13 May 2022
I am leaving Portugal today and heading back to Spain. This is my last opportunity to ride the ACT North towards the town of Bregenz.
Most of the track was straight forward and relatively easy good riding. The the odd section was a little more challenging and needed to be treated with care.
One step uphill section reminded me of the sinking feeling I had when I first approached it a few days ago heading South. As I approached the particular section I could see a large crawler tracked machine sat at the top of hill, it was much larger than the agricultural machines I had seen in the area, this could mean only one thing, the dreaded roadworks. Tracks and unpaved roads that are used regularly by the local population are usually relatively straight forward to ride, road works and sections damaged by bad weather are what get you. On the way South this steep down hill section had recently been graded by the digger, this left a few centimetres of soft material on the surface that wasn’t compacted. Riding downhill with weight on the front wheel can make for some uneasy moments as the front wheel buries itself into the loose material. Riding the same track uphill after a few days use by Portuguese traffic made for a much easier ride.
Found a campsite on the outskirts of Leon, the owner was a very interesting and colourful character, the food came in portions that even Desperate Dan wouldn’t have managed, I hate waste, particularly food waste even so I had to leave far too much.
