74.81km 10H06’
Altitude 941m
It was a three-dimensional day:
Sun and serenity – Grayness and gloom – Rain and revulsion
The sunrise in the mountains is beautiful and the day gets off to a promising start.
The first 20 km on the CM2015, are very pleasant. We meet only 3 cars in 3 hours. It takes Serge 55 minutes to cover the first 5 km – (yesterday it took 50miinutes). “I’m getting slower and slower” he says.
Then we take the N211 to reach Molina de Aragon at 11:00 AM, at km 25. Serge is dragging. As is often the case, the second part of his course will be quicker. The imposing ruins of a fortified castle look down on the pretty town of Molina de Aragon, where all the shops are closed, with the exception of the bakery. A few people hurry to mass, whereas others go to the bar for an aperitif.
Once past Molina, the villages along this route seem to be uninhabited and we have the same feeling we did in the province of Leon, where half the homes in the villages appear to have been abandoned.
The place is far from being a tourist attraction and the police that dislodged René were rather grim, no doubt a reflection of the gray sky.
At Km 56 we leave the region of Castile-la-Mancha and enter Aragon. Again, icy rain falls. In 15 days, 2 have been dry; what are we complaining about?
Serge is soaked when he arrives and even if the road is trying, he was glad to have a wide emergency lane that gave him some security while running toward traffic. He listened to some music to kill time and to help forget his right ankle, which has doubled in size. The bank of the road doesn’t help this inflammation.
Tonight, when fatigue is making itself felt, I ask myself what can motivate Serge in the pouring rain to go 1Km beyond the Hostal de Monreal del Campo, where we are staying tonight. Where does he go to find the motivation….? “At KM 60, I set a distance for myself; do between 74 and 75 Km, without knowing where the finish will be, so I just stick to my goal.” That’s the reply that ends the discussion.
Tomorrow: always on N211, Caminreal , Vivel del Rio, Martin del Rio, Montalban, Castel del Cabra , direTracé du jour avec Google Earthction Gargallo
City: Monreal del Campo (Communidad Aragon)
GPS: N40.79652° W001.34270°