Gravel Travels
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!
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