Latest post 08.01.2011

03.01.2011 Ramble

Rat-Bastard rides again, despite an ignominious start to the cycling year. Thinking that the First was Sunday, I showed up at Studz Bar in Benijofar for the club ride at 0945. Being the First and a Saturday, the ride wasn’t supposed to happen no matter how long I waited, So I peddled off toward Torrevieja and had my first flat of the year. Serves me right for doing a good deed. Having ridden past a large piece of glass in the cycle path on the way in, I tried to just kick it off the path on my way out. Never saw the one that got me. 20 miles in 60+ sunshine-I love it!

Sunday saw twelve of us start out to do about 75K from Studz to the Alicante airport and back via Elche. The weather was sparkling and heat waves were rising from the pavement making it almost uncomfortable. Eleven cyclists finished, with me drinking San Miguel in the sun at a sidewalk café in Catral while waiting for a ride home. I had a blow-out in the tread area of my rear tire, booted it with a commercial patch, and used my spare tube. That blew right through the boot patch three kliks later, leaving me up the creek and across the street from the café. Is and our new Irish friend, Marieva, were on the way to Cartagena, but whipped around to pick me up. I managed to dis-assemble the bike and stuff it and me into the back seat of M’s tiny, rented Hyundai.

After a quick wash and change at home, we took off for Cartagena, down the coast to see some Roman ruins walk the promenade in front of high-priced real estate and have dinner.

Today, I raised the seat-post as high as was safe on Is’ fat-tire city bike, donned a mask to prevent recognition (it has no top tube, a basket on the handlebars fenders a bell and flats) and peddled the 10 kliks to Ciudad Quesada where I bought the only 700x23C tire in stock. The tire was a basic skin for €15, about the right price, but the two tubes were the equivalent of $6.70 each. Outrageous!! I will be bringing a bunch of tubes over here next winter-does anybody want to get in on buying a case? We can order it when I get in back in April, so that we have plenty for the season. Perhaps the Team Captain can put out an e-mail…?

Anyway, New Year’s Eve was relatively quiet. I cooked a couple of Teriyaki steaks, had a €1.45 bottle of nondescript Jumilla red wine, labeled Castillo San Simon. Grape variety is Monastrell, no vintage year, but the bodega has been in business since 1890. I wonder why.

Back to the festivities. We walked down to the plaza around 2330, collected the packet of grapes which each person is given by the Ayuntieamento (town government). These are meant to be eaten-one at each stroke of the church bell-at midnight. Along with the grapes we were issued a paper hat, noise-makers, lei and plastic vampire fangs. I was a party-pooper and ignored the canines