November 3, 2021
Malaga Loop Ride
Not on my own bike, though
Today we followed through with Al's idea. We didn't start as early as I wanted, though, due to Al's slowness out the door (I make him wait on hills so we're even) and the fact that I couldn't adjust the saddle height on my rented bike. It was super stuck and I didn't want to break anything. If somebody's going to overtighten the seat post bolt on a carbon bike, it should be the bike's owner. So we stopped in at the shop when it opened at 9, not that we were any earlier than that anyway.
Stefan couldn't loosen the bolt either so the mechanic took it to the back. Apparently they seize up due to the frequent washing of the bikes. He always uses a torque wrench to tighten them to the specified torque.
Then we were off. It seemed to take forever to get out of Malaga in our chosen direction, but once we did, traffic was very light. We passed through Almogía and rode on to Villenueva de la Concepción. Here we looked for a snack and found a tiny cafeteria that had chocolate-coated donuts (which, in addition to glazed ones, were the only pastries on offer). With a cup of café con leche, they were excellent.
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The route went southward with a chilling descent--did I mention the wind? There was a strong wind from the north all day and about halfway between Almogía and Villenuova it got cold. We were chilled from this point on as we'd brought only our gilets.
Then eastward and upward. There were some level bits but it was mostly climbing through Colmenar and beyond to Puerto del Léon. Now for the fun bit, if only it wasn't cold and windy! A beautiful descent including two short tunnels as the road corkscrewed downward--literally.
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As soon as we got back to Málaga, we went to return the rental bike and then I walked and Al rode to Eurobike. A few km before Colmenar I'd received a call that Maple was ready. Yes! On with our itinerary tomorrow!
Today's ride: 101 km (63 miles)
Total: 142 km (88 miles)
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