Spain 12

Oct. 25, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

Today was another motorcycle day. I left early in the morning to go from Sevilla to Cordoba. My GPS lady told me that it should take me 5:15 to get here. She must be getting disappointed in me as her estimates are always at least 1 hour less than my times. I arrived 7 hours after starting including a 30 minute break for a cookie and my usual mid day cappuccino. The road as usual was very very hilly and very very windy. Great, that was what I chose and that is what I got.

Riding a motorcycle is not a means of travel. It is a sport by any definition of the word ‘sport’. It demands 100% concentration 100% of the time. 1 second of distraction can be fatal. You must have 4 eyes on the road, 4 eyes on the brake, clutch and speedometer. The scenery is spectacular especially in the countryside and in the mountains. The feeling of freedom with the wind in your face and the glorious sound of the Triumph engine, especially on the downshift is comparable to nothing else in the sensation that it creates for you. If you have never ridden a motor bike in these conditions, I can try to explain it to you, but you will never have the full understanding. Do I like riding a bike more than skiing or racing a sailboat? No, but it runs a very close third.

The road was fantastic but very difficult. Most of the day I rode in 2nd or 3rd gear. There were hairpin turns every 30m. I repeat, every 30m. When they mark 30k or 40k, they mean 30k or 40k and not a km more. Only 1 small stretch was marked ‘poor road conditions’ and they were telling the truth. The pot holes rivalled our Quebec pot holes. Luckily that stretch was only for 30k but it was a long 30k. I couldn’t do more than 30k per hour at best. Actually, I never hit more than 50kph the entire day.

I went through mountains covered with small trees or bushes. There were very few farms and no vineyards. I saw the occasional cow. I must have seen no more than 6 cars in 6 hours and only 2 other motorcyclists going the other way. My new Senna helmet has a plastic screen that can be pushed up so that I am riding in open face mode. Usually I drop the windshield if I am going more than 60k but I never reached that speed today. I drove with the screen up to feel the wind in my face. What a dream. Yesterday, I was boiling hot. Today, I had a slight drizzle for much of the day. I usually don’t like to ride in the rain as the road can be very slippery. Today, as I was driving at a low speed, it didn’t make much of a difference. I really enjoyed the light rain on my face which kept me cool.

Today, I am staying at the Conquistador Hotel, a serious 4* and had the pleasure of discussing politics with a French couple from Toulouse who sat at the table next to me. It is easy to make fast friends when you are travelling alone..

Tomorrow, if I am lucky, I will be able to revisit the mosque-cathedral which is across the street, before heading off to Granada. I will try to shorten the route if possible and avoid some of the hills and curves.

Love,

Brian