Tue, 20 Oct 1998
Tuesday: Barcelona to Montserrat // at 00:00
Today: 63.36km
Trip: 2103.2km
Avg: 13.6km/hr
Riding: 4hr 37’ 4”
Getting out of Barcelona was a bit of a nightmare. None of the minor roads seemed to be signposted and I kept getting directed back towards the Autovias — of course bikes aren't allowed on the Autovias, so I had to keep turning around and heading back the way I'd come. It took me from 10:15 to about 12:30 to get out of the city, a grand total of around 20 kilometres! Even then the so-called “minor” road had solid truck traffic on it and went for miles through industrial estates.
Turning off at Marotrell towards Olessa was a huge relief, the traffic dwindled to nothing and I just cruised along in the sun besides the river. I could see Montserrat mountain for ages before I circled around it and got to Monistrol de Montserrat. There were a few hostels in the town but I decided to try and ride all the way up with my luggage.
Not regretting that ride, 10km of climbing, 45 minutes of riding and fantastic views.
Once at the top I had a very expensive cold drink and walked around for a while. Chatted to Tony, a spanish cyclist who had just ridden up the hill for a bit of exercise, then ran into two of the Canadian girls from the hostel in Barcelona. They were amazed that I'd got here and declared me to be completely mad.
Where?
