The 13-day Prosciutto Diet: Andalucia Race and Travel Recap

Jamon Iberico: a staple food in the south of Spain, and known to most of us as prosciutto. It is widely available here, and found on every menu for every meal of the day wether in a sandwich, entree, or on its own. I figure I've eaten it roughly twice a day for the duration of this trip, and grown fond of it and its spanish customary siblings.

I took a fling at Andalucia in the hopes of experiencing new trails, friends, and cultures through bike racing. It wasn't an easy logistics hurdle from the start, including last minute partner selection and fitness preparation. Overall I am very glad I did, and here some thoughts and reasons.

Race: The race was my first real European racing since MTB World Champs 2002. I had few preconceptions but left with some distinct observations on the race and riders;
- The riding terrain is beautiful, but not challenging in this area. Longer climbs at low grades. This was a perfect fit for my 6-week training state, and other curious Canadians who don't feel nervous in late-February. at least one trail section per day put the smile on you're face.
- The scenery and area is top-notch. The long climbs give many opportunities to sit up and look/gasp around at the high alpine and surrounding mountains. Cordoba and Jaen are centuries old beauties of cities, worthy of their surroundings and destinations in their own right.
- Euro Riders. I was a top-50(ish) team on the last two days, and consider myself a fully average technical competency at home in Canada. The riding preferences of the average Euro racer is enough to make you feel like a mountain-bike master in this world in relation to the fully rideable trails that they will walk.
- Euro Bikes. Hardtails rule here, especially for the open, non-technical terrain. High tire pressures do too, from some informal start-box surveys. possible explanation for technical skills mentioned above.
- One last note on trails/bikes/geography: we raced in warm but mud-strewn conditions each day, due to prior wet weather.This took its toll on my tolerance for post-stage hand laundering, and on equipment. I estimate that aside from blowing a fork damper twice, post-event maintenance will replace chain, small ring, BB, and cables. Interestingly, a pair of resin brake pads still have half life - symptomatic of the shallower and faster grades.

Travel: I enjoyed the time during, and Ashley & I really enjoyed the slower times post-event;
- Food. The food is good, especially once the language and customs barriers are overcome. It seems like every other day we snagged a dinner that was phenomenal. The Spanish custom of eating past 8:30pm takes some getting used to (the kitchen's don't open until 8pm). I didn't drink as much wine as intended but realized a cocktail here means a ~3-oz free pour.
- People. Spanish people seem friendly and relaxed. Most of the time if you can squeeze a few words En Espanol they like you.
- Attractions. We don't have much that is 200-years (Jaen) or 500-years old (Cordoba). The cultural/religious heritage that goes along with that in the region is the attraction. Old medieval cities in Cordoba, our hilltop castle/hotel in Jaen, and taking in the Mediterranean along with Picasso and a night-life in Malaga were some highlights.

All in all, not even a little mud an lost passport could keep this from being an enjoyable trip. I hope the international racing bug doesn't bite too hard, as legs and enjoyment would not become my limiting factors...