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Cycling from Zalamea la Real to El Alamo (2), Spain
It was ⌛ time to leave Zalamea la Real. I liked the village but the very hilly situation and the very remote location of Caldera Vieja was way to unpractical. I took the Via Verde de Riotinto since it was the best (less steep ...) option.
I visited El Alamo before (in 2019) on my way up north from Tarifa and you find those blogs here : El Alamo, the town 🖱️ and El Alamo, the nature 🖱️. I liked it a lot there and therefor planned to visit it once more. So here we 👍 Go !
And since I had walked this part of the via verde already Big question was whether I would be able to 💪 lift the 67kgs weighing OnTheRoad 4.0 🖱️ over that fallen-over tree at the track.
Big problem is that I have to lift the heaviest part of the bicycle by pulling it at the saddle since there is not any other (frame-)part available to grap when fully loaded. But a saddle is not designed to hold some 40kgs upwards and it might 💢 crack of the saddlerails.
However I had no option (except for unloading) and managed to get the bicycle
over the tree without damage.
Nor to the tree 😉.
But it was a struggle and I needed five attempts to succeed of which two were rather critical
since the bicycle tempted to tumble away from me which would have ment a 2 meters drop
into some barbwire.
Later today I noticed my frontbags were full of soot since this tree
(and some 50% of all of them here) is (was) heavily burned.
Riotinto it will be !
But 💦 soon ...
I left the Via Verde de Riotinto to cycle into El Campillo where I had a cold but also rather expensive bottle of agua at the petrolstation. And another one, but way more cheap, in the only 👍 cafe there.
I freewheeled down into Minas de Riotinto to visit a supermercado but it was closed. Then I noticed a 💢 problem with the OnTheRoad 4.0 🖱️ when I rolled it rearwards to the road again. The rearwheel was cracking with a strange but non-metal sound. Both straps I tie the topbags to the rack with had 💢 wrapped themselfs into the wheel's hub-disc-area and also into the brakecaliper.
This situation could easily have let to a real disaster since the straps are very strong and won't break. What if this would have happened only few minutes later, while freewheeling down at 40kmh on the mainroad ...
It was clear I had forgotten to knot the straps together and so they were hanging loose and waving and winding around. I cut them loose and the wheel was oké again. But the brake was not oké anymore and getting worse by the minute. I did not manage to have the brake "burn" the strap, also not during the long downhill from Nerva on. So I had no rear brakepower anymore.
A problem like this needs decent attention and it is not wise to try to 🛠️ uninstall brakes along the road. Although it actually is very easy and simple, except for the 💪 unloading and 💪 reloading. I was convident I could still cycle safely then the frontbrake of the OnTheRoad 4.0 is probably world's strongest. At least it is when 💪 I am on board since in all my life nobody ever outbreaked me ✅ on whatever vehicle, come shine come rain.
Click 🖱️ to open
I continued freewheeling to and (almost into) Nerva to visit a supermercado. Plan (hope) was I would get to El Alamo today but I wasn't sure at all if I would manage that. Then I was here before in 2019 and knew it is Hilly here everywhere. So it could be I would have to wildcamp along the road which also could be difficult because of the 🔍 lack of horizontal space to pitch the tent.
Once in the mercado I 😎 decided to not buy anything. I had topped up my (two) regular agua-bottles at the cafe and would need one night camping max anyway. Some agua to drink, two cups of coffee and a small spash to freshen up a bit would do for one night only. And the hills are already "heavy" enough without extra-extra water.
Then, surprise, surprise, when I came out of the mercado the Policia Municipal was 🙃 waiting for me. However and unfortunately I couldn't understand anything they said. They then used the translator at there handy and explained me I should have taken my bicicleta with me into the mercado. Then here in Spain "there are thiefs all around". I explained them my fully loaded bicicleta (as they saw it standing there to the wall) does not fit into any mercado. However, 👌 thank you so much for your concern and for this 👌 nice advise.
I continued in Nerva along an in-town shortcut but that turned out to be a Huge Mistake. SteeP, SteePeR and SteePesT pffuuuhhhh .....
But then there was the Club Social Pensionista and I was welcome to have 🍺 a drink. The guys at this picture started to sing a very nice spanish song which must have to do with history and tradition.
I went outside for my camera to film that but when I came in again two other guys were having a 👅 very loud dispute for whatever reason. To bad, and although the singing restarted later the thrill was gone.
And the wild boar had seen it all before (some time ago ...).
I continued2 at that shortcut and it even got more SteeP, SteePeR and SteePesT pffuuuhhhh ..... Finally I reached the top of in-town Nerva and freewheeled down
Click 🖱️ to open
to the Rivera del Jarrama. A beautiful spot, and this is where I potentially would wildcamp. But I felt 💪 strong and continued (💦 pushing).
From here on climbing would take over again, all the way up to El Madrono and then to El Alamo. By far most of that stretch would be uphill and it was even more worse then I remebered.
And in the 🌡️ meantime ... Somewhere (t)here I had a 30mins siesta at my little chair at the roadside underneath the only tree that offered me it's shadow. Thank you 👌 Tree !
Finally I pushed into El Madrono and had quite a long stop in a cafe.
There are some more nasty hills from El Madrono 😁 "up" to this crossing.
First a downhill, but for two minutes only haha.
Some five more nasty hills to get to El Alamo.
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We 🏆 made it !
I immediately inspected the fuente-field (the area of the natural well) and all was still oké there. Second inspection was ofcourse Bar Elena but I couldn't find it at first instance. Then someone 🔍 recognized me and knew immediatey what I was looking for haha. He guided me to my first beer of the day. Bar Elena had moved from in-town to a location along the mainroad.
At the bar several people also recognized me and I felt I was welcomed by friends. Some time later, just 😁 before dark, I pitched my tent at the fuente-field, washed myself quite thouroughly ( in the dark, 🙈 nude), returned to the bar, had some very nice radlerbeers (cerveza con lemon) and went to sleep.
This time I cycled from the west and after 31kms and 591vms I arrived in El Alamo. It for sure was a 💦 tough day ... In 2019, coming from the opposite direction, I cycled 56kms and 665vms. So today I cycled "only" half of that distance but with almost the same amount of vertical meters. In other words todays traject was almost double as steep typically.
The result of those vertical meters was that I made an 🐌 overall average of 3.4kmh during 9h00 (...) and a socalled moving average of 8.7kmh in 3h31. Was it the temperature of 50C at the tarmac at +1mtr ?
And this is the interactive map of today's YesTrip. Click here 🖱️ to open this map full screen in a new tab.
Or is 😁 my age becoming a factor ?