revolves around its port & castle. We’re staying in the Nou Roma Hotel which is situated next to the castle. Once more we’ve picked a great base for a week of cycling!

We woke up to grey skies, which turned to showery rain as we met up at 9.15. This wasn’t going to deter our plans, as the temperature was in the high 20’s centigrade & the forecast predicted the rain wouldn’t last long. After navigating our way across town, we picked up a small 2-lane road that took us past orange & lemon groves. The first 5 miles were flat, so it gave us an opportunity to get our legs warmed up for the challenge ahead.

As we crossed under the motorway at Pedreguer we got our first peak of the big hills / small mountains that makes this region so popular with cyclists. Although we were still on wet roads, the rain had stopped & we could see a small sliver of blue sky in the distance, so things were already looking up in more ways than 1.

Our first climb of the day didn’t have a name, but it was about 5 miles in length & we gained about 1,000 of elevation. The gradient was a friendly 3% to 5% for most of the climb & the 1 standout sight was seeing a fully loaded horse & cart that was heading to Pedreguer for the Sunday market.

As we reached the small town of Parcent, we hit the lower slopes of the Coll de Rates which rises about 1,200 feet in a little under 4 miles – the pro riders will use this as a full-gas effort (the King of the Mountain record is 12 minutes 38 seconds & the Queen of the Mountain is 14 minutes 45 seconds), whereas my time of 44 minutes 30 seconds suggests I’m not quite at that level!!

We began the climb in a pine forest, but as we neared the summit, the views opened up all the way across to Denia, some 20 miles away.

We stopped for strawberry cheesecake, café con leche & an ice-cold coke. Due to the early morning rain, I was wearing water resistant kit (that also retains heat), so I was feeling like a boil-in-the-bag meal by this point!

After a brief descent into the town of Tarbena we turned right & began the last big climb of the day up to Puerto de sa Crueta. This was a 1,000-foot ascent in the space of 4 miles, but the gradient was inconsistent the whole way up. The final couple of hundred yards hit 13%, which certainly tested my climbing legs!

The good news was it was literally all downhill from this point – we had climbed 4,000 feet in the first 26 miles, whereas the next 26 miles would have less than 500 feet of uphill. Happy days!

My extra ballast pays dividends on the descents & I quickly freewheeled away from Sean as we headed towards Castell del Castells (ironically, it didn’t have a castle of any sort!). At 1 point Sean tagged on to a couple of locals who rode him back up to my wheel.

Our loop returned us to Pedreguer & from there we retraced our tire tracks to out hotel in Denia. Having set out in light rain, we enjoyed sun for most of the day & ended up riding on near deserted roads. I think we saw more cyclists today than motorists – always the sign of a great route on a cycling trip.