Day 14 — Wednesday 11 May 2011

Madrigal de la Vera – San Martin del Pimpollar

Actual Route Details
Riding Distance	36.86 ml	59.31 km
Uphill Distance	23.65 ml	38.07 km
Downhill Distance	9.95 ml	16.02 km
Max Altitude	4539 ft	1384 m
Altitude Gain	4711 ft	1436 m
Altitude Loss	1906 ft	581 m

Alternative Route Details
Riding Distance	53.37 ml
Uphill Distance	29.11 ml
Downhill Distance	19.80 ml
Max Altitude	5115 ft
Altitude Gain	5548 ft
Altitude Loss	3976 ft

The original plan was to go to either Casavieja or to Borgohondo both of which are on the routes in Harry Dowdell's book and I have shown an alternative route that I might have taken. But in the end I decided to follow the main road over the Puerto del Pico as it looked less high. On balance I think that was a mistake and given the opportunity again I would have stuck to the original plan.

I set off along the Tietar valley through Candeledar and Arenas, and on to Mombeltron where I had a good lunch. Then came the hard work. I saw the road snaking ahead of me and disappearing up a steep rocky valley cut into the side of the Sierra. For some of the route it wasn't possible to see where the road went. The traffic wasn't heavy and in the steeper sections there were my bêtes noir, crawler lanes, that kept me off to one side but meant that I could see the pain coming. I stopped every Kilometre or so for water and chocolate and when it got too much I got off and pushed. Slowly, slowly I made it. I crossed a remarkably well preserved Roman road that wound itself up the pass beside me. Who said the Romans built straight roads? As soon as I got over the top onto the North side of the Sierra the vegetation became green and there were cows.

I got to the turn off for San Martin de Pimpollar and down that road I could see that there three campsites marked, but on the junction there was a hostal and restaurant, and the temptation was just too great. I went into the bar and a chap joked that the only Spanish word I really needed was cerveza. The manageress appeared and took me across the road to the hostal, up the stairs to the stone balcony across the front of the building and showed me to a spotless and newly appointed room at the back of the building. She was insistent that my bicycle should not come onto the room with me so I locked it up at the back of the building in a yard that I could see from my window. Beyond the yard was a rocky paddock with some beautiful horses in it. I spent a very comfortable night.