Day 2 of Riding – May 20

The weather was much better today (yeah!)  When we left at 9:00 the roads were wet but no rain coming down.  People were a little anxious after yesterday so everyone put on their rain gear right away.  During the day we had a mix of sun and clouds with a few lightly scattered showers.  From a weather perspective the worst was when we went across 2 mountains pass that were above 6,000 ft.  The temperature dropped to near freezing both times along with light snow flurries.  On the second pass, there was about an inch of slush on the road from an overnight snow.  It was OK as long as you stayed in the tracks on the road where the slush had already been driven through.  Again this provided a good test of one’s ridding gear.  I was again very pleased with what I brought along for these conditions.  I was not cold the entire day.

The roads have been amazing and words can’t do justice to them.  Everywhere we go, the twists, turns, elevation changes, and the views are always changing.  You must always be alert of what is going on all around you.  We are quickly learning that traffic signs and laws are really more of a suggestion than the law.  The biggest one is that people pass whenever and wherever they want.  Sometimes we use this to our advantage when stuck behind a slow moving vehicle.  As long as you can safely pass, go for it!

 

Manuel has been a great group lead and the group has many good riders.  This is not the ride to learn how to ride on.  Manuel keeps the pace at a very “spirited” pace which is good and the group has started to sort out other riding positions based on how fast they wish to ride.  Most of the time, you don’t have to worry about getting lost because there is only 1 road and it just keeps going.  When we get to an intersection or a turn off, Manual will pull to the side and let everyone get caught up before continuing on.  So far, no one has got lost or separated.  Sometimes it may look or feel like some of the riders are way back but typically with a minute or 2, everyone is back together and going again.  Having a good leader really helps.

I hear the gas prices back home are high, but they still don’t compare with the prices here.  This morning, I put in €18 (about $25), this afternoon, it was another €15.  It is time to head to the local cash machine this afternoon.