Stage 22 of 60, day 27 of 71: 141 km, 2064m, 5:45, 466 shifts, ave speed 24.5, max speed 72.1

I slept pretty badly, not sure why. Breakfast was a repeat of yesterday’s about 8am. We packed up and Rob explained how our baggage truck driver Lex had had enough and that Rob would drive the truck to Fez where a replacement driver would join us.

We headed out, navigating through city traffic. After a while I was out in front which felt good. I tried not to go too fast but to keep a good pace. After a while Wytze took over and we cruised up some climbs, down some descents, temperature always rising.

At about 40 km we found a great bar and had lots of refrescos plus tostadas (in this case giant toast with olive oil and tomato sauce and optional ham).

Ype finally passed us and it’s great to have him ahead when you’re getting close to halfway. He texted and said to wait until 1:30 and luckily there was a nice bar at 69 km where we killed time. More Fanta Limon and snacks.

Lunch was in a good spot with shade; we ate heartily. Then it was time for the second half. There were a number of multi-km quite hot climbs, but with lots of fast, fun downhill too. If it had been a little cooler it would’ve been a really great stage. Eventually we came to the town of Archidona and our new idea is that arriving early in camp had no value and we should take lots of long breaks so we looked around and found a nice bar right on the famous Octagon Plaza. We had another pile of sodas and snacks.

Then just 30 km remained. Wytze took the lead and we all sweated mightily following. Finally we stopped for beer about 4 km from the campground, best stop ever. Jan started bringing icy big beer mugs to our table and the first sip was out of this world. Then snacks, salty potato chips for the win. Plus a few liters of water.

The last 4 km was ok, then it was time for more drinks and snacks. The municipal water in this town is not drinkable due to a recent big flood. Wijnand gave me another cold Fanta, I think it was #7 for the day. Plus delicious soup and snacks. It was after 6 pm, our latest arrival yet.

After showers, laundry and setting up the tent, it was dinner time. Yummy all veggie fare, with excellent conversations and ice cream and fruit for dessert, what a life!

After that, blog writing and sleep. Wow, all I wrote about was riding, eating and drinking. It is a pretty simple life I guess. Tomorrow is another 2000m climb day; we’re used to these now.

Our 5th rest day was Sept 28, 2023. It sure is luxurious having a rest day at a hotel, particularly a nice 4-star one like the Allegro Granada. When I woke up, it seemed pretty dark outside, definitely pre-sunrise. So I thought I had a long time to relax and catch up on reading. But no, it was 8:15 already. We went down for breakfast and it seemed like everyone was there. I met Joan from the US who I last saw in Ushuaia in 2020. It was a nice breakfast like you would expect for a place like this and of course I went pretty big.

At 9:30, I left on foot with Wytze and Andrew for the Alhambra. We had bought tickets a few days earlier. All the cheap ones were gone so we bought a guided tour. We walked almost half an hour then checked in for the tour. The guide was pretty good and had audio so he could speak quietly but all 24 people could hear him. He was a linguist with many interesting side points and explanations.

We walked up to the Alhambra which is way more extensive than I envisioned. There are tons of gardens, with water flowing nicely in small streams. The palaces and fortress itself are almost 800 years old, built originally with Islamic architecture, but in places modified after the Spanish Royal family took over in 1492. Our three hour tour walked all around and gave us access to all the parts open to the public.

After the tour was over we didn’t take the guide’s advice and visit the museum. Sometimes enough is enough. Instead we walked downtown and had a pre-lunch cheese-platter with other snacks and beer and wine.

We looked around a bit more but it was starting to get pretty hot. So we bailed to the Italian restaurant where we had a 3:30 lunch reservation. We were early but no problem. Ype and Daniel joined us and we had a delicious lunch with lots of appetizers, then various amazing Italian dishes. Plus a couple of bottles of wine and several desserts to share.

We did some shopping, then Wytze and I walked home to the hotel. I immediately went to the rooftop infinity pool and had a nice swim. It was hot out and the water was perfect. I did a little more laundry then had a short nap. I ended up skipping dinner since lunch and pre-lunch were pretty big. All in all it was a good rest day. My body feels fine for riding tomorrow, my mind, …?

Stage 21 of 60, day 25 of 71: 144.8 km, 1828m, 5:49, 506 shifts, ave speed 24.9, max speed 71.1

This block of four rides from Cuenca to Granada has been relatively hard. We climbed over 6600m and rode 537 km. But with my secret weapon (riding with Wytze and crew), I not only survived, I had lots of fun. Today’s long stage to Granada was pretty normal. We’ve gotten used to packing up completely dry tents in the morning – it’s easy. Someone fired up a loud leaf blower or something just after 6am so I don’t think anyone slept in.

I had a normal breakfast plus electrolytes. After that, we left together at 9 and cruised on rolling, lightly travelled roads for quite a while. Later, we rode on highways for some time, with more traffic than we’re used to. I didn’t really mind as the surface was good and the cars and trucks seemed polite. We rode right through a morning market in a town around 48 km – then stopped at a hotel which had an open coffee shop. Daniel and Wytze had purchased a large bag of pastries from a bakery so we had a jolly time eating and drinking. Jan was riding with us today and his humor just killed me. I was laughing so hard at his tales I was literally crying.

Then back to work. We rode to lunch at 84 km to find Ype had secured a large covered pavilion. We had a nice cool lunch with more electrolytes for me. By this time it was pretty hot, 31°C. We had already climbed about 1200m and done way over half the distance which felt good.

The afternoon session was in two parts: 1) Ride to a restaurant we found along the way and 2) Ride to the hotel in Granada. At the restaurant we had a round of zero alcohol beer since we still had almost 30 km to ride. They served it with a platter of meat that the guys loved and the restaurant cat ate quite a bit of. I tried but failed to photograph the cat.

Then we finished off the day with a pretty easy ride to Granada. It was a little exciting riding through the city, but we suddenly turned a corner and arrived at the Allegro Granada, a 4 star hotel, quite a change from our normal campground life. Major snacks were had, luggage was found and a shower was a really great thing. So civilized. We checked out the laundry situation and I decided to just wash my own.

About 7, we started walking over to a wine bar Wytze had found for dinner. It was a 30 min walk, through a touristy area. We hung out until 8 at a nearby outdoor café having sangria. Daniel arrived and we moved into the wine bar, a tiny, very local place. Each bottle of wine came with an amazing dish of food, like oysters, toast with shrimp, etc. Ype joined us after a couple of bottles and spent the rest of the evening with us. After four or five rounds, we walked to a nearby square for dessert. We had I don’t know how many desserts, tiramisu, chocolate cake and a bunch of orders of cheesecake (although it wasn’t on the scale of the legendary one from Zaragoza). Then we started with the drinks. First there was coffee with your favorite liquor (mine was Bailey’s). Then some rounds of “Vino dulce” which tasted like Port – excellent. Finally, well after midnight, we called an uber which took Bart, Andrew and Daniel home while Ype, Wytze and I walked. When we made it back to the hotel we chatted in the lobby with a few of our people still awake and at 1:30 I went up to write this up. What a day! It’s like two days in one, one of riding and one of pure fun in Granada. And the rest day hasn’t started yet!

Stage 20 of 60, day 24 of 71: 116.2 km, 2026m, 5:25, 390 shifts, ave speed 21.4, max speed 60.4

We’ve now done one third of the stages of Paris Dakar. It feels strange but if we look at the map of Spain and find Cazorla, we’re getting toward the southern part. I slept really well again; at some point in the night I pulled out my sleeping bag and put it over me. It was just starting to get light at 7:30 when I got up. Breakfast was normal at 8, then I helped load the trucks and we were ready to go by 9.

After riding up to the campground entrance we turned right and immediately the climb screen popped up on my Garmin telling me I’m starting a 12 km climb of 659m. But the air was cool and I really didn’t mind it. It was beautiful at the start and only got better. I was proud to make it in just under an hour, even though I was going easy, conserving leg power for another long day. At the top we were up over 1400m again, with long beautiful views. This part of Spain is just great.

We had several more climbs and lots of glorious downhill as we made our way along the route. Ype texted and said he was only going 25 kph so don’t expect lunch before 1pm. We came to a small town with a fun looking bar that was open and did as he said, took our time. We had a few rounds of refrescos, relaxing on the deck.

Finally it was time to go, more downhill to an interesting dam holding back a lake that needs more water. The route then followed the lakeshore but up quite a bit, and partway through we found lunch at 66 km. It was getting hot now, sitting in the shade was vital. And I did not forget the electrolytes! The only sad thing was Dick’s derailleur breaking – Ype went back to rescue him but he will not be able to ride tomorrow’s stage.

After lunch there was one more big climb and we decided to just ride to it and do it non-stop. The idea was that beers would taste even better if we weren’t too soft. We rode through a resort town at the bottom of the climb, then cranked back up to over 1400m and stopped on top at 100 km for views and peeing.

We went partway down the descent but noticed a fancy looking hotel with an amazing view. So we pulled over and ordered a round of Clara (radler – beer mixed with lemon) which came with a very yummy snack: big balls of potato/tomato/onion/salted fish. It was so cool and wonderful looking out over the valley, olive trees growing everywhere. We ordered a second round and it came with Spanish cheese with olive oil dribbled on top. Simple but delicious.

From there it was a fun descent to town, and I was in charge of finding a bar for more beer. We got to a nice looking square but it had two bars and I had to decide. I picked the one that looked like it had better shade, not even noticing its best feature: a fountain where we immediately dunked our heads. The beer here came with potato chips with anchovies on top. That was not bad either!

We rode a couple more km twisting through town, then up some tiny roads steeply to the campground. There were grassy spots for the tents, soup was ready and many snacks were out. I immediately went for empanadas and soup, olives and more. I threw my tent up and went for a shower. Then a bit of time, poolside, to write before dinner. Dinner was the typical feast with a surprise for dessert (cake). I had a video call with Katie after dinner, she was walking up from the beach in the Capitola sun.

Today we have another Rider Profile. This time it’s Suzanne Stack. I already featured a photo of her headtube with its “Do Epic Shit” badge. To give you and idea of what epic means to her, this year she rode her bike from Vancouver to Halifax, packed it in a box and flew to Paris to meet us and ride to Dakar. She has many more huge trips planned, like the Silk Road.

How old are you Suzanne?

63

Where are you from and how much of this crazy adventure are you riding?

I was born and raised in Washington, D. C. and live In Arizona since 1985. I’m doing the “Full PD”.

Tell us about your bike…

It’s a Lynskey titanium R150 with 25mm tires. Gears unknown, I think the best climbing gear is a 32 or maybe 34 [doesn’t matter to her, she just goes!]

What do you hope to get out of Paris Dakar? Do your friends think you’re crazy?

I signed up for S. America [Andes Trail, 4 1/2 month hardcore ride] & it changed to PD. My friends would think I’m crazy if I stayed home.

Thanks Suzanne. For me it’s inspiring to see so many strong women like you doing this tour.

Stage 19 of 60, day 23 of 71: 140 km, 1529m, 5:36, 334 shifts, ave speed 24.9, max speed 58.2

After a big day riding and a huge dinner I fell asleep so quickly and deeply. It was weird in the morning waking up in a bed – I was momentarily unsure where I was! Andrew and I went down for breakfast at 7:30 and it was a bit sad compared to the normal Bike Dreams fare. Just some toast with olive oil and tomato sauce or jam. And some weak pastries, plus orange juice. I ate as much as possible then packed up and brought my bag across the square to the truck and got my bike ready. We had a surprise announcement that our cook’s assistant, Frank, had had enough and was not continuing. He was scheduled to work just a few more stages to Granada.

We finally headed out, in a big group. It jelled into the inevitable paceline after a few km. Rob and our new rider Dennis were leading. They continued for a really long time, maybe 50 km until we reorganized after a failed attempt to find an open bar in a small town. All of this was through pretty boring, flat terrain, with a slight headwind. Next Wytze and Rob had the lead and held it to 72 km. It was more interesting riding now at least. We stopped for food and water even though there was nothing open. Daniel used the internet and phone to find an open bar in the town 5 km ahead. While we were eating cookies and drinking lots there, we got the word that Ype had the lunch set up at 80 km, just ahead of where we were. He had been delayed by what could’ve been a bad problem: Brian’s rear wheel gave up the ghost completely halfway through yesterday’s stage. He had to stay in Villarobledo until the bike shop opened, and get a new wheel or a new bike. In the end he was only delayed 1 1/4 hours and had a new wheel that worked!

We cruised up to lunch where most people were already eating. It was delicious as usual, but I made a little error and only drank one cup of drink and forgot to take an electrolyte tablet. I headed out with the regular crew, Wytze, Andrew, Daniel and Bart, and we cruised nicely to about 108 km. Climbing the last hill I felt cramps coming on in one leg. At the top I said I needed to stop and they were all super happy to stop at a little bar that was seemingly serving the whole town. The town was called Bienservida which was fitting. I counted it up and the five of us consumed four liters of liquid refrescos there. Plus I had electrolytes in two forms.

I felt good when we left, even though it was 3pm, the hottest time of the day and it was roasting. Right out of town the day’s biggest climb started. But somehow it wasn’t that bad and soon we were jetting down the other side.

We had a final 15 km to do, with a couple more climbs but then made it to Stiles where we stopped just in time as the bar was about to close. But they had time to give us all beers with some nice snacks: cold pasta salad with tuna plus salty potato treats.

Then we cruised the last 2 km to camp. I was reasonably flamed and sat down for a giant bowl of thick vegetable/noodle soup first. Others were peeling potatoes to help out Emily, the cook. Then I set up my tent, scoring a covered area, even though the chance of rain is exactly 0%. The shower was great. I did laundry, then found a place where the camp WiFi worked. Jan arrived and bought us ice-cream, thanks Jan!

Dinner was mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and grilled tofu with mushrooms for me. Yum! For once I didn’t like the wine but Jan was a hero and traded me a glass of beer for my wine. By 9 I was ready for a long sleep 💤

Stage 18 of 60, day 22 of 71: 136.6 km, 1261m, 5:17, 401 shifts, ave speed 25.8, max speed 65.6

Our second morning waking up in the campground in Cuenca was almost as cold as the first. We packed up, had a chilly breakfast, then rode out to the main road and along to Cuenca. Dick and Dennis were doing their first stages with us and I stopped at the campground entrance where Dick’s wife, Anke, was videoing to give her a big hug. We didn’t take the taxi route up to the old (high) town, but instead stayed low and cruised to the new town. My bike felt really light and the air was very crisp (three long sleeve jerseys plus two pairs of gloves).

When we rode in the sun it was heavenly but it was cold in the shade. We did a couple of climbs early on that helped and then pretty quickly, we were stopping to shed layers and then it was down to normal clothes. Soon, we let Wytze take the fast crew ahead – Daniel and I just rode along loving it. It felt like an example of why we love to cycle: gorgeous scenery, no wind, everything feeling easy and fast. We all stopped at a café for drinks around 40 km.

The headwinds did pick up for the last 15 km to lunch but it wasn’t that bad. Ype found a typical perfect spot, in a forest with our choice of shade or sun (shade for me of course), and massive amounts of delicious food.

After lunch it was time to ramp it up a little. I left with Wytze and crew and we stayed together the rest of the way. It felt like there was always a headwind and we were always going a little faster than I would’ve liked. But it was scenic and fun. Wytze is so amazing – we finally did stop at the top of a hill to regroup for 30 seconds, then at a café at about 120 km for drinks. But he led all that way, into the wind, holding 36 or sometimes even 38 on flat into the wind.

We ate snacks and had cold drinks and only had 13 km to go. I asked if we could have a “Holiday” for the rest of the way. Wytze said sure. We started out at my speed, 28, but before you knew it it was 32…then 33. Still ok as long as I was drafting. We got stopped by the Policia Local as we entered Villarobledo – they did not like our drafting style which covered the whole lane. We promised to do better and were allowed to proceed. They were checking car driver’s papers for something too but we never found out what.

Soon we arrived at the hotel – for the first time on the tour. It was wonderful to ride in and have a massive amount of snacks to choose from – Emily and Frank and Rob really were putting on a great post-ride feed. I ate first, then chatted with Katie, then took a shower up in our room. It had two things in it called beds, we hardly know what they are.

Downstairs out on the square, we had a few beers each, some more snacks, then I wrote this up. At that point it was 7:30, our dinner reservation time. Google gave directions, “30m away, mostly level”. Six of us took Ype out to dinner and even though it wasn’t a rest day, it was still a massive blow-out. I don’t know how many bottles of wine or courses or desserts, but lots of all of these. By this point we were rating the cheesecakes with the one in Zaragoza being the gold standard of 100. In Cuenca it was an 85 and here we had a 95. This time the final final course was coffee with brandy. Dinner lasted over three hours and was just stellar. “Living like kings” does not really do it justice. This life is hard to beat.

Our 4th rest day was September 23, 2023. Last night was the coldest yet; I think it was 3°C in the morning and I slept inside my sleeping bag, all zipped up. I got up, had a little breakfast and chatted for a while. At 9 the campground breakfast started so I walked down and ate with Dick, Anke and Bart. We were all meeting in town for lunch, so a few of us took a taxi around 10:30.

The old town of Cuenca is pretty amazing, over 1300 years old, up high on a dramatic hill. We were dropped right at the Plaza Mayor and wandered around looking for a while. Soon Wytze had a specific café as a goal and we walked down to the new city. This place was fully modern, just point your phone at the QR code on the table, press a few buttons and then magically drinks and amazing pancakes arrive, all paid for.

We had a walk back up along a small river to a super scenic pedestrian bridge over a gorge, then we were back up in the old town.

We had beers to pass the time until our lunch reservation. The restaurant we had picked was great. 8 of us shared course after course (lots of seafood), leaving the choice up to the excellent waiter. After four bottles of white wine we switched to red. Then dessert, then a second round of dessert then coffee with rum. Kind of repeating ourselves but why mess with such a great system?

We split up after our extended lunch, Daniel, Wytze and I staying in town. We took a bus back to the top of the old town and were thinking of riding the zipline down, but instead sat on a rock summit chatting for a long time. Maybe the most relaxing peaceful point in the trip so far!

After another drink stop at an outdoor café we took a taxi back. As it was getting dark, I had a wonderful video chat with Katie. Did I say how much I love WhatsApp? It’s the best thing ever to stay in touch. The sound and picture is so good. Then writing and a long sleep.

Stage 17 of 69, day 20 of 71: 107.5 km, 1200m, 4:29, 294 shifts, ave speed 23.9, max speed 61.5

We had a normal 8am breakfast but the unusual thing was how cold it was.

When we started out at 9 I had two jerseys on for the first time. For the first 5 km my fingers were so frozen! But luckily a climb started soon and I warmed up.

There were hints of headwinds so it seemed like we might be in for a repeat of yesterday’s super hard conditions. But no, the winds were friendly and the climbs easy and we soon found ourselves at a gorgeous spot for lunch.

We reformed the pace line after lunch and cruised to the town of Oña. It took some research but we found a little hotel that had an outdoor terrace looking over a lake. We had drinks and cheesecake, so relaxing. Bart actually fell asleep while we discussed politics. Note to self: avoid that.

Then some more riding, one more climb and down to El Ventano del Diablo, a gorgeous view point. All this time we were on very uncrowded roads with super clear blue skies. We dawdled a long time, met Ype, then finally cranked out the last 20 km to camp.

We rode that last 20 km, not in the van. The campground is huge, as in we are lucky to have bikes to get to the showers and bar. Anyway, I set up my tent, ate soup and snacks, then rode off to the showers. While I was showering I heard a voice, “Mr Hoover is that you?” It was Dick Prent, my good friend I originally met in La Paz in 2019. He is joining us here for the rest of the ride to Dakar. He showed me the glamping tent he’s sharing with his wife, Anke, who is here dropping him off. We headed straight to the campground bar and had beers and olives and great conversation until it was time for dinner.

I got to meet our other new rider, Dennis, also from Holland. Dinner was nice but I think most everyone was on expedition (not in shorts).

Today we have a special treat, a rider profile. I probably won’t get to everyone on the trip but starting at the top of the registration page, first is Harry Brown who I rode the Balkan Boulevard tour with in 2022.

How old are you Harry?

Age – in the head space 49, body 99 😩, actual 69.

Where are you from and how much of this crazy adventure are you riding?

I’m an Ozzie, therefore from Straya maaate! Live in Caloundra on the Sunny (Sunshine) Coast. Came to ride the full tour from Paris to Dakar. Hopefully the body holds up.

Tell us about your bike…

Purchased a new Jamis Renegade S3, Reynolds 520 Cromoly frame with carbon fork, gravel bike with hydraulic disc brakes. Tyres are 700 x 32 roadies although when I arrive in west Africa I might swap tyres to gravel, same size. Gearing is GRX, 2 rings with 10 cluster 11 – 37.

What do you hope to get out of Paris Dakar? Do your friends think you’re crazy?

I like Bike Dreams more challenging & adventurous tours, besides have for many years wanted to get to Morocco.

Most friends, Relos, acquaintances know I’m a little “different” so in many ways expect something like this of me. Some of course just don’t comprehend the the cycling of thousands of kilometers to experience different cultures in far off places.

I’m aware that my grown children admire, respect me for (still) “getting of my arse, getting out there” & enjoying what life has to offer.

Stage 16 of 60, day 19 of 71: 121.9 km, 1505m, 5:31, 375 shifts, ave speed 22.4, max speed 58.7

The numbers don’t tell the whole story today. We got started after breakfast around 9. The first 10 km was ok, then a pretty strong wind picked up. We had a couple of climbs, totaling maybe 800m, all into the wind. Going downhill was better but still with head or head/side wind for a long time.

I had a moment of luck, coming to a corner where we had to turn completely into the wind, right at the time Wytze and a couple of others were starting. I managed to catch them (hard) and was feeling pretty good drafting. We were holding about 17 kph. Then Rob cruises up, sizes up the situation, and takes the lead. Now it’s 20-21 and I could not hang.

Daniel and I rode together for a while and had a very nice food stop at a little bench sheltered from the wind.

From there it was another 12 km to lunch. Ype had a great spot, sheltered by the edge of a forest. All good things come to an end and we had to set out again, now with more people. There was a small town around 75 km where we caught Andrew and we detoured in to a bar where we had drinks and snacks. Anyway, we eventually made it to town; I was pretty flamed. We stopped at a bar for beers and snacks, very pleasant.

Then the last bit up to camp. A shower was first and it was great. Then soup, snacks and a nice call with Katie at home to raise my spirits. After a short nap, I gave my bike to Ype as the headset was loose again. It’s warm and cozy in my tent to write this before dinner.

Dinner was excellent as usual. Just a few of us still on holiday (according to Rob, if you’re wearing shorts you’re on holiday but if pants are required, then the expedition has started.)

Stage 15 of 60, Day 18 of 71: 125.7 km, 1651m, 5:34, 281 shifts, ave speed 22.6, max speed 58.4

After a pretty loud and bright thunder/lightening storm in the night, we had a civilized 8am breakfast.

We headed out of Zaragoza, mellow pace. I led for a while until Wytze took over and increased power. We were on a lightly travelled road, paralleling a main highway, but it wasn’t really scenic or special. Some stopped at a town at 48 km; I continued a bit more with Suzanne, and we passed through a couple of little villages that seemed to be mostly about wine making. We passed lots of grape vines, some still with grapes, others having been harvested. We stopped in a little town for bananas and snacks, the continued up the hill. There were a couple of climbs to lunch – Ype found another lovely spot with pine trees.

Since I had arrived early to lunch I left early and rode by myself but assumed the squad would catch me. The route went through about five little villages but I learned after the first one or two that it could be ignored and following the main road was quicker and easier.

Finally around 100 km, a friendly hand laid on my shoulder and we were back in the group. We rode together although the guys were really cruising fast on the up hills so I couldn’t quite keep up. But it wasn’t very far until we got to a nice downhill at 120 km to the town of Nuévalos, and don’t you know, we immediately spied a hotel with an outdoors bar. We had a couple of beers each, with olives and chips, then headed toward the camp. We had one last stop at a tiny supermercado to do some gift shopping for our excellent truck driver, Wijnand. It was his birthday today so we knew there’d be a celebration at dinner.

We found the campground and set things up. It was breezy so the wet tents dried quickly. After some soup, snacks and a shower, it was practically time to start serving dinner. We had fun on dinner crew and everyone liked the dinner. We started out with a Cava toast for Wijnand’s birthday. Bike Dreams had 4 bottles and we added a fifth. Then I presented him with our other present: a box of cookies shaped like nun’s breasts. With a severe/strange looking nun on the box. Dessert of course was a bunch of chocolate birthday cakes which we ran around serving. Then another epic round of dish washing.

Many people agreed the day was harder than the numbers might suggest. Quite a bit of the route had bumpy pavement and there were headwinds for a large part of the afternoon ride too. Well, we all made it and now get to sleep and do a similar day tomorrow.