Cycling The Globe

Distance: 44.0 km
Ride time: 2:50:21
Average: 15.5 km/h
Max speed: 42.8 km/h
Total: 55484 km

Ever since I spent 6 months in Spain back in 2006 the country has had a special place in my heart. Later on during my cycling trip when things were getting tough, for example in the Australian outback or the mountains of South America, I would often imagine myself cycling along a Spanish beach, stopping for a cafe latte and an ice cream, and in general just enjoy.

Interestingly this paradise version of Spain has pretty much been true in real life as well. From the moment Manon and I entered Spain in Tarifa the country has certainly provided a spectacular backdrop of fantastic views with the sea and the mountains right there next to our road. Meeting people has always been the most important part of this trip, and catching up with old friends in Malaga, Granada, and Barcelona has been another highlight of this Spanish ride.

And then it was suddenly over as the Andorra border showed up around a corner of a deep valley. Andorra, country number 53 by bike, a tiny one right there in the middle of the Pyrenees. The first thing you notice as you enter is of course the spectacular mountain setting. Then you pass the shopping centers which are here due to the tax free nature of the country. The official language is Catalan – quite fitting a mixture of Spanish and French considering the history and location of the place.

I had expected Andorra to be very expensive. In fact it wasn’t. We were able to find a hotel room that was even cheaper than what a similar one would cost in Spain. The high season in Andorra is the winter skiing season, so there is quite a lot of over capacity in the summer. Good for finding deals.

After checking into our place we went for a walk around the capital city of Andorra la Vella. With 22000 inhabitants one of the smallest capitals of the world – in fact just a village. The friendly lady at our hotel had explained that tomorrow would be a national holiday and everything would be closed. We therefore stocked up on food in a nearby supermarket – after all we will need a but if “fuel” as we are climbing 2400 m pass tomorrow!