Gravel Travels
You'd think all that barking in the valley would have been a clue...Turning onto the less travelled path at the top of the climb from Benamargosa I met a wall of a climb up one of those 18% cement pours I mentioned earlier - then began a long STEEP gravel decent into an Olive grove that degraded into more of a path leading to a stream at the bottom. It was there I was introduced to two new "freinds." The Spanish mastiff is an ancient dog breed whose ancestors date back more than 2,000 years to the Iberian Peninsula. Its exact origin is unknown. But this dog’s primary role was to protect livestock from wolves and other threats. Spanish mastiffs generally have an affectionate and easygoing personality around their family. But wariness of strangers and even other dogs also can greatly impact their temperament. They don't bark excessively, but they will use their deep bark as an alert to perceived threats. The trail was so steep heading INTO the stream that I was focused on not crashing. MTB riders or gravel adventure folks can likely relate - when I came to a rut - too rough to ride over - the pitch was so great I thought I might endo so I decided to dismount - I actually had trouble getting OFF the bike to walk the section because my leg kept hitting the seat! I was on them before I knew it - but I am sure they watched me from their post with both wariness and curiosity during most of my decent ... in silence. I consider myself a bit of a "dog whisperer" but admit, alone, heading uphill with two of these imposing pooches at the side of my path was a little daunting. I actually picked up a downed Olive Branch, ironically enough, to ward off the beasts should things go sideways. Either that or for a little fetch before dinner? How I wished I had asked Dave how to say "good doggie" in Spanish!
As it turns out - either they were so confused by a dorky looking Canadian in lycra messing with their "threats construct" or they were as laid back as everyone else in Andalusia I met. One low woofed and ran off and the other stood fast but seemed mildly placated with my soothing "who's a handsome doggy" and "goooooood boy" in my native tongue. Once I had passed - they got a little more into the "don't come back" barking which only led to more vigorous climbing. Lets call it a WIN all round! The gravel on this ride was amazing. MOST of the dogs in the valley were behind fences in the Mango or Avocado groves. The ones that I encountered otherwise were actually indifferent or quite friendly. As always though - ride smart and plan to ride so you can ride again and, probably don't dress as a wolf or a coyote if you are going to ride where there are herd watching breeds? Tailwinds Peeps!
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Go and stay in Comares!
Not satisfied to stay in just one place in Andalusia - Anne and and I broke our visit down into "City Stay" and "Country Stay". Country stay was at the TOP of Mountain (which, as it turns out is equally as bad (for a cyclist) as staying somewhere at the BOTTOM of a mountain..) in a place called Comares! Our son, Graham came to stay with us from Germany, it was awesome! We stayed at a place called "Hammocks and Stars" and it was glorious! From our place at night the stars were brilliant, the views were breathtaking and the sound of the wind carried the barks of what seemed like an unusual number of dogs.... more on THAT later.
Due to the availability of cheap, good wine and an ample supply of beer and the presence of our fun loving kid, the rides from Comares started off a little slow. We also had a day of rain - but who takes pics of THAT!!
The first ride in this area was an amazing little exploration through Olive, Mango and Avocado groves. The roads in this area are deserted. This is where I found my first 16-20% grades on the aformentioned "farmers pour." The route is a mix of gravel and steep pavement into Las Romanes and then a HUGE downhill on path and gravel into Benamargosa. From there an amazing series of switchbacks on pavement draws you up up up to a wonderful gem of a town called Cutar. Stop in there for water and coffee before the next phase. Climbing out of Cutar - you get your first glimpse of Comares! "Yeah home" you will pant but you are only "close" if you are a bird. At, what I assumed was the "top" of the climb, the road carries on into a ribbon of paved switchbacks on the MA-3111 into Borge or branches off along a rather innocent looking gravel path up along a ridge marked by some kind of warning sign in Spanish.... It was on this path, safely past the Spanish warning sign that I discovered my first Andalusian single track, got truly lost for the first time and met my first, of several....Spanish Mastiffs! More to come in Part 2! Tailwoofs Peeps! EVERYTHING looks rideable on a MAP that's FLAT!
Not being much of a geographer, one thing that I admittedly had excluded from my research of the areas I wanted to ride and stay - was one common element. Everything from SEA level is...UP! I know, I know - you can see the elevations on Ride with GPS - but who pays attention to that shit anyway. Like, from the kitchen island planning headquarters - ANYTHING is climbable! Right? Truth is, we spend an inordinate amount of time climbing on this trip and I would do EXACTLY the same thing again if we are ever lucky enough to go back!
The views, the conversation (remember Anna was on a Kanzo E!) and the COFFEE at the top of these rides was worth the 8-16% grades to get to them. As I like to sing on my Bikepacking adventures "we got a lonnnng way to go, and ALLLLL day to get there...."
A word about CLIMBING and SURFACES....
Based on what I observed. Here is the deal with hills and "roads" in this area.... 1) If you are with a rider or riders that have less of an overly obsessive warped sense of distance and grades on a bike ..... leave them to their own strategies and devices regarding bike selection, but make sure it ends up on some sort of e-bike! Ya ya ya - I know - blow your purist wash out your back door - if you want to ride, see and enjoy - an e-bike can level the playing field. Its not like you are rending a Harley Decker - so get over it! ha ha! The Ridley KanzoE was awesome for Anne for the hills and it meant we got to ride and experience this area TOGETHER which I know you can tell - meant alot to me. Tailwinds on THAT. 2) Paved is gonna be likely 6-14% and likely run smooth switchbacks to the top where it runs the ridges. It will be deserted and IF any cars show - they are so courteous it actually takes a the full week to get your head around it AND - you can hear them coming for ages! Anything paved up from the coast starts off STEEP - but then starts to wind and twist and is pretty good if you are patient. I am not a fast climber - but I could go all day at 8% slow and I was fine. Anne, of course prattled on commenting on every wild flower and "wow this is steep eh??" section of the ride worth commenting on! ha ha. We loved the climb! 2) The gravel is gonna be 4-20% and falls into two categories - "roads" and what I would call "paths." Some of them on the maps are private so be mindful of that. Some roads are on the map as a through road - but dead end in the BOTTOM of a valley and lead to hike a bikes up to get out. Know this also - any gravel trails that all of a sudden change to paved for a small part on your mapping searches - are almost certainly some 20% cluster-you-know-what WALL that some farmer has poured cement down so he can get his tractor down it or presumably UP it when and if it rains! I got a few of those my legs will never forget. Outside of the National Park Malaga, the gravel is EVERYWHERE but tends to run BETWEEN the ridges DOWN into the valleys (wheeeee) and then....back UP...(oh God what am I doing here...) Most of the terrain is rideable and deserted punctuated with small cool little villages where you can resupply if you need to but give yourself lots of time. Remember to watch your timing though and try to be at places before 2pm or after 4pm as they are typically closed. Exploring and trial and error are certainly the mind set of the day, bring at least TWO spare tubes and snacks and a good pump and go get lost! I rode 44's similar to Panaracer Gravelking SK's and was glad to have them. The gravel can go from smooth to sharp and rocky in an instant (hence the tubes). I also had the wrench at Eat Sleep Cycle Malaga www.eatsleepcycle.comslime my tires for me. The climbing and the gravel ADDS alot of "wow" to your rides but keep in mind it will also add alot of TIME! I typically ride 100's all the time at home but was hemmed in around 60k's in Andalusia. Tailwinds! "you are going to have to climb a bit..."
The last words spoken to me by my mentor, my coach, my at-arms-length guide in the rental shop at Eat Sleep Ride Malaga. He had just arrived from the Canary Islands - what did he know? Turns out.... ALOT!
Leaving Eat Sleep Malaga's Hub in downtown Malaga, one is immediately consumed by a city jam packed with cars and people, errant cats and barking dogs and it all flows like a well choreographed flamenco dance as you navigate your way within the wildly beating heart of a vibrant Andalusian metropolis. Cyclists take full lanes, motor scooters whiz past on the left, but cut up on the right at stops, drivers sit patiently on your wheel, navigation happens in lightning quick, split second processing, "is that one way - shit wait, no, hard left....no straight....follow me Anna - stick on my wheel." Anna used the full advantage of her Ridley KanzoE shadow me like Mark Cavendish in the Abu Dhabi sprint! And then.... you are in wilderness! Five Kilometers of city for 35km of trail - not a bad tradeoff for todays adventure. The day was sunny and warm'ish - by Canadian standards - like Spring. We would head out of the city to engage some spectacularly delicious gravel in the well worn trails and forestry roads in the Parque Natural Montes de Malaga. The lions share of this ride is a net uphill for about 25km on really doable grades ranging from 8% to 16% with awesome scenery that reminded Anne and I alot of Southern California - Big Sur. Sometime into our climb, maybe 20km or so, I could hear, what sounded like cow bells. Assuming after so long into a climb, it might actually be St. Peter welcoming me "home" I humbly resolved to meet the end of "my ride" as it were. Curiously enough the same scenario had presented itself when I was climbing Col du Chaussy awhile back in France. Long dropped by my skinny roadie mates, straight off the plane, after being jammed into the back of a compact rental, jet lagged and going on 24hrs with no sleep - I heard bells. Turned out it wasn't St. Peter (or this would be SOME kind of BLOG eh) - it was cows! This time it was HORSES! Just wandering around pretending to be cows? Dunno - but as a "dog whisperer" (we will revisit this one later) I decided to try my communication skills on one horse who ended up nuzzling me, then sniffing me, then licking me which then led to some pretty weird nibbling!! It was time to move on and leave our amorous Equine friend - whom maintained eye contact, I might add, for our entire retreat!
At the top of the climb is the El Cochino viewpoint but really the main attraction (for me) was this really cool statue of a wild boar made from scraps of metal found in the hills of Malaga by a dude named Fancisco Martin. Whether he was an artist that collected scrap or a scrap dealer with that did art - was unclear to me from the plaque in my limited ability to read Spanish - but one thing is for sure - he certainly could make a purse ( or in this case) a pig out of a, never mind. He did an amazing job. The views from the top of Malaga Bay are amazing and the scenery was pristine. We later found out you can also drive to the top! ha ha - who knew.
The gravel changes at the top from trail to the A-7000 which is a nicely paved downhill with at least three places for coffee and lunch or if you want or you can turn around and gravel it home. Depending on the time of year - the restaurants have hours that fluctuate and NOTE - you are unlikely to fine anything open between 2 and 4pm. There is also an amazing network of MORE gravel in the park for more loops if you like. In the mood for some coffee and intrigued by a roller coaster ride down the A-7000 - Anne and I pushed up to the top, crested, stopped for coffee, and started what was one of the most exHILLerating downhills of my life! Thank GAD for disc brakes!!!
After about 2hrs of climbing - we ripped down this amazing road with TWO cool tunnels in a corkscrew sort of arrangement, with breathtaking views for over 40min! It was wonderful! We coasted into town in time for a shower and a walk around Old Town Malaga and some Tapas! What a great day! See map below. Leave comments if you have any questions. Tailwinds Peeps!
An amazing Bike Shop with Coffee and Rocket Rentals!!
We really lucked out with the team at www.eatsleepcycle.com Eat Sleep Cycle Malaga! The web site was really easy to navigate and they were prompt in their response to our questions and we ended up booking the bikes while still in Canada - although - at this time of year - things seemed pretty quiet.
The gavel north of Malaga is quiet hilly so Anne grabbed a Ridley KanzoE and I was set up with a Cannondale Supersix Evo! What a whip!! The staff was awesome, courteous and helpful and the mechanic was excellent. From walking in the door to ready to ride - maybe 20min and totally chill with good vibes only! They have a handy book of routes that you can scan right into your ride with GPS - we were staying around the corner - so if, like us, you are close...come dressed to ride! The hub they are creating also invited me to some group rides but I was mostly on with Anne or solo for my time there. If I had been around longer - I would have for sure! From what I could see - Eat Sleep Cycle Malaga is making all the right moves in this community!
The most amazing little place to stay....
Air BnB pics of our place were SPOT on for Malaga and Louisa was there to meet us and show us around this charming little apartment that was VERY close to all the action. Check it out if you are looking for an awesome place in the Heart of the Old City abnb.me/cto)RJ58Exb We rented a car at the airport to get to Malaga but you really don't need one - BUT - if you do drive - be prepared, driving in this town leaves you more winded than a climb up Ventoux and parking - is a SPORT!! Good luck!! On the driving note - EVEN in the busiest and wildest downtown chaos of Malaga - the drivers are COURTEOUS beyond belief!! We had to ride in town a bit to get to the gravel - about 5km - and I couldn't believe it! Cyclists take the full lane and people are chill and patient. Malaga drivers - we LOVE you!
An easy sight seeing tour along the Oceanfront with neat tunnels!
Just off the plane from Germany, through the aforementioned "gauntlet" of driving and parking in Malaga and we were ready for an easy ride along the beach. There is a bike path the entire way but it can be crowded with the seemingly "universal wanderers" - hopping on the road and skipping some of the busier sections is no trouble at all in this town of courteous drivers! Cool restaurants, kite surfers, the smell of the Ocean and wood fired fish grills all make for a perfect mix!
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