The route had been pretty much straightforward for the first couple of hours with a lot of steep little climbs. I had an early lunch near Sitges.
When I approached Barcelona, I was forced onto a narrow and crowded coastal road which was winding up and down through the cliffs. For cars this is a scenic drive. For cyclists it is hell because it’s so narrow you can’t even stop and rest. I caused a huge traffic jam because cars could hardly overtake. Cycling there is legal but cars would still honk or drivers would throw swear words at me. This went on for 20km or so. Not a very nice experience.
After that it did not get better. The road led directly onto an Autobahn which was definitely illegal for me to drive on. I took an emergency exit because I did not want to end like the roadkill I am seeing almost every day.
After that I decided to take the train for the remaining 20km into Barcelona. It was simply too risky and I don’t want to do stupid things at least not if I can avoid them.
However, it felt like cheating to take the train.
I arrived in a pretty good hotel for school classes and travelers like me with a very good service. The price is the triple from some places I have staid on my tour so far. But hey, it’s Barcelona!
Later that evening, I learned that my plans for returning home from Montpellier would not work out which was very disappointing. I will need to find another way home.
Insight of the day: The higher the load you carry the smaller your steps should be.
