Barcelona to Blanes

Today’s ride on Komoot

I was feeling ok yesterday after fighting a cold and chest infection for nearly a week and was looking forward to getting back on the bike. 

Barcelona is a really interesting city with lots  to see. Sagrada Familia was a highlight but the general vibe here is a very laid back one.

I also went to the museum of contemporary art which had two exhibitions. After getting my ticket, I recognised the artist’s name in one of the exhibitions Daniel Steegman. I had seen this exact exhibition in Helsinki last year. It’s great, but it was disappointing to have already seen half of what was on offer today.

The hotel I stayed in for two nights was really nice without being expensive. It had a great coffee shop attached which reminded me of cafes back home. One of the guys working there was interested in my trip as he’d seen me arrive with the bike, the night before. He’s hoping to be a professional rider and trains five hours a day. He’s in a team that has their bikes provided but he’s only paid 100 euros per month, so it’s a tough time for him. He’s a great guy and even offered me accommodation after I’d decided to stay an extra night due to the rain forecast (the hotel was full). I graciously declined but it was a generous offer.

I stayed the next night at the bike and bed hostel which was really nice. It was well set up for bikepackers etc. Unfortunately, as is now the norm for me in hostels, I had a snoring truck in the bunk a metre away from me and hardly slept a minute.

The poor guy was a loud snorer, but he stopped breathing every few minutes, then restarted ten or twenty seconds later with a massive eruption of noise which continually startled everyone.

I got out my camping mat and sleeping bag and went to the large common room and set up on the floor. Unfortunately, the one staff member on duty kicked up a stink and forced me to go back. It was a great argument though – please go back to the dormitory – No – sir, please – No – if you don’t, my boss will come – I don’t care … And repeat. In the end I relented because I didn’t want the guy to get into any trouble.

I got up later and saw that another person was asleep on one of the couches in the common area, so I did the same until 7am when the same guy kicked me out again.

So I packed up, made breakfast and left earlier than ever, not knowing how I’d feel during the day.

Barcelona definitely has some good bike infrastructure and a great bike culture. That means that riding is safe and quick. It was very safe today but I got a million red lights, so the ‘quick’ part of the equation didn’t happen.

I was soon near the coast and the road was full of roadies out for a Saturday morning ride. There were also plenty of mountain bikers on their way to their favourite trails. As is usual here, all of the MTB folks gave me a smile and a wave and none of the roadies did.

I made my way through some smaller towns and the trail returned to the beach on occasions and also went through some hilly villages near the sea.

At one point, my trail ended abruptly and I had to lift the bike over some concrete barriers on a roundabout. That was the day’s only complication though.

I stopped in Blanes which was a complete surprise. It’s a lovely coastal town and I had expected everything to be closed as it was Saturday afternoon. It was the opposite, and full of people – a great atmosphere.

So, my first ride for a while included lots of coughing and spluttering but I felt ok. Let’s see how tomorrow goes …