This was blog post was started just a few weeks after returning from our annual trip, but like a few things in life, it never got finished and continued to languish in the virtual world, until today when the weather has kept the Wednesday rider inside and it got to be finished. So it needs to be read in that context. We arrived back into a wet and windy Leeds Bradford Airport, having just a few hours prior been enjoying sunshine on the Costa Brava with temperatures in the high 20s. Cycling in and around Calpe, (our base was the splendid Cap Negret Hotel, on the outskirts of Altea), we had 4 fantastic days of hot weather, with some long and some short rides, much climbing, (you have to work hard to find a flat route), and a bit of golf thrown into the mix. And with 18 fine Yorkshiremen on board (ok we are not all from Yorkshire, but whose splitting hairs?) this was our largest and most varied trip to date. We had 5 electric bikes, with the rest of us on rather splendid Pinarello Di2 (which we all agreed were a game changer- electronic changing to die for) and whilst we only managed one ride with the full contingent, the cycling, the views, the chat and of course the local refreshments were outstanding. And apparently the golf was pretty good, with 8 of our party giving up on the final days ride (and as a result they missed the sights and excitement of Benidorm), and opting instead for a fully inclusive package, including buggies, clubs and green fees, not forgetting transport to and from the Hotel, which judging by the state a few of them were in by the time they joined the rest of us at dinner, was just as well. We saw coast, and climbed some mountains, enjoyed long sweeping descents, (but not the work to get there), we ate pizza, we had a terrible lunch, in some tiny village in the mountains (plain Spagetti, not so fresh bread, reheated frittata and some dubious looking meat) we drank Spanish beer in the Hotel bar, and enjoyed a final night meal on the promenade of Altea. All in all, all we could have hoped for!!

And you could not fault the cycling. Well perhaps you could a bit; a bit too busy on the coastal road, and the climbs, whilst never steep, we’re unrelenting and long, but led to beautiful valleys, views and villages, with very few cars and very few cyclists. We could perhaps have done with it being a little cooler, the cafes were not as good as we were used to in Majorca, nor as frequent, and you simply could not avoid hills, with no long flattish rides anywhere. But it is Spain and we will be back, perhaps further up the coast and somewhere a bit quieter. So feelers already out for 2024 and let’s see what the new year brings??

PS - As most of the post was written back in 2023, we have now indeed organised our trip for 2024, back to mainland Spain and just a bit further up the coast in Calpe. More of that to come later.