Our new tour group met in central Madrid – all 26 of us! Four Canadians, two from New Zealand, the rest from the US, albeit a good geographic dispersion.
There are serious cyclists sporting special shoes, carrying unique pedals and wearing “the gear”. Then there’s some of us who can vaguely describe what a bicycle looks like.
On to the bus for a 2 1/2 drive through northern Spain to Salamanca. Think western prairies – miles of flat agricultural fields in all directions. The chatter through the bus related to the grey and darkening skies we were driving towards. Inevitably the rain began, much to our dismay.
A nice light lunch in Salamanca was followed by the guide’s presentation of how to manage your bike given the weather, roads, traffic and cobblestones in our future. We were outfitted with the essentials (GPS, water bottle, pinion) and shown how the e-bike features worked. Wearing rain jackets and multiple layers for warmth we set off.
Unfortunately no pictures are available as we rode for two hours in a driving rain that precluded taking one’s camera out. It rained. It was the dog isn’t getting a walk today rain. It was so bad it was a no one in their right mind would think of golfing, rain.
But on we pedaled. Mo had a flat tire early but fortunately the support staff was close at hand to deal with it. An hour later, Mo had another flat tire, again in a propitious location as the support van was near by. A new wheel was installed versus a repair this time.
The e-bike features four levels of assistance. We stayed on #2 and 3 and avoided the turbo option to salvage a small bit of pride. Five of the 26 are riding standard bikes. Good luck to them.
We did stop for a water/snack break near the end.
We ended up completing a 32 Km ride despite being drenched. Our accommodation however, is first class with plenty of room to hang sopping wet clothes everywhere.
Hot showers, dry clothes and a group welcome with copious quantities of very good Rioja wine followed. A very nice meal, lots of conversation and more wine filled the evening. It’s a good group and should be a fine week.
Tomorrow there are two separate rides. The morning segment is a 48 Km leg while the post lunch section is “only” 18 Km. Given the forecast is for rain all day it will be a test to say the least.
The Bennetts On Tour 