The higher the highs, the lower the lows.
I am in Granada currently and after a great ride yesterday, I ticked a big one off my bucketlist today.
From Granada, I started out to Güejar Sierra, where the toughest of the 3 ascents of Pico Veleta takes off.
The first 7km out of the small village are really brutal, with long stretches in double digits. I really didn’t have the legs and had over eaten for breakfast, so I had to take a break 20 minutes in. From there, there were a few more steep ks, but then finally you join the normal route of Pico Veleta, that is 7% average from here Al the way to the top!
You go through great landscape and because of the altitude and heat, you see a lot of covered car prototypes being tested.
The switchbacks beyond 2500m are really special!
I got into a groove power-wise and had made it to 2800m elevation (higher than any road in the alps), when the wind started to pick up like crazy. It was almost impossible to move forward whenever in a headwind, and crosswinds almost blew me off the road.
It was pretty sketchy and wasn’t much fun anymore. More on that later.
I reached 3100m where the road Kind of fizzles out, although a road like thing would continue another 70m higher.
From there it’s bike carrying time to reach the Pico. When it started to hail I decided that 3100m was enough to call it a day.
I descended super carefully because of the brutal winds (reported to be 40 to 50knots), and the gravel on the road.
When I had passed through Sierra Neveda (a small village that is famously known as an altitude camp for world tour pros, no more precipitation) I had a lot more confidence and just send it!
That turned out to be a big big mistake.
Out if nowhere, I was hit by a gust, the wind had come from the back the past 10k, but this one came from the side.
My handlebars turned 90 degrees and I hit the deck at over 60kph.
It was extremely painful. I tried making myself seen before someone runs me over by car. Tons of people stopped and man they are were all super kind! Would have loved to thank all of them properly!
I couldn’t really move much but I knew I wasn’t paralyzed or anything. I was just lying in the hard asphalt in 30C sun and trying not to feel my shoulder too much.
It took the ambulance a cool 30 minutes to arrive m and another 35 to the hospital. Everyone was super kind and helpful there, but no one spoke much English.
X-ray came back with good and bad news. No fractures but torn ligaments on the collarbone right side.
Early off season for me, and a deep crack in my Aethos, but Man I was lucky. Could have been much much worse, I know that!
A great and awful experience within a few hours of each other.
PS: the high temperature and ventilated helmet mean my hair game isn’t in point this time round in the hospital 
