Spain is a fantastic location for your road cycling holiday and Andalucia, for me, is the best place to be. With over 320 days of sunshine a year and some of the best road cycling terrain there is something for everyone to enjoy. Road cycling in Andalucia, southern Spain, is just like riding at home but with sunshine!! You will need to take the usual stuff, ride snacks, camera/phone, cash, drinks, spare inner tube, tools and pump. The list could go on and on. Don’t forget the suncream!!
However, here are 5 things you will need to know to stay safe whilst road cycling in Spain
Rules of the Road / Highway Code. Here are the main points.
Remember to ride on the right hand side of the road.
Ride on the road in the lane where the cars/buses and trucks would be NOT on the hard shoulder. The Highway Code states there should be a white line between you and the vehicle passing you. If you are riding on the hard shoulder the vehicles do not have to move out of there lane. If you ride on the road in the lane the vehicles will straddle the white line in the middle of the road giving you move space. If they do not it will be a hire car from the airport with a Brit, northern European or other nationality driving it! Sorry about that!!
You can ride 2 abreast on the road but not 3, 4 or 5 abreast.
It is the law to wear a helmet.
Keep Safe. Generally, Spanish drivers are very considerate to cyclists and will wait behind you patiently on a curvy road until they are confident they can pass you without causing you any problems. Be careful in towns and built up areas as, Spanish drivers do not always indicate and will turn across you on a roundabout without warning. Also be aware of doors being opened when passing parked cars. After a few days of riding on quiet country roads where you see very few vehicles, do not start to cut corners, especially blind ones, stay on your side of the road. If by chance you meet a vehicle coming uphill whilst you are descending, they will generally be in the middle of the road, if you are cutting the corner this will leave little room/time to manoeuvre around said vehicle. Take your time descending, save your energy for the ups and keep on your side of the road.
Hydration. In every bar next to the beer tap is a water tap. Generally bar owners are happy to fill up your drinks bottles free of charge. Bear in mind a coffee or coke is only a couple Euros then you may as well stop for a drink whilst getting your bottles filled up. It is important to start the day with a drink or 2. However, don’t just flood your body with water as this can slush out all the salts in your body. Try to consume 1.5-2 litres before you go out. Don’t stop drinking once you get out on the bike. You should be drinking 1x800ml bidon per 30-40 minutes on the bike. Take two bottles one filled with electrolyte/isotonic/sports energy drink and the other just water. In the warmer months put one of your bottles in a freezer overnight to have ice cold water on your ride. Remember to keep the liquids going in even when you have finished your ride until you are re-hydrated and your pee is clear!
To B or Not to B. To burn or not to burn! Apply sun cream to stop getting sun burnt. Trust me it is not pleasant having to ride the next day with sun burnt arms, so cover up. If you are prone to burning, I am, then you may even consider wearing UV protection sleeves (Mine have cool tattoo patterns on them). A cotton buff for the neck is good too as you can always soak this in water to keep cool. If you are out all day don’t forget to re-apply your suncream!
Carry Identification. It is law in Spain for everyone to carry ID, this needs to be photographic ID like your passport or driving license. Your library card wont be suffice!! The Police can stop you at any time and ask you to Identify yourself, failure to do so can lead to a substantial fine. This also applies when you are not riding.
I have ridden here in Spain for almost 20 years, covering on average 15,000km a year and I can count on 2 hands the number of times I have had a serious issue with a car. It doesn’t happen too often. Spain is a fantastic place to come and ride, road surfaces are pretty good, drivers are courteous, it’s usually sunny and the views are breathtaking.
Modders are trying their hardest to add an NVMe SSD to the Switch 2, which is both impressive and something I'm not going to do
Открыты сервера MMORPG ROM: Golden Age
The US Air Force wants to test blowing up Cybertrucks because 'it is likely the type of vehicles used by the enemy may transition to Tesla Cyber trucks'
Steam for Chromebooks is getting axed in 2026 instead of exiting its 4-year beta
