Day 22: Lliber (Drive/Cycle)
For the third day running I had to jump-start the van. Clearly the van's vehicle battery needs to be replaced. The question is: where to purchase one in the Costa Blanca?
Given it was Sunday today, when most shops are closed in Spain, I have put off the task of buying a new battery until tomorrow. Instead I drove to Lliber: the start and end points of today's hilly cycle ride. In total there was nearly 2,000 metres of ascent.
The first major climb of the day was the Col de Rates. The climb was the busiest I've seen it. Here's a photograph showing a sample of the old sticker covered col sign:
After the overcrowding on the Col de Rates, the numbers of cyclists encountered on the ride diminished quite rapidly the further I rode way from the Col. Yet, I did encounter more cyclists than I did motorised vehicles. Result!
The second official climb was up to port/puerto Sa Creueta:
Which was followed by a descent to Castell de Castelles, which has a steep section with some sharp bends!
The third climb was up to port/puerto de Tollos, which has a "sting in the tail". The highpoint of the day!
Which was followed by a descent to La Vall d'Ebo. Oh yes, the descent did have the added bonus of some short sharp climbs! I did stop to take yet another photo of Miserat (the lump to the left in the photo):
The final official climb of the day was to the port/Puerto La Vall d'Ebo.
Amazingly, I mostly had the whole of the d'Ebo, climb and descent, to my self.
But, the climbing wasn't finished! Following the descent from d'Ebo there remained two short climbs to summit before I finally returned to the van, rather cold and tired!
A good route, which I probably would have enjoyed even more if my feet hadn't been so cold!
- Distance driven: 28 miles
- Distance cycled: 97 kilometres
- Weather: Mostly cloudy with some occasion short periods of sunshine. T's mostly 8 or 9°C in the mountains and about 11°C on my return to lower elevations. It felt quite cold for most of the day, and for most of the time my feet were like blocks of ice!
- Location: Google Maps
Today's route: