Day 8. Mora de Rubielos to Segorbe

The group with Carlos

Julie and Christine volunteered to escort Keith's damaged bike on the train so they loitered on at La Casa until after lunch. The rest of us set out mid morning with Keith on Julie's bike. Today's ride was pleasantly downhill for the most part. One intriguing section of the route took as winding through a large wind power generation facility. The loud noise and deep humming from the turbines was almost deafening. Also there was the terrible stench of the hundreds of dead birds scattered around. Can you spell irony? On our train trip from Barcelona to Valencia and our later return we passed one of Spain's eight nuclear power plants at Vandellòs on the Med. I know which one I would prefer to live next to. Spain is one of the largest producers of wind-powered electricity and every where you go you will see turbines on the ridgelines.

Albentosa.
If you cross the viaduct and go through the tunnel,
you'll come to a very nice patch of blackberries.

Tunnel coming into Caudiel.

The route today included several charming small towns including Albentosa, Barracas, Caudiel where I stopped for a quick lunch and there was some sort of local festival going on and Jerica where for a few kilometers the route left the old railway line and diverted through the streets of the town. There were many nice looking bars and restaurants. I stopped at one for a quick beer (it was pretty hot by then).

Actually I was doing a fair bit of stopping as my rear tyre had developed a slow leak and I was waiting for Keith to catch up with the special security tool that was needed to remove the wheel. He never did, so I had to make a stop every couple of kilometers to put more air in the tyre. Very tedious.

The last part of the route into Segorbe used a section of dirt road into Altura and then I "followed my nose" to Segorbe. Hotel Maria de Luna wasn't hard to find and was a nicely appointed city hotel. All the riders turned up, and Christine and Julie arrived on the train. We tried in vain to get Keith's bike fixed. The two bike shops did not have a mechanic working on the day, so Julie and Christine kindly volunteered to take the train again the next day to Valencia. In fact all of us decided to ride and then take the train from down near the coast.

Keith and  I repaired the flat tube only to have the valve stem break off. We fixed another punctured tube and it appeared to be holding air OK.

For dinner Christine and I went to the restaurant associated with the hotel, which was actually about a block away at another hotel property. We we pleasantly surprised: decor, table settings and service all at a high quality and food to match. The winelist was many times longer than the menu and we settled on a Ribiera del Duero which went down well.

Day 7. Teruel to Mora de Rubielos

The hardest part of today's ride was getting to the rail trail! Earlier I've said that the Ojos Negros trail is not well signposted. Perhaps the worst instance is getting into and out of Teruel. We asked for directions at the hotel, and with the assistance of Google Maps and the GPS I found a road route that would get is to the rail trail. This road route was not the easiest. First through busy Teruel on the road and then a steepish rolling section, climbing the whole way with a cross/headwind. So by the time we got to the rail trail there were already some tired legs. Then a real problem. There was a 2m high wire fence with a locked gate between us and the trail! It later turns out that we should have used a service road that we had ridden past less than a kilometer back, but it was not signposted as leading to the via verde.

Nothing for it, we unloaded the bikes and lifted them, the panniers and the less capable climbers over the gate! It took a while and I am sure it looked strange to the passing traffic but what else was there to do?

The top of the hill

Sarrion, one of the pretty villages that we passed.

OK, so now on the rail trail! It was steadily uphill but not difficult riding to the pass at Puerto de Escandon at 1223m, then downhill for the next 20km! Along the way a few small villages and a commanding view out over the valley. Tunnels and viaducts added to the variety. After riding with the group to the top of the hill I put on a bit of speed and the group were strung out by the time we arrived at La Casa de la Estacion at Rubielos de Mora. It turns out that Keith had a serious mechanical (rear derailleur self destructed), Jeff and Gerda stopped for photos, lunch etc.

Our host Carlos welcomed us and I sat down with a couple of beers to await the others. I also had mechanical issues to sort out: a tube had ripped out the valve, due to rims being drilled too big and a VERY loose fit tyre. This problem came back to haunt me again the next day.

But meanwhile we talked to Carlos, met his family and their two dogs, did some washing and generally had a relaxing time. The homecooked meals for lunch and dinner were excellent and we were made to feel quite at home.