Finally...a Good Ride and Day

Yesterday (June 3) I did a very touristy ride with Duilio which involved going into Portugal. Once there we encountered the famous cobblestone sections that Portugal is so well known for. It was pretty fun going up the cobbled road and then descending it I felt the vibrations that Paris-Roubaix guys must feel for miles at a time.

Today (June 4), I finally managed to go out with the "grupeta" or group that gathers by the fountain to get water and ride in the mornings. Fountains are an awesome thing that Spain has. Basically, due to the severe seasonal rains, a lot of spring and groundwater is available and these fountains have been built in the centers of town and in remote locations such as near the middle of mountain climbs, where people can get the cleanest water available. This is for sure one thing I will miss from here since I can definitely taste the difference and I have been told that fountain water is much cleaner and better than tap water. In any case, we went and rode Vuelta al Valle and then ended up adding another 20 km afterwards just for fun and to build endurance. Another odd thing is that people take 20 km pulls when in a group ride. That way the pace is kept at a fairly moderate and conversational pace. Among other traditions is to stop to take a "natural break" about 35 km into the ride where there is a cutout in the rocks. Also a town about 65 km into the route called Baiona which has some beautiful beaches, is the place where everyone stops and buys food at this store nicknamed "La Piluca". Some people even go into the bars and cafes to drink coffee and have a roll before continuing. This training is definitely much different from the mini-races we have for training back home.

Somehow I was at the front while pulling out of Baiona and was riding with Ramon Troncoso who races for Karpin Galicia, a Pro Continental team, and that's when I realized we were going to climb San Cosme at the head of the bunch. Definitely an eye-opening experience. I have not suffered this much in my life on the bike. I was later told that we went up it just a bit slower than they normally would climb it but I was down in my 39x25 giving it my all and trying not to die up the 11 km climb! I started to see numbers that I did not think were available in my PowerTap for that long a period of time. After cresting the mountain, I had a great feeling of accomplishment and I was happy to have stayed up front the whole time!

Anyway, I decided enough was enough and have decided to put up the rest of my Barcelona pics so I can finally start putting up pictures of Vigo, Porrino, Portugal, and all the other cool things that I'm seeing now.

So a quick rundown of the pictures from Barcelona. Up near the Olympic Village, there is an amphitheater which is the first picture above. The second picture is the outside of the Olympic Stadium from the 1992 Olympics. I am not entirely convinced but I think the small protuberance is where the arrow was shot with fire from the Olympic torch to initiate the Games. The third picture is a view of the port area of Barcelona from Montjuic. From a previous post, I ran up Montjuic and after seeing all these great views, I decided to drag my cousin back in his car to check out all these places and take pictures. There I am with Barcelona in the background. Montjuic is so long and steep that there is a lift service to get to the top. There are also a lot of tour buses that go up there as well.

Nourishment! Nuttela and baguettes! Essence of life. The stadium of the Barcelona Football Club that has so many stars is the following pic. Right now the Eurocup is being played in Austria and Spain has won all its games so far and is headed to the finals for the first time in 24 years versus Germany. Hopefully all goes well and this motivated Spanish squad can pull it off!

Two views from the beach in Barcelona. Very warm weather and warm water from the Mediterranean! Beautiful beaches and it wasn't even June yet! The inside of the Olympic Stadium is the next to last picture. I was actually able to do a short stair run before I was chased away by the Guardia Civil. The last picture is of a castle up high in Barcelona. It had some kind of museum inside but there was no time to check it out, it just seemed neat to take a picture of it and its moat with an actual river running around it.

During this flash 1-day excursion I got to see a lot of Barcelona. This is a wonderful city and I hope to have more time to look around a bit more at the tail end of the trip. Onwards now to Galicia!