Day 30: Denia (More Cycling)

One last day in Denia, which turned out to be a super day. That is, instead of climbing just the Coll de Rates (Elevation 636m) I opted to go the extra mile and climb the Super Coll de Rates (905m)!
Which was followed by:

• Puerto de Sa Creueta (540m)
• Alt de Tarrenyes (590m)
• Port de la Val d'Ebo (547m)
• Port de Sagra (208m)

When I set off I could feel the effort from yesterday's adventure in my legs. The steady climb on the way to the town of Parcent, had me thinking that perhaps the planned itinerary for the day would be to much; I appeared to be lacking energy. Fortunately, Parcent is located immediately before the Coll de Rates climb and it just so happens that Blanca Bikes cafe is on the road just before the turn off for the climb. So I stopped for "second breakfast", which consisted of coffee, Coke Cola and homemade cherry pie?

It seemed to do the trick. The Coll de Rates climb was taken at a steady pace: in terms of overtaking I was only at -1 at the summit! (I overtook 4 cyclists and was overtaken by 5!). However, it was clear that the number of cyclists on the climb today was significantly fewer than on our previous climb the other day. Indeed, that could be said for all of the cycling today.

The "Super" Coll de Rates is an extension to the (lesser) Coll de Rates, which is accessed via a car park and a short section of gravel track that leads to a rather steep concrete single track road (average gradient 10% , length 2.8km). Here, are a couple of photos:


If the summit was the high point of the day, then the highlight was the climb and descent to Val d'Ebo via the Cami de Tarrenyes. The climb to Alt de Tarrenyes is not the hardest of climbs but it is one of the most enjoyable.

• Distance driven: 0
• Distance cycled: 105 kilometres
• Weather: When I first awoke I felt very warm. When I next awoke it was 8am and the temperature in the van was 21°C (sunrise 08:07), which is way too hot for this time of the day in January! Although not the sunniest of days the temperatures were in the mid twenties C throughout today's ride! Also, it was quite windy. Forecast is for higher velocity winds tomorrow.

Today's route: