- With tall mountains surrounding Ponferrada, you are not properly on the high plains of Leon until you cross both these ranges and the valley between.
- The first day was intentional easy. After 4 days of hard climbing, I was concerned about making it over the second mountain Molinaseca sits at the base of. As it turns out, for good cause. The second day was a top-tier effort, forcing me to take an additional day off in Astorga.
- This is wine country. Riding across the bowl there is almost nothing other than vines.
Facts:
Distance: 30.06
Time: 6:09 / Moving Time: 4.9
Avg Speed: 4.9 mph / Avg Moving Speed: 8.3 mph / Max Speed: 8.3 mph
Elevation Gain: 3,510 ft
Elevation Loss: 2,533 ft
Min Elevation: 1,945 ft
Max Elevation:4,939 ft
Weather - Perfect. Sunny, not too hot, and light winds at the tops.
Climbs - The first climb! Had to walk sections around Acebo
Difficulty - 7. Very difficult day. You are just trying to make the distance.
Scale:
0 = 25 miles around San Francisco with the marin headlands climb.
Hotel - Gaudi Hotel Astorga. 50 euros. Highly Recommended. Very nice inside and professional staff. Across the street from the Palace and Cathedral. Best deal in Spain. The restaurant is also highly recommended.
Comments:
A. The climbing - The first piece is hard but you can ride a bike up it. I was surprised at how well I was doing until just after Riego De Ambros. About a km further there was ramp up. No way I could ride up that pulling a trailer after several hard days. Stopped, took my shoes off, put on the sandals, and it´s time to push the bike. You ride the sections you can, but you couldn't ride much until well after Acebo.
This kind of uphill is a lot of walking. The whole time you know you just have to make it to over the top. There is no other option.
B. Once over the top, there's a crumpled village. Really just a half story stone bunker or two to protect against the weather. Those are hard people to live there even part time.
C. After some up and down, you get to Cruz de Ferro. You are supposed to bring a stone from the river in France and lay it here with a prayer.
¨Lord, may this stone, a symbol of my efforts on the pilgrimage that I lay at the foot of the cross of the Saviour, one day weigh the balance in favour of my good deeds when the deeds of my life are judged. Let it be so.¨
D. From here into Astorga is best described as desolate. You see Pilgrims head up the path next the road and nothing could look more out of place. There has to be a reason for someone to walk across this isolation, and they show the fatigue, drooping up the hill.
I was completely spent by Astorga and could not get up the next day to do it again. I had to stay and look at the bending Gaudi Palace and tall Cathedral the next day.
Facts:
Distance: 17.73 mi
Time: 2:17:04 / Moving Time: 1:44:46
Avg Speed: 7.8 mph / Avg Moving Speed:10.2 mph / Max Speed: 34.9 mph
Elevation Gain: 1,099 ft
Elevation Loss: 823 ft
Min Elevation: 1,550 ft
Max Elevation: 1,979 ft
Weather - Nice.
Climbs - One small at the end.
Difficulty - 0
Scale:
0 = 25 miles around San Francisco with the marin headlands climb.
10 = Next to the last day of a hell week in the military with a few hours of sleep.
Hotel - 35 euros. Right on the river. Nice.
Comments:
A. Leaving Villafranca it´s a little up and down across wine fields which are pretty, but this is really a rest day. I thought about stopping in Ponferrada, but needed to be at the foot of the climb in the morning.
B. Spent the day looking at the mountains in the distance, hoping I would not have to climb over them, worrying about if I could. By night, I was sitting at the base knowing that those were going to be climbed the next day.
C. Molinaseca is a one road town designed to support pilgrims. There´s a nice bridge under which they have dammed the river to create a swimming hole. I went swimming. Plenty of Spanish families come here for fun... with they're teenagers.
D. Met an interesting assortment of American´s. A guy from KY., walking before entering the Peace Corp., a couple Koran-America´s (NY and San Francisco), and some guy from Iowa... with greying fu-man-chu and tall stories not to be believed. They were nice. Iowa man had issues
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