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Day 6 - To La Granda, Asturias - 132 miles
Stats
Actual distance 99.3 miles
Moving Average 33.5 mph
Total Average 17.4 mph
Moving Time 2:57
Stopped Time 2:45
Total Time 5:42
Minimum Temperature 51.6°F
Maximum Temperature 70.9°F
Day 6
Day 6 profile
Day 6 temperatures
Well we were full of good intentions. Early start and we would ascend the cable car (800 metres) and have a walk around return and start the ride. Of course nature didn't know about our good intentions, or maybe she did. At 09:00 looking up to the top of the lift there was nothing visible - 10/10ths cloud at 4,000 ft. So that plan was abandoned. I got the impression that some of our number were somewhat ambivalent about riding the cable, a point of view with which I can sympathise, so there were no tears shed. In any even we got going at 11:10. The only good point about it was that it was a bit cooler at 55 °F.
Andy needed some more eurothingies so that was our first stop. We then fuelled up in Potes where Andy seemed to forget that a bike falls over when you let go of it and his did. Fortunately, his throw-over panniers stick out a fair way so all the impact was taken by them and no damage was done - it would have been a different story had it been one of the the other bikes. We then headed up the mountain.
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So the view wasn't good but at this point the roads were dry. |
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One does need the poles when doing a slalom. But this and the above does show that there were a mixture of closed and open aspect bends. |
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Not as bad as 2002 but not as good as 2003, c'est la vie. |
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Showing the steep drop in temperature coming up from Potes. |
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Do I need fog lights here. On the way up to... |
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12:41, 5514 ft 53.0 °F, N43.07644 W4.74968. The highest point on our tour. Pity about the view. |
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But down the other side the weather was good at Riaño |
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But mist and cloud prevailed down the N625. The only coach we had to overtake, which pulled in for the others after I completed this manoeuvre (which was not half as risky as it appears - just a little tight on space) |
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Most of the way there was a good surface |
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and provided you had good positioning, quite good visibility too. |
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The occasional surprise. I can't quite see why he needed to be taking up my side of the road as well. |
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But the instant a regional boundary was crossed the road surface changed ... for the worse, unfortunately. |
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Stopping for lunch at 14:10, 1353 ft 60.1 °F, N43.18722 W5.07756
where I introduced the rest to soupa de higado (liver soup) a regional specialty.
Andy had a mixed stew which probably had goat in it - we didn't ask. |
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At 16:40 we arrived at our lodgings for the night. This early finish gave Andy and Daryl the opportunity to dump their gear and go for a "bit of a blast" on an extension to the route I had already prepared (just in case). They reported that they had a interesting ride since a) they had difficulty seeing the road due to the low cloud and b) at one point Andy's front wheel totally lost all sense of friction when traversing a piece of wet overbanding causing him to wish that he hadn't left his change of underwear back in the hotel room. Neil and I preferred to explore the hotel facilities, namely the bar - much less strenuous. |
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Unfortunately, the chef was off sick so we did not get to experience the culinary delights of La Tiendona. We were directed a mere 500 metres up the road according to our host. This 500 metres was in fact 30 metres short of a kilometre but we worked up an appetite. |
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Which was just as well as I ordered the mixed grill but failed to order the crampons with which to climb it. I ended up sharing it with Andy who had the "weight watcher's" fish dish. Neil's steak was in fact half a steer resembling the 98er inflicted on John Candy in the film the Great Outdoors. The meal was washed down with a interesting local rosé followed by a slightly less corrosive red. |
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But in this part of Spain they know nothing about small portions as can be determined by the size of these brandies. We won't mention Daryl's preference for Baileys as that would ruin his credibility as a biker. |
Index | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | References