Bicycle, Bicycle, Bicycle …. I want to ride my bicycle

Vuelta de Andalucia cycle race, Spain

With hardly a fat-bottomed girl in sight, the bicycle races came east of Málaga yesterday, for the Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucía – one of Spain’s biggest cycling events of the year.  

The 60th Ruta del Sol takes place between February 19th and 23rd, with the peloton travelling through eight Andalucían provinces, covering 733.7 kilometres across five stages. 

Think of it as a mini-version of the better-known Tour de France or the Vuelta a España.

After the Prologue in Almeria further east along the coast on the 19th, the first stage started yesterday in Vélez-Málaga at 11am.  The day’s racing (the second longest at 187km) culminated in Jaén at the Castillo de Santa Catalina, passing through Zafarraya and Alhama de Granada along the way.

You’ll remember I wrote about the old railway line at Zafarraya recently, and this area seemed like a good place to view the race as there is a steep climb for the riders within the first hour of the race.

We positioned ourselves at about 700m elevation with a splendid view of the spectacular U-shaped Zafarraya Pass, as well as a great view of the series of bends below, along which the peleton would travel.

The weather was glorious, with hardly a cloud to interrupt the blue sky.  The sun shone and you can see the almond trees in blossom nearby and the surrounding mountains to complete a perfect picture.

There was plenty of activity with the passing of Guardia Civil vans and motor-cyclists, as well as lots of pleasure cyclists (if you can call it a pleasure, cycling so far uphill!) vying for the best position to see their heroes.

We didn’t have long to wait before the leading group of riders came into view.

Click on any of the images to get a better view.

There were nineteen teams, each with seven riders taking part, including Team Sky led by Sir Bradley Wiggins, former Tour de France winner, who sadly I never spotted.

AH, WELL.

All was not lost though, with all that testosterone wafting by in the form of young men wearing tight lycra!

So, within a couple of minutes of first spotting them in the distance, the peleton of La Vuelta Cyclista a Andalucía had passed by.

 They were barely out of breath.  No huffing and puffing for these guys.  OH NO!

Bringing up the rear came the various support vehicles carrying spare parts and bicycles with the customary ambulance in case of medical support.

If you’d like more information about the race and route, please visit:http://www.vueltaandalucia.es/

On your marks, get set, GO!!!!!!!

 

 

….. and then a Dung Beetle rolled by!

Dung beetle, Spain

I’ve only ever seen a dung beetle on TV in a wildlife documentary programme.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this little chap, rolling his ball of poop in my garden, last Sunday afternoon!

The moral of this tale?  If you’re having a bad day, just remember – you are not this dung beetle with sh** all over your head!

If you’ve never seen a dung beetle doing what dung beetles do – here’s a YouTube video for you.

ENJOY!

What’s the most curious thing you’ve seen recently?

 

CBBH Photo Challenge: ACROSS THE ROOFTOPS

I put off using this challenge because of the spelling of the plural of the word ROOF.

When I was a girl back in England, the plural of roof was rooves.  Nowadays, whilst still being correct, it seems that rooves is considered archaic, with the preference being for roofs.  Whatever next?!

Anyway, however you say it, or spell it in your part of the world, the CBBH Challenge for February is the plural of the word ROOF!  

Looking across the rooftops in the village of Comares, Spain

We have some very pretty, and sturdy rooves in Spain.  You might remember that this is the view from the top of the village of Comares, looking across the rooftops.

Rooftops of Frigiliana, Spain

And here is the view across the rooftops of Frigiliana, with a photo taken from Calle Alta, the highest street in the village.  It’s a fabulous view!

Don’t forget that the CBBH Photo Challenge is a little different from some other challenges, in two ways.  First, it’s only once a month – giving you lots of time to consider your entry before the end of the calendar month.  Second, and most important, this is a BLOG HOP (after all, it is the CBBH – Conejo Blanco Blog Hop, meaning white rabbit in Spanish), so DON’T FORGET that in your post you need to add links to two blogs that you have visited and commented on during the past month.  That way, when we visit each other, we can HOP OVER to your links, connect with others and share a little blog love around!

Conejo Blanco BLOG HOP Photo Challenge

My Featured Blog Links for this month:

*** Dianne Gray is an Australian author and self-professed mosquito magnet, currently living in Queensland, Australia.  Last year Dianne moved a derelict  former Rugby Union club-house building to her farm and has transformed it.  I don’t know where she finds the energy!  OH … and if you ever wondered how cyclones or hurricanes are named – this is the woman to ask.

*** Every week I get messages from people (often in the US) asking about obtaining residency visas, taxes or healthcare.  Because I am English and originally lived in the UK, it was a relatively simple process for me to move to live in Spain, because I already lived within the European Union.  The Wagoner’s Abroad however, are an American family of four, currently living down the road, in the Spanish town of Almuñecar.  They’ve been through the process, and are in a much better position than I to tell you all about the lessons they’ve learned.

Please HOP over and say HELLO to both of my featured links, and tell them Marianne sent you!

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for February, guys.

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, tag your entry ‘CBBH Photo Challenge’,  link back to this blog and, most importantlydon´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look.  Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month’s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite!  I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

PS:  DO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU CALL MORE THAN ONE ROOF, WONT YOU?

Hark! Orange Trumpets herald the warm winter weather

PYROSTEGIA VENUSTA (Orange trumpet vine)Just look at this Orange Trumpet Creeper – sometimes known as the Flame Vine  (Botanic name: Pyrostegia Venusta; pyro = flame, stege = covering, venusta = pleasing).  

This particular magnificent flowering vine with it’s brilliant orange flowers can be found draped across Calle Carabeo in Nerja.    The Orange Trumpet Creeper is a vigorous evergreen climber which grows well in a warm climate, needing shelter from cold winds or frost.

As I wandered around Nerja in the warm sunshine, I discovered several examples of this spectacular plant.  You can see them in the gallery below.

I see these beautiful blooms every year, though for some reason haven’t stopped to take photos and really enjoy their beauty, before.  My new challenge: One Trip EVERY Month gave me the perfect opportunity to get out and about with my camera.

One trip EVERY month

Tell me where you are going this month that you’ve never got around to visiting before.

You might also enjoy: 

Balcón de Europa, Nerja

AVE: Taking the Fast Track from Málaga to Madrid