Day 91: Algodonales (Cycle)

Zahara de la Sierra:

Where the "offical" start of the climb to Puerto de Las Palomas begins; one of my favourite climbs.

On arrival at the climbs end, I did note that the Puerto's elevation is 1357 metres, consists of four consecutive odd numbers, each of which is a prime number. I was subsequently disappointed to discover that 1357 itself is not a prime number: it's one and only factorisation is 23*59.

Here's a view of the climb about two kilometers from the top:

After descending through Grazalema and beyond I began the return climb to Puerto de Las Palomas, passing through:

and

and Grazalema:

My lunch stop was here (in Grazalema), whilst getting some respite from the sun!:

And here's a view taken on the descent from Puerto de Las Palomas:

Finally another view of Zahara de la Sierra and the adjacent reservoir (given the rain we've experienced this month, it is no surprise that the water level of the reservoir is higher human lasted year):

I must remember not to do this cycle route on a Saturday (and probably Sundays). There were far too many idiots in sports cars driving as if they were on a race track, rather than public roads.

I also noticed there were many cyclists out for a morning cycle climb. However, during my afternoon return climb to Puerto de la Palomas, via Grazalema, I saw none: just mad dogs and Englishmen .... springs to mind!

• Distance driven: 0
• Distance cycled: 82 kilometres
• Weather: Blue skies, mid twenties °C temperatures, although the Garmin (navigational aid) was reporting T's in the low thirties °C.

Today's route: