On this date in 1521, Castilian rebels called Comuneros were dealt a crushing defeat by the royalist forces of King Charles I in the Revolt of the Comuneros, the Battle of Villalar. The event is now commemorated as Día de Castilla y León (Castile and León Day) in the autonomous community of Castile and León, a subdivision of Spain. The anniversary was associated with liberal politics in Spain from the late 18th century until the 1970s, as conservatives generally sympathized with the royal government. With the demise of General Franco's government, the day has broadened to a more general celebration of Castilian nationalism. The official holiday was established in 1986, although festivals have been held yearly since a decade earlier at Villalar. The celebration begin on the evening of April 22 with musical performances and free camping for the night. On the morning of April 23, the main ceremonies take place alongside the monolith erected in tribute to the Comuneros. Each political party makes a floral offering to the monolith and gives a speech. And there is dance, music, sports, exhibitions, street theatre, and other Castilian-themed recreational activities. Credit: https://w.wiki/M7SF Lithograph: M. Peinado, Creative Commons Attribution https://w.wiki/M7SF This was a really great ride, cut short! Approaching the last climb on Swanton Road, the rear shifeter cable broke, selecting permanent high gear. I thought about tying it off in low gear and continuing the ride. But it occurred near a road crew who was finished with their work and offered to carry me back to Santa Cruz. That just sounded like more a sure thing, so I accepted. Today my goal was to ride to the Lockheed Gate, the end of the public part of Empire Grade. That went well, if slow, about 3.3K feet of climbing. I felt great at that point, and the descent to PCH was comfortable. I debated whether to go to Swanton. I just didn't feel worn out, so why not? Good weather, plenty of time, it would be silly not to. And that felt great, too. There was a stiff headwind on PCH, but that just encouraged me, remembering how nice the tailwind would be when I got back to PCH to head south. But it wasn't to be. I feel good about the size of the climb and how my endurance was doing when I stopped. It could have been another metric century, but with more climbing. Oh, well!