As the first day for everyone to ride, it’s somewhat a shakedown day, as bikes and racks are
usually out of adjustment following shipment and reassembly with full loads.
Also, new riders have to learn the habits of the other riders. For example,
always follow the lead person, even if you think they have taken a wrong turn,
your navigation device says take a different route, or you interpret the road
sign differently. In turn, the lead rider must stop either before or
immediately after a turn or route split to enable all riders to regroup.
Our Stiges lodging included breakfast, not available until
after 8 am, so we did nt leave Stiges until after 9 am. The temperature was
about 66F, light winds, a perfect day for cycling. Our route followed the coast
southwest, mostly flat. The original plan was to ride to Tarragona, have lunch
and view the Roman coliseum and ruins, then cycle up-river and over a coastal
range to Montblanc. However, we arrived in Tarragona a bit before 2 pm and the
group decision was to find lodging in Tarragona. We had lunch, found lodging,
showered, washed clothes, enjoyed hors
d'oeuvres, and then cycled to the coliseum. Then we went to the old town
section, narrow streets within the original walled city and stumbled onto
another festival parade.
—Steven (newest rider), John, and Stewart
—Seaside Riding. Much of our ride was like this, seaside promenade with beach on the left and vacation apartments on the right.
—Dog of the Day
—Tarragona Wall Art
—Tarragona Old Town #1
—Tarragona Old Town #3
—Tarragona Coliseum
—Tarragona Old Town #3 Spectators
—Tarragona Old Town #4 Festival Parade. Dragons in costume accompanied by fireworks.
—Tarragona Old Town #5 Reloading
—Tarragona Old Town #6 Fiery DragonHuman Pyramid Competitions
We discovered that Tarragona is famous for castling or human pyramid competitions. Upon returning to our hotel, we stared at video shot in the square where we had lunch.
The "castellers" of Catalonia form human
pyramids, named castells
("castles"), up to ten men high. In Catalonia, severals statues
commemorate this old tradition. In Tarragona the castellers
form human towers during the Santa Tecla Festival
in September and during the Sant Magi festival, held annually in mid-August.[2]
—Tarragona Street Banner #1
—Tarragona Street Banner #2
Teams comprise adults, men, young women, and children at the top-most levels. Teams dress alike and compete in a large square or stadium surrounded by the spectators. While unclear on the rules, the winners appear to be judged by height or levels achieved and if they can build and then deconstruct without collapse. The youngest children wear padded helmets.
From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_pyramid
—Tarragona "Art"
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