Day 3 - Hotel Rancho Luna to Playa Ancon (103km)

Day 3 started warm and sunny with clear blue skies.  We had been warned that this was going to be a tougher day with more hills, so the group was noticeably quieter this morning as everyone prepared themselves for the day ahead.  We had our bags on the coach as usual at 7:00 and were tucking into eggs by 7:20 - our morning staple.

Sadly we had to say goodbye to one of the ladies as she had fallen off her bike the day before and landed badly, breaking her arm.  She was devastated, and we all felt for her - this was not an experience any of us wanted to cut short, no matter how difficult it got.

Lining up in the shade - it was hot already at 8:00!

Proudly sporting a cycling tan!

After the morning briefing on the route from Theo, we set off from the hotel just after 8:00.  The roads were really quiet as were cycled along flanked by misty mountains on both sides.  Stunning.

It wasn't long before the hills started - nothing we hadn't trained for though.  All those slogs up Pott Shrigley were paying off now, as well as the 'heat training' in the form of spin classes!  You could feel the heat increasing as you reached the top of a hill, but how fantastic to go flying down the other side, cooling off in the breeze!  I loved this stretch of the ride - Gillian had really enjoyed powering along the flat stretch yesterday (I couldn't keep up with her in the end), but today was more my style.  I even managed to get ahead today and leave myself enough time to capture Gillian coming up the hill behind me!

Lunch today was in a restaurant tucked away in the hills.  We sat at large tables on a verandah and had congri (rice and black beans) with beef stew, salad, fresh fruit and a cold pineapple drink.  Cold pop never tasted so amazing!  During the course of our lunch the weather went from blazing sunshine to torrential downpour back to blazing sunshine - an extraordinary reminder that we were in the tropics now.


We had a flatter stretch in the afternoon where the farmers were burning the grass on the verges either side of the road.  It was pretty hot already, but we also had to cycle through the smoke and embers to get through, as there was no alternative route.  So far today, we had had floods and fire - it was feeling rather biblical!  Along this stretch we could see the sea to our right and occasionally we passed over several bridges spanning sandy bays.  The temptation to dive in was almost overwhelming, but discipline ruled and we all kept pedalling.

No swimming for us, just the hot road

Our mid afternoon drinks stop was by a small cluster of houses and a school.  Some of the children came out - curious to see what was going on with the sea of pink clad ladies and bicycles that were gathering at the side of the road.  We shared our snacks with them, but were astounded to see that what they really prized were the empty plastic 5 litre water bottles that we were rapidly emptying to slake our cycling thirst.  Virtually nothing gets thrown away in Cuba - there is a use for everything, and something can always be repaired.

The last few miles of our cycle became a bit more hilly with one steep climb up towards Trinidad.  Gillian was going strong at this point, but I was struggling - the long day and the heat were taking its toll a bit.  We had a quick stop off at the top of the hill in a pleasant shady square before setting off for the last stretch to our hotel, a final 15km towards the beach at Playa Ancon.  It was time to dig in and keep going - my backside was sore and I was tired and felt a bit sunburnt.  On the up side, it was flat cycling out on to the Ancon peninsula and the scenery was stunning - reedy marshes, where wading birds were idling, on one side; and the Escambray mountains rising up into clear blue sky on the other.

I could smell the salty tang of the sea so I knew it was close, but it seemed to take forever to get there as the road meandered in its own good time to the coast.  Eventually we arrived at our hotel and I have to say I was glad to leave my bike behind for the day and head in for another welcome cocktail - I was getting to like this part of the daily routine!

We just had enough time to check in, change into swimsuits and dive into the sea before sunset.  The water of the Caribbean sea was fantastic - warm and clear and so refreshing after a long hot day of cycling.  All soreness and tiredness was soon forgotten with the onset of a glorious sunset.  Bring on day 4!