So I find myself riding on what should have been my first rest day but hey ho it's a rather simple 40 miler with no obvious difficulties.
A bit like the Toon last night I had no urgency and it was about 10:30 when I finally left Avila after a leisurely breakfast in the cafe bar I found yesterday when I was all wet, cold and miserable.
As I left town it was all uphill and the road run straight onto the motorway, except for a little side road which I took which took me round a major junction and brought me out on a roundabout on the Segovia road. As I approached the roundabout a car turned off down my road then immediately went left into a hotel ... unfortunately I was on the road and it was only when he was about 5 yards off me and I was jumping off my bike did he seem to see me (despite the hi-viz top). Bump avoided I was on the road to Segovia and it was again a fairly functional route to get me there quickly, the road undulated up 300ft the down 300ft multiple times but no severe gradients.
On the first climb I was in my own little world knocking out the miles when a young girl cyclist shot passed and she uttered a sentence in Spanish as she glided past. I sort of repeated the end of it not having any idea what I was saying. She was about 400 yards ahead of me at the top (I was fully panniered remember !) and I thought I'll follow her on the descent and see if I can keep up on he next climb. Unfortunately at the bottom she turned off on a minor road and was gone.
The second climb was the high point of the day and as I approached the top I was willing the climb to continue... why because I was at 390ft and so wanted to have a thirda day above 4000ft. Not only did the climb get to 4011 ft but it also went back up to 4000ft on two more occasions but 4011 was the high point.
The temperature was a brisk 48 F (9C) but my layering was a again spot on and I felt cool on the downhills and warm on the uphills.
Approaching Villacastin the landscape started to change a bit and there were outcrops of those huge boulders you find in this area. The mountains the background were snow laden and they would be in front right of me all the way to Segovia.
With 6 miles to go I turned off the main road at Madrona for the last climb and it was excellent, I left the town and was soon in a sheltered gorge with outcrops on both sides of the road - it was delightful riding as there was no wind.
Top of the gorge I was on a straight road into town and was at the hotel 30mins early for check in so a quick Heineken with half raciones of empanadillas and croquettas followed.
The afternoon I took a tour of the cathedral, climbing to the top of the Bell Tower, visited the Aqueduct and then had a Segovian menu of Bean Stew followed by Suckling Pig and washed down with a jug of red wine ... All in all a great day