Madrid-Gijon-Madrid 2026 (1200km Audax)

This has been my 12th Super Brevet (13th if I count London Floris London)

I feel I can claim I know a few things about long distance cycling.

I knew it could be very hot in central Spain. 

It was.

I knew it would rain all the time the route went through Asturias.

It did.

I knew I was in great company and I was going to have a fantastic time.

I was and I had it.

I also knew I was going to ride easy the whole route.

I did.

What I didn’t know was how tiring it is to ride easy. I am completely wasted.

Keep learning young grasshopper

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/19867305688

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

To The Moon (La Luna), the long and unknown way

Are you familiar with the song Pedro Navaja from Ruben Blades? Probably not if you are not Spanish or Latin American. 

It is one of my favourite songs. The chorus goes “Life gives you surprises, surprises are given to you by life, oh God” (my translation).

I had that song in my mind during the ride today.

Xuancar suggested a route yesterday. Being the planner I am, I studied it. It had a couple of climbs I had ridden once or twice and a climb (4km @ 10.5%) that was completely new to me. I even knew where I was going to take my gels. 

The first thing he said this morning was we were not riding that route. 

The best thing you can say to a cyclist with slight OCD.

The song says “life gives you surprises” but in my life it is Xuancar who gives me surprises. 

Xuancar gave me a description of the new route but it was as useless to me as a route planned by JFW (Although, to be fair, the description seemed to work for Miguel). Without a route in my Garmin, not knowing where we were going, and, what is even worse, not knowing if I had enough gels in my pockets, I did the only reasonable thing. Moved to the back and sat on Xuancar and Miguel’s wheels.

At the beginning I recognised the roads, but at some point the roads looked new to me (Strava disagrees). I wasn’t lost. I knew, more or less, where we were and the direction we were taking. What I didn’t know was the profile of what was coming ahead or how far the coffee stop was.

The profile was a series of short, punchy ramps that, somehow, I found myself at the front for many of them. “Xuancar gives you surprises” I sang to myself in each of them. 

The coffee stop was farther than I thought it was going to be (“Xuancar gives you surprises”). Which means that by the time we got to La Luna (The Moon) I was already tired, hungry, and craving for caffeine. 

When we finished it was around noon and we had to be back home at 13:30. 

Xuancar set his tempo and I was thinking to myself “SALSA” (Pedro Navaja’s tempo) and the chorus came again, “Xuancar gives you surprises”.

I was home at 13:25.

Before saying our goodbyes to Xuancar we agreed we were riding tomorrow. “An easy ride” I begged. “Cicloturismo” (touring) answered Xuancar. 

Then, when Miguel and I were riding the last kilometres he warned me. Whenever he says “Cicloturismo” we end up riding at 30km/h average speed. 

“Xuancar gives you surprises, oh God”.

And I don’t know how many gels to take with me.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/19652962245/ 

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

KW - Tanhouse

Everything was pointing to a great day and I wanted it to stay that way.

The weather was perfect, I was fresh, and I had a coffee in the morning that made me feel strong and optimistic.

So much so that, somehow, I found myself at the front of the ride pretty much from the beginning.

Unusual to say the least.

Also unusual to see I had opened a fairly big gap on the steep section of Newlands. 

Not being used to being in that position I eased off my pace fearing I was going too hard and inevitably I was going to blow up before the top of the climb.

It always feels great when you ease off. You feel strong and clever.

Until Rupert passes you full speed…

And before you can react Nigel passes you also at full speed.

Third at the top of Newlands. Not that strong, definitively not that clever.

 

To make things worse Rupert said this “sprint” reminded him of our sprint at the top of Soller. A sprint in front of a bunch of cyclists that were spectating. A sprint I was almost celebrating when Rupert passed me about 5 metres before the line. A sprint I tried to forget for years and I had hoped he had forgotten years ago…

That’s when I realised the day wasn’t going that great and a strong course correction was needed.

At Tanhouse I had a late (second coffee of the day) and, of course, a scone with cream and jam.

Overdosed in caffeine I fancied my chances for the grand finale.

I did fairly well on the section to the bottom of Juniper. Following wheels, only pushing the pace when it suited me. 

I was a bit silly at Juniper. Moving to the front at the beginning of the climb wasn’t my best move, but someone has to play the JFW’s role now that he is not a cyclist anymore (he is a runner!!!). Luckily for me no one wanted to challenge the KOM. First win of the day.

But it was the Horton sprint that I was thinking about. A sprint defeat requires a bigger sprint win.

From the top of Juniper no one saw me at the front. As soon as we got to the roundabouts I made sure I was well positioned. Everyone in front of me.

Well, everyone but George (someone please remind him of the great philosopher famous words’ “The position of annoying Spanish speaker sprinter has already been taken”).

And then Nigel moved to the back of the group.

Being third wheel in a group of five, having Rupert in front of me, and approaching the last roundabout is not ideal, but it isn’t that bad either.

Rupert taking the sprint and me being fifth (FIFTH!!!! ffs) brought me memories of what I wrote on the report of that sprint at the top of Soller. 

“What a great spectacle we gave [...]. I was so happy for him! [Rupert] After all the effort he had put leading me[...], divine justice was made and he took the sprint [...] with me shouting words of encouragement. I almost cried of joy. I was so happy for him that run out of words in English and had to switch to Spanish to shout more expressions of happiness”. 

This Horton sprint is another sprint I’ll try to forget for years.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/19554263157/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González