I decided that a day tour with guides would be better than trying to sort something out for myself and booked on a tour with Free Motion.
I had booked on the
Peak Tour but due to a week of rain this route had become unuseable.
We headed north and our guide Kai ( awaiting proper spelling ) met with two local guides so we could get the best possible experience.
Now I'm not exactly sure of the start point because although I took my trusty Forerunner GPS I was so excited that I kept forgetting to start the thing. I missed the start of the first route but I did take a pic of it so you in the know will know :)
I was the only Brit on the tour which was mainly German I think. There was a Fin, a Dane and two Swiss, we also had the two Spanish guides who's names escape me.
We started in the rain which had been hitting the island hard for a few days and immediately I saw the effects. There was a lot of slippy mud which added difficulty to what was already a fairly technical part of the descent.
When we stopped to 'collect' ourselves we all had that stupid smile on our faces.
Just like the emotion that some of the sections were stirring inside me, we were heading for Teror. Yes Teror is the name of the town.
This was going to be a lunch stop and the end of the first route.
It really was more than 6Km the GPS never recorded the first part ( well I didn't ).
Teror was a very pretty wee town unlike the touristy shore side towns in the south.
We got back on the bus and went back up the mountain, again I didn't start the GPS so I'm not sure where we started. :(
This was a longer route which had everything. Undo-able technical sections although about four of the group did manage most of them. Asphalt transitions including climbing sections. Riding through steep narrow back streets of mountain villages, down steps, through gardens! (I kid you not, at one point I was up someones driveway holding onto an opened garage door with some of the family inside chatting !). Fast steep downhill. Riding along the coast. We only omitted riding naked whilst drunk smoking cigars, maybe next time.
One of the very technical sections. No we didn't actually come down the cliff face but near enough.
Another much needed rest.
The final push along the coast. Look carefully between the two riders in the foreground to see the rest of the squad in the dip.
At last, we get to the end of what must be the best and most varied days cycling I have ever done.
Oh, and I did get a puncture but there were about nine others and the guides mended it for me :)
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