The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

White Villages of Andalucia 2018

October 4th to October 18th

Ride Coordinator: Clarice Sackett
Report by: Charlie Schultz

On October 4th, twenty four hardy BAC riders met for happy hour in Granada to meet, greet, and start a two week adventure in southern Spain.

Clarice Sackett, current BAC Board member, collaborated with Ibero Cycle owner, Simon Proffitt, to organize the ride. Earlier that day participants either assembled their own bikes or got fitted on Ibero Cycle rental bikes. Simon’s second-in-command, Borja Fernandez, did a great job assisting with setup.

Our 545 mile route took us in an east to west arc through the autonomous region of Andalucía. We started in Granada, reached our most northern city of Cordoba in three days, and finished in Tarifia, the southernmost point in Europe. We accumulated in the neighborhood of 37,000 feet of climbing as Simon and Clarice had routed us up, over, and back down several mountain ranges and into their respective river basins. 

The area is steeped in history as reflected in the Roman, Moorish, and Christian Medieval architecture found in the fortified villages and cities that were at one time the frontier barriers between Islam and Christianity.

Our daily routine was breakfast at our hotel, luggage to the van, and on the road somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00. Our 6:30 pm happy hours were excellent. We were well supplied with good Spanish red and white wines, cervezas and juices, along with those delicious Spanish green olives and other assorted snacks.

Simon’s happy hour presentations were top notch. We reviewed the next day’s ride and weather in detail. Then Simon donned his professor’s hat and we learned about the history, geography, and economy of the area we were about to ride through.

At the start of the trip only a few in the group were acquaintances, and most of us were strangers. By our fourth group dinner at La Posada del Conde, we were a raucous group of best buddies who could easily identify each other by our pedal cadence and cycling kits.

Although the first three days were a bit on the warm side, the team’s spirits were high as we rolled into Cordoba. Our layover day here gave us the chance to cross the Roman Bridge into the Old City and check out the Mezquita mosque-cathedral, the Alcazar, and wander through the dizzy maze of narrow streets of the Jewish Quarter.  Some of our intrepid group took the fast train to Sevilla for a day of sightseeing.

Some memories and highlights:

• The sights and sounds of herds of sheep, free-grazing cattle, goats and pigs, and lonely looking donkeys.
• Cycling over rolling hills of olive groves, cork oak forests, almond and fruit orchards, and eucalyptus copses.
• Córdoba’s Roman Bridge at night
• Gazpacho, salmorejo, jamon, queso of all kinds, tuna salads, peppers, pork cheeks, tapas, flan, and gelato
• Ronda’s Puente Nuevo as viewed from the trail below
• Meeting people and making new friends
• The view from the Parador in Arcos de la Frontera
• Discovering the refreshing happy hour favorite -  tinto de verano
• The all-night party in the ballroom below our hotel rooms in Dona Mencia
• Attempting to bribe the Caminito del Rey gatekeeper, Fatima, for entry tickets with an apple and chocolate bar
• Actually getting tickets and walking the Caminito del Rey
• The rooftop happy hour in Cordoba – ambiance, friends, laughter, sights, warmth
• The village of Grazalema in the morning sun as viewed from our hotel
• Vejer de la Frontera’s Plaza de Espana and Califa Express  restaurant
• Simon’s occasional “nasty bits” – short, steep, punchy climbs
• Tarifa – swimming in the Mediterranean and seeing Africa in the distance
• The road to Ronda – fun climbs and swooping descents
• Borja’s grin after completing a bike ride

What an adventure it was! Thanks to Clarice and Simon for organizing a trip of a lifetime.