As I write this we only have a week left on this site. The spanish winter has started now. It’s been frosty in the mornings but by 10am the suns up. A bit cooler than normal but still ok for shorts and T shirt. And no rain or strong winds.

We went out for a meal at lunchtime last Friday with our friends Tony and Lynne to a restaurant overlooking the reservoir. They took us there last year. They do the most glorious sticky ribs, other meals are available, but for me it had to be the ribs. Nikki also had her eyes on the ribs this time. Good choice I thought as I knew she would not eat them all so made sure I sat right next to her. Mine were all gone, apart from the bits of sauce that were stuck in my beard. Not really the sort of meal to have when you have a beard. Fingers all covered with rib sauce and eyeing up Nikki’s ribs. I can’t eat them all she says. Yipppee I say, pass them over. Back to the camper to rest and digest the meal. No tea that night.

The mountain range in the distance we can see from the site is called Aitana. Sitting on the top is a army base with all the radars etc that track the boats and planes etc to make sure they are supposed to be where they are. I made it a mission to cycle up to the top of that mountain. My first attempt failed. Not because the radar spotted me and shot me down, but because my legs refused to work anymore. As I said in one of my posts I was gutted because when I checked the route out on google etc I was only about 5.5 KM away. I said to Nikki I am going to get to the top of that mountain before we leave here. I wonder what day the man who operates the radar has off because I am sure they spotted me and slowed my bike down last time. So yesterday I got into my biking gear, all in stealth mode and off I went shouting to Nikki if I don’t come back they have spotted me again. I must make it clear here that the roads up to top are public roads, you can’t actually get to the radars because at the top of the mountain is a bloody big gate with cameras etc all looking at you and apparently they don’t like it if you hover round them. The pics below are of the domes or radars taken off google. I never took my camera, it would have slowed me down.

So up and up I cycled, round and round all the hairpin bends, that’s why it takes so long because the roads are not straight, the cold air making my breathing harder. Picking my way through the frosty bits of road. Am I painting a picture here. My legs were burning but I had a goal and I was going to do it. That man in the radar control room was not going to get me this time. I must admit I did nearly give in a couple of times. And yes I made it. I stopped just the other side of the road from the gate to admire the view and so the man in the radar room would just think I was a ol boy on his bike, no threat to Spain. I could barely lift my drinks bottle to have some water let alone threaten spain. Sip of water and head for home, all down hill but not as fast as would normally go because of the frosty sections on the road. I had a grin from ear to ear because I had done it, and the radar man missed me.

Some facts of my ride.

I did not stop from when I left the campsite until I got to the top.

Distance cycled total = 54.5 km

Average speed = 22.4 km

Max speed = 56.9 km

Total Elevation = 1215 metres

Max elevation = 1030 metres

Moving time = 2 hrs 25 minutes 52 seconds

Rest day today.