Saturday March 22, 2014, 99 miles (159 km) – Total so far: 957 miles (1,540 km)
March 21, 2014 57 miles As we rode out of town Jocelyn found another small farming road on her phone app that we were on for over 20 miles. We bypassed a large city with this route. After that we made good time on this overcast day, found a great pizza place for lunch then followed the touristy area around a peninsula for the afternoon. The tourist season doesn’t start until May so it was a nice ride and we ended up in the town of Salou.
March 22, 2014 42 miles I awoke this morning to find my rear tire flat. We had intended on getting to Barcelona this day but my bike had other plans. I couldn’t find the source of the puncture so I installed the new tube, patched the punctured one then had trouble with the rear brakes and one of the spokes was loose but not broken. So we worked through the issues and got on the road late. The day turned blustery and rainy as we worked our way to Barcelona. After lunch my rear tire was flat again. This time I search inside the tire thoroughly until I found a tiny car tire wire just barely sticking into the tube. I was paying for my rush to fix the first puncture. I am still getting in the bike repair mode so this was a good lesson. After this the rain in Spain hit (and not on the plain!) A few weeks ago my the plastic headband on my helmet broke so we stopped at a Decathlon (like Sports Authority) store and I purchased a new much better European design. I also purchased another spare tube since recently we have been playing the puncture game. The rain continued so we stopped after 42 miles in Sant Pere de Ribes. We will be in Barcelona tomorrow.
Hi there Mike and Jocelyn,
Another great posting with a lot of great photos. How do you like your new bike, Mike? Kinda neat to see the quotes I sent you posted. Here is another one from the National Geographic a few years ago – author unknown – “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.”
God Bless,
M I
Thanks Andee. You should of seen the cliff ride we rode closer to Barcelona. It was quite harrowing with lines of cars waiting to pass us as there was no shoulder on this very narrow road. Lots of roadies too. We will be hanging in town waiting for DHL.
Thank you for posting this map route. I am so proud of you for working through the nails and flats. I know you don’t like to stop and deal with the problems, but these are the kind that make you test your patience, not endurance.
The new helmet looks safe, and with the close conditions, I am relieved. I hope these next few days in Spain are special as you have spent more time on the roads than expected. I wish I was meeting you in Barcelona! Enjoy the weekend!
Love always, Andee