Following our day off last Thursday we eased back into things with our Petra Cake ride. Now although we seem to stop for cake on every ride, Petra has become famous in our minds over the last 4 years for the best cake within our riding routes. Petra also provides one of the nicest sitting areas for upwards of 100 plus cyclists at any given time through the day. A very cool spectacle. Saturdays ride was delivering us among other things, a 7km climb at 6-8% and an 11 km climb at about the same percentages.

All the climbs we do are steep enough that they have all been made with switch back roads. Our 7 km climb up Col de Soller was uneventful, our focus was just on getting everyone to the ferry on time, leaving from Port de Soller,  for an amazing ferryride over to the bottom of Sa Ca Lobra. You need to go onto You Tube to see some footage of someone riding this with a helmet cam. He's going down, we had to go up. Nicknamed the concrete snake it is an amazing spectacle of engineered roadways. Week 2 is picking up right where week one left off, 130 km ride to Ronda with another beautiful ~ 6km climb to a monastery, around here I think all climbs end with a monestary. Not to panic for any newbies considering this trip but getting worried with the big numbers. There is always a ~ 90 km route option as well. Equally beautiful, usually still with a cool climb but just less overall mileage. Tuesday all the groups went to Sant Salvador. It is a very flat entry to the climb to the monastery so it was agreed that all levels could handle the same route today. Its nice to because then the different groups can mix and socialize at the top of the climb over, you guessed it, cafe con lache and cakes. In each week there is always on extra epic day and Wednesday was that day. It brings the same kind of nervous tension that the Ironman Ride does at camp except this "Coastal Ride" is much harder at about 140 km with substantial climbs and an extra intimidating one that gets special recognition and is known at Puig de Major. It is about 14km at 6 to 7 %. It's a point to point ride where we need to take a bus out to the coast on the opposite side of the island. We begin in Andtrax, one of the most beautiful places on the island. It must be where the rich and famous spanish people live. The boats parked in the harbor where we begin, as one rider put it, couldn't be bought even if he did win the lottery. The 140 km day started at about 10:30 am with the first group getting back to the resort around 5:45pm with stops etc. Groups 2 and 3 arrived back around 6:45ish. The sense of accomplishment for many of the newer riders ia m sure compares with completing an Ironman. When you see their faces and hear about their own personal adventure over the course of the day is very neat to be a part. Last night I had 1 newbie rider in her 50's come and ask me if she should do it, did i think she could do it.  Theres some athletes that you know no matter what they would finish what they set out to do, even if in this case, she doesn't have years of riding behind her and like most of us didn't have a winter of long ride for preparation either. But i saw her tackle the other days never without a smile so i said she should do it. She didn't debate, she didn't ask, "are you sure?", she said ok, then i better go prepare all my bottles and food. At about ~ 7pm today she arrived with group 3 and their fabulous leader Emmanual, looking as good as she did this morning, and showing off the biggest grin from ear to ear.