20 years ago today – Day 37

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Tuesday, April 9 – Ronda to La Linea, 1793 km


I feel like shit this morning, but I am anxious to get back to the warmth of the Mediterranean where I can rest. I am not too worried about today’s ride as we will drop 750m to the coast. Our destination is Gibraltar, or at least La Linea on the Spanish side of the border.

We set off at 10am. First, we coast though the ancient, cobbled streets to the foot of the old town near the Roman bridge. Almost immediately upon leaving the town, the road begins to climb again. The route is nowhere as easy as I hoped it would be. It climbs to a pass of 900m and falls again, climbs to 1000m, then falls and climbs back up to the same height again. There’s another headwind today, taking a lot of the fun out of the times the road falls.

Mike is waiting for me at the top of the last high pass. He jokes that he can hear my cough a couple minutes before he can see me. I have no doubt he can. We have a short break to eat and relax, but I note silently that my breaks are always much shorter than his.
He begins with me after the break, but it isn’t long before I lose him again.

Our route, A369, follows mountain ridges from here down through the village of Gaucin and eventually to the valley of the Rio Guadarranque, which empties into the strait of Gibraltar only 5 km from La Linea. The wind is strong along the ridge tops, either a headwind or a crosswind. When I reach the coast, I follow a service road beside the highway between Algeciras and La Linea, finding some protection from the wind from the trees by the road. I race past Mike resting at a bus shelter in the middle of a long, gradual downhill stretch. He soon catches up to me and we ride into La Linea together.

I get a rush when I see Gibraltar appear on the horizon. The rock is huge and dramatic, which is what I hoped it would be. I didn’t know it is 350m tall. But we soon merge into the streets of La Linea and “the Rock” is demoted to a secondary role, peaking between the buildings where it can.

The tourist office is closed but there is a map of local pensions posted in the window. We head to the most likely window and find a room on the second try. We share a light meal in our room and then Mike suggests a walk over to Gibraltar. I don’t have the energy so he goes without me.

Our plan has been to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangiers tomorrow morning to cycle a bit in Morocco but I am not up to it. My biggest worries are my deep chest cough and the pinched nerve in back, but now my sinuses are so congested that they are giving me headaches. It is dawning on me that I have a sinus infection to add to my issues. When Mike returns, we make a plan where I will convalesce here while he visits North Africa for three days. While he is over there I will find a travel agent and investigate possible flights to Mallorca on the 15th. The prospect of a prolonged rest here gives me energy. I join Mike for two beer at the Horseshoe Tavern in “the Gib” before calling it quits for the night.


PHOTO 1: looking south from upper Ronda
PHOTO 2: south gate leaving Ronda
PHOTO 3: Ronda from a distance
PHOTO 4: highway to pass
PHOTO 5: marker at the pass
PHOTO 6: Gaucin
PHOTO 7: Strait of Gibraltar
PHOTO 8: approaching Gibraltar