La Mussara loop

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1029667 

We had a slightly less gruelling day today, cycling along the edge of La Mussara. The route started off along a very muddy, broken and overgrown path, but after we'd carried / splashed / bushwhacked through this section it was onto large open tracks and quiet winding roads with fantastic sea views all day :-) Another highlight was jet washing the bikes on the way home - a very satisfying job for clean freaks! 

Cycling along the endless edge of La Mussara

Stopping to admire the "Grand Design" project in the background (not because I was knackered obviously!)

The cool windy road on top of the edge 

A nice spot for a leisurely lunch 

Exploring the abandoned Army barracks 

Not sure if the graffiti was original? 

Marça to the "white ball"

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1029467

Today's ride was pretty ambitious, a looooong circuit around Llaberia involving several big hills! I also had an extra warm up cycling to Mont Roig (our neighbouring town) on my "courtesy bike" to get mine back from a service. After a lengthy lecture on the state of my brake pads, which were pretty much completely down to the metal and "totalmente gastado...muy peligroso y por la vassura!" we headed up to Marça to start our ride...

We began along vineyards before we hit the hills, heading up towards llaberia. We also passed four policemen here - presumably patrolling for illegal off road motorbikes or something, but as we only saw goats all day this seemed pretty odd?! Great use of my taxes ;-)

A slog (and some carrying up the rocks!) but worth the effort... Capçanes in the distance 

Still a lot of up to go! 

Some fun downhill too :-)

Destination of "the white ball" on the horizon (a radar station visible for miles around)  

Traffic jam as we arrive at the white ball 

Finally made it to the white ball! The high point of the ride

Having realised a long held ambition to get up to the "white ball" However the day finished with a rather frustrating carrying section. between us and Marça there was a bloody great hill and a very chossy path. The hill wasn't a surprise (these things are on the map afterall) but the state of the path was! The way up was rocky and the descent even worse - on terrain that I struggle to walk on without a bike! I also need to work out a more efficient method of carrying that doesn't involve bashing myself so much...

Made it! At the final coll of the ride. Feeling rather weary and bruised after carrying my bike up a mahuuusive hill after 6 hours on the go! 

Fun and rideable tracks through the forest to finish. 7 hours in total! 

I'm going to have sore legs tomorrow!

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1029509 

We decided to stay closer to home today and check out the area the other side of Masriudoms (only a 15 minute drive from our place). I wasn't sure whether it would be as scenic as the better-known National Parks around Montsant / Siurana, with their stunning views and mountains, but I was wrong. Very, very, wrong. I can also confirm that the mountains are every bit as steep! 

Starting the day with a good old slog! From Masriudoms village at 200m then to the first coll at 600m. You can actually  just about see Montbrio in the distance... 

Another coll at 600m...

If Carlsberg did picnic areas... This incredible spot looked brand new, jutting out on a promontory looking out to sea  

Resting my weary legs!

The tiny sleepy hamlet of Castello - pretty much the only evidence of human presence we saw in the mountains!

Descending with sea views

More biking! Siurana

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1029591 

We'd been looking forward to this ride all week, having plotted a large circuit along tracks we've seen from the crags over the years. The first part of the day did feel slightly strange though, parking in Cornudella then cycling up on the road towards Siurana. I must have driven this road literally hundreds of times (and Ali even more) but it's a whole different experience on a bike - you notice far more things and of course it's bloody hard work! 

Once at the goat farm we headed off the road and into new territory, along a windy track up to a long ridge which gave stunning views in all directions, towards Montsant and Margalef on one side and the Med on the other. Well worth the slog! We then dropped down to the village of Febro, where the Siurana Valley starts and leads down to the lake. The downhill was very fast and very fun to start, but then the track disintegrated somewhat... We'd seen on the map that this would be a short section on "difficult footpath" to link our circuit, but I wasn't quite expecting to be carrying my bike down a canyon! Anyway, an interesting interlude which served as a bit of pre-lunch comedy! It was plain sailing along the valley, again covering tracks we'd seen in the past but never been bothered to walk, hurrah for bikes :-) 

This really was the path!

Trying not to slip and fall in...

Sandwiches and squashed pears in the sun :-)
Note: Ripe pears do not cope well with spending several hours bouncing around in a rucksack

Another "Grand Design"? 

Contouring round the lake back to Cornudella 

Montsant mega-loop...

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1029544

Route number two for me and Ali-the-former-climber was in the stunning area around Montsant. A large loop which took us between some new little villages and along tracks beneath the Montsant ridge and under some of the old climbing haunts. It was supposed to be about 35km on 100% rideable tracks / quiet roads but the cheeky addition of a new track which didn't feature on our map set us on a rather large detour! The detour also involved some smaller tracks to get us back on course, but this included some of my favourite bits of the ride so it didn't matter :-)

...and we're off! Lovely wide undulating tracks through almond trees 

Down toward Vilella Alta with our destination, the Montsant Ridge, in the background

Vilella Alta. I saw my first snake of the year when I stopped to take this! 

Pretty church. We didn't drop into the service in our lycra though! 

The coolest track in the world - Cami de Cartoixans - which runs for some 15 km under the Montsant Ridge (with many optional side tracks too ;-))

Lunch after a slight detour and the final slog for the day!

Looking out to Vilella Alta - you can cover so much ground on a bike!

The ultimate "grand design" project. Ali would need to do a bit of work... but views to die for and Raco de Missa as your local crag? yes please! Better get saving and / or buying some lottery tickets!

Gnarly down-hilling 

Ali's first bike ride

Ali has finally crossed over to the dark side and bought himself a bike! Today saw its first proper outing, a loop from La Mussara to Mont Ral. The terrain was pretty varied; quiet winding roads, smooth wide tracks and some less smooth bushwhacking and carrying down very steep scree/rocks! But Ali and the bike survived intact and raring for more so the possibilities are now endless for long rides at weekends :-)

Ali wishing he had a fancy bike mounted GPS gadget

A possible "Grand Design" project?

We wouldn't be keeping that monstrosity though! 

Needs a bit of work...

Ali's shiny shiny new bike :-) money well spent I think!

One of the less defined paths with Mont Ral in the background

Down in the valley after a long bone-rattling track down!

Lunch in the sun at Mont Ral's church