Today was another good day. The second day on this trip without severe headwind. And the sun was shining, too. Under this circumstances, 160km were no big problem. Great.
After an early breakfast, I turned straight North and had a little climbing to do. The rest of the day remained relatively flat.
I had lunch in Cullera, a pretty little town about 20 km away from the regional capital València which was obviously the highlight of the tour so far.
What is interesting about València is that it has in fact really pretty suburbs in contrast to all other Spanish cities I came through so far. And it has real bicycle lanes. And here I mean not the usual couple of 100 meters alibi tip of lanes which start and end abruptly. València is really the first major Spanish city I see which understands cyclists and how to invite them into urban circulation.
Another thing I observe, is that people are getting friendlier, more open to strangers and more cultivated in total, if I may say so since Alicante and Elche.
If you have a look at the bigger map you meanwhile can see the route pretty clearly.
Insight of the day: Don’t think too much. Just do it!
About 30 years ago, two zis scholarships helped me to broaden my horizon, expand my understanding of what is possible, and develop more self-confidence. zis is a non-profit organization that has been awarding scholarships for study trips to young people between the ages of 16 and 20 for more than 60 years. Today, the word we use for tenacity and grit is resilience - and I've made it my profession, to help managers around the world to develop more of this inner power.
In retrospect, the experiences I've had on these trips to Scotland and Iceland have been priceless for my development. After having had a childhood with some challenges, I learned that I could cycle 1,700km on my own and get wet every day without despairing. I have learned that I was able to get along with only 300 € for 4 weeks and still had a good time. I have learned what it's like to be threatened with deportation and how to get an interview with the President from such a crisis. I have understood that limitations are primarily constructs in our heads, and I want to make these insights available to as many adolescents as possible.
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3 thoughts on “Day 13: Calpe to Chilches (162km)”
Yes, Valencia is so wonderful and the bike lanes are awesome 👏. Way to go 🚵💨💨
Yes, Valencia is so wonderful and the bike lanes are awesome 👏. Way to go 🚵💨💨
Finally it sounds like real fun! Go for it !!
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