I had some concerns about today’s ride, since our GPS maps showed an elevation gain of over 4,500 feet in 23 miles on the Via Verde!
But, my concerns evaporated when I found that there are 30 tunnels on the former train line route, going through all the hills along the way. Some are unlit and some are lit. The longest one we went through was almost 1km long.
And so we had a fabulous day, climbing a respectable 1,870 feet but nowhere near what I had feared. The only hard bit was climbing from the old Olvera train station at the end of the Via Verde up to the town of Olvera. That was steep, like 15-20% grade for 1/4 mile.
That morning, we left our lovely hotel in Montellano and headed to the start of the Via Verde in Puerto Serrano that would lead us to Olvera, a storied Puebla Blanca that we were so looking forward to seeing.
The riding was nice and that path smooth. About half-way was the old rail station of Coripe, now a café. And so we stopped there and enjoyed the sunshine and a coffee.
The landscape was lovely and got better and better the further we went. The Via Verde follows a river for some of its length, also skirting some rugged mountains where a large colony of tawny vultures live, which we were lucky enough to watch soaring above us. .
We were riding due east, and enjoyed a tailwind for some of the ride.
We got tantalizing glimpses of Olvera from time to time but it was not until we checking into our apartment and then walked up the church and castle that we could appreciate the place. Olvera has a commanding view of the surrounding landscape.
A wedding was happening at the church which was fun to see.
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