As we have progressed on our journey from England to Portugal, the longer we go the stronger we get. Seventy miles isn’t intimidating anymore. This was a good riding day. The climbs were gradual, the descents were wide and sloping, and much of the route was flat. I was thankful for that. The big fields and open space reminded me of riding through Kansas on the cross US trip, except that it is more rolling here. We left Valladolid as a group, but by mile 20 had already split up, so again I rode alone for most of the day. We continued our journey through the rural, remote area of Spain, not as beautiful as yesterday’s ride. I rode at a very steady pace all day, singing to myself to keep a constant rhythm. The miles flew by quickly. Before I knew it, I was entering Salamanca, called The Golden City because of it’s gold colored architecture in the city’s historic center. We rode through the Landmark public square to our hotel, showered quickly, and went to the square for lunch. The town is stunning, and after eating we did some sightseeing before heading back for a rest. At dinner this evening the town was full of tourists, musicians and entertainers and I could pick up on several different languages as People walked by. Tomorrow is a tough day of long mileage (84 miles) and lots of climbing. And now that we are getting further south, the temperature is rising. We are headed to Plasencia tomorrow, and the forecast there is 95 degrees. We hope to get an early start.
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