At The House Day 21 - Frailes Loop

Great ride today! We started with coffee, churros and chocolate dipping sauce. When we were ready to go Alpha was feeling poorly. He was sick and went back to bed.

Mike and I headed out on a ride with over half new road to me. After Frailes we started climbing, well, serious climbing as we had been going up since long before Frailes. 11km/460m to the top. The view opened up and if it had not been an overcast day it would have been incredible. Pretty amazing as it was. On the entire climb after Frailes we encountered a single motorcycle coming downhill and a parked van that smelled of goats.

I'm sort of lying about the traffic. When I reached the top Mike was waiting and videoing me. My computer said the climb went a little past him around a blind corner. I rode passed him and just as a did a car came around the blind corner. Technically, you could add one car to the traffic count.

After that we had a lot of downhill; with a few short climbs along the way but 17km/775m of fast downhill on a twisty one lane. Notably there were almost no olive trees. I so used to them I feel strange when I'm not near one. We saw sheep.  

When we joined the road to Jaén there was a little more traffic (5 or 6 cars?) and while the road was a little wider it was pebbled.

Just before Castillo de Locubin we started climbing again. We rode through town and up the hill to Puerto del Castillo which is where you can see the castles in Alcaudete and Alcalá la Real. The downhill gives you time to enjoy the views of Alcalá la Real. A little uphill into town and we were done.

Alpha just work up and Mike and I rushed showers so we could make lunch at a restaurant I had read about in Tózar. We got down to the car and I realized I had forgotten the car key. Alpha had the most juice in his legs and ran back to the house to get it.

Lunch was pretty good. Maybe a little overcooked. It was a place to try. I will never drive to the restaurant in Tózar again. The streets were not drivable and I bottomed out the car making a turn.

After that Alpha returned his rental bike and I left mine at the shop for a tuneup. Then beers, tapas and bed. Tomorrow is Granada day with some Alhambra. We're taking the bus so some beer and tapas too.