Made it back from the Guadalest-Alcoi-Baneres-Crevillent tour in one piece, though carrying some damp gear. We set out from Studz Bar in a steady rain, riding the bus to Guadalest while soggy from loading the bikes. There were five of us, aged 55 to almost 68, and all a little soft in the head. After coffee and tostadas we headed uphill (all the way, it seemed) toward Alcoy. The rain alternated between a heavy mist and pelting almost sleet. Thomas gave us a temperature report from his do-everything Garmin bike computer. It was 2 Celsius or 35 Farenheit, so we had to keep climbing vigorously to stay warm.
We stopped in Alcoi for lunch, getting directions to Baneres and leaving profuse apologies for the puddles on the floor. One man who told us how to get there shook his head in sympathy, pointing up while mumbling something like, "Muy alto!"
We dragged our sorry posteriors into the hotel just before dark and ordered the mandatory carajillos before hot showers and a sumptuous dinner. I thought about asking for my meal to be brought to the shower so I could steam a little longer.
Tuesday, we set off in fine weather, dropping about 2500' down to our starting level. We cycled through some really beautiful country, stopping in Salinas and Hondon de los Nieves for snack and lunch, before topping the final mountain range and sliding thru Crevillent to our penultimo cerveza in Catral. My whole trip was approximately 175 km; no accurate figure being available as the 'puter got a little water-logged and quit working. Thomas will send us all a report from his Garmin and photos from his smart-phone...someday. Will try to post them soon.
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