Sunday mornings are for cycling with the Benissa Cycling Club. Normally, Moises rides and afterwards writes a great blog with great pictures and videos.(www.ciclistasbenissa.blogspot.com). In his absence, I decided to try my hand!

The ride leaves at 8.30 from the plaza in Benissa. So I leave at 7.50 to climb up from the coast. Entering the plaza, the bell finishes ringing for mass in the imposing church. I always feel I have to be careful not to knock over an old lady scurrying to the church- there are few enough in the congregation as it is.

Jose Andres, Alberto and Carlos are already waiting; Peter and Jim turn up and that is it! (Quite a few are absent through holiday or thinking that  the promised storms will drown us).As we leave, Enrique surfaces, while further down the road, first Valentin and then Eugenie join us.

As the eight of us enter Gata de Gorgos on the N332, the Calpe cycling group come up from behind with much banter and singing. Village pride was now  clearly at stake, the adrenalin pumped, even among us English- we were  after all wearing the Benissa colours!

Subtly at first, and then more brazenly, the two groups jostle for supremacy, positions changing rapidly as we power towards Ondara. I do feel we were getting the upper hand (yes!!), but we shall never know: they took the road round town while we went through. (I did video this on my phone, but I have not yet got the hang of what to do).

After skirting Oliva, the road meanders up into the mountains. The sight of the white houses of Forna, clustered  together at the head of the narrow valley, beneath the moutain-top castle of Forna, recently renovated, is quite stirring. I got out my phone/camera but couldn’t get it working properly; the others were pulling away up the hill so I had to forget the shot.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw1t3WcqcD8

From Forna, we dropped down again to Adsubia for almuerzo. Olives and unshelled peanuts soaked up the shandies/wine till our bocadillos arrived. Such a divine moment! Coffee to settle the stomach, followed by mistela (muscatel) or anis or pacharan, a licor from Navarra in the north- each to their own.

Seven euros lighter, but with fire in our bellies, we head back through Pego, Orba and Parcent. Coming through the Jalon Valley, a race-like mentality took over as we each gave it our all.

If the length of my ensuing sleep is an indication of the difficulty of the ride, this was tough; I slept for 1 hour and twenty minutes!

Distance: 109 kms  Time cycling: 4 hrs 3 mins  Av.speed: 26.8 kph

At 9 am yesterday (Saturday), I cycled the 7 kms. up to Benimarco, met Jim Bolton there,  and headed for Teulada before cruising through the quarries at about 40kph towards Gata de Gorgos. Our destination was the most easterly point of Spain, the Cap de Nao, and down to the stunning cove of Granadella.

granadella cove

Trying to keep up with Jim through the Granadella Reserve.

So now we turned towards Javea . As yet we had not seen a cyclist. not one. But then, as we surged up the hill towards the Cap, we passed a sole rider, and with me in his slipstream , (which is not much, Jim being a slip of a lad!), Jim pushed through the pedals. I feel it is bad form to glance behind at a rider you have just passed to see how much of a gap you have opened up, but I felt we were moving well. How annoying, a minute later, when the said rider sailed past me and esconced himself behind Jim!

Looking along the coastline towards Calpe Rock from Cap de Nao.

We turned off to make the glorious descent through the Granadella Reserve to the Cala (cove) itself. The few houses, and the only bar, displayed no activity; a couple lay alone on the beach, the cove to themselves. As we sat down at a table to take a coffee and tostada, Jim entertained  me with one of his fascinating escapades whilst working in the audio unit of the famous London Weekend Television team. Six Spanish mountain bikers sat at the table adjacent; they demonstrated the great Spanish ability to turn a short break into a cornucopia for little more than a fiver each.

Jim ...how on earth did you get your bike up there???

Cycling back up the hill, I told Jim that  the Spanish expressed how happy they would be, at our age, to be as slim as we are; we decided that they probably did not realise how old they already looked….but then, perhaps neither do we!

Jim belies his years as he makes light of the climbs. Following him, I feel like a battlehorse chasing a gazelle. My strength, I am beginning to conclude, is in endurance, not speed. (An endurance of the speed of others indeed!)

After me causing Jim (Stanners)   to come off his bike the other day, I was glad the ride was accident-free. The only cause for concern was when we stopped for Jim to have a wee and he got tangled in briars!

Despite dawdling at times to take in the views we achieved a decent time , coming back through Moraira.

Distance 70 kms. Time cycling 2hrs. 43 mins. Average speed 25.9 kph.

With hardly any wind, a blue sky and a temperature of about 20 degrees, does anyone need an excuse to get on their bike? Not for the 3 tri-athletes , Jim, Tim and Stretch, (sounds a bit like rag,tag and bobtail!), the athlete (Jim Bolton) and myself!

Jim Bolton, Jim, Stretch and Tim before leaving the Val d'Ebo.

Meeting at 9.15 (one needs a bit of time to put on all the creams and look in the mirror, which is of great importance as today I had put on my bib shorts as they came, inside out), we sped off up towards Jalon and on to Pego to cycle the beautiful 12 miles of the Val de Gallinera.

Near Alcala de Jovada; proof that we do cycle!

At the end of the valley, we veered to the left,  past Margarida and on to Alcala de Jovada. There had been a bit of banter, because  of the first two places, just before Alcala, that I had suggested we stop at for refreshment, one was open but nobody about and the other had it’s blinds down. Nobody is going to take any notice of my suggestions from now on!

A dog called Nesbit.

So we stopped at a nice place in Alcala; the tostadas were excellent, the coffee, as is usual in Spain, very good and we had a dog in a string vest to amuse us.

Then the sweep into the Val d’Ebo, past the apple orchards, through the village of Val d’Ebo, with ducks squawking in the stream, and then the climb out of the valley. Stretch was getting a bit of cramp as he had not cycled this distance before, but he bravely persevered. The descent into Pego is one of THE classics around here, with incredible views over the Pego marshlands and out to sea.

I just love the entrance to this villa in Pego.

Regarding the Tour d’Afriqe itself, I have decided to put myself down as a racer rather than an expedition rider. This is certainly not because I suddenly feel I am getting good on the bike; it is because my times will be on the TDA site each day, along with the other racers, and it will be proof that I am actually still there and not off galivanting!  If I want to be competitive over one of the stages, I can. But I will put safety first- always a good excuse when you come last.

Route: Benissa-Jalon-Orba-Pego-Val de Gallinera-Val d’Ebo-Pego-Beniarrbeig-Gata-Teulada-Moraira-home

Distance 142 kms.   Time cycling 5 hrs.55 mins.   Average speed 24 kph   Top speed 65.6kph (I only mention this because it is the fastest I have ever travelled on a bike!)

For anybody that would like to come, I attach a poster for the Garden Open Day we are holding on the 6th.December. All monies go direct to Thamsanqa.