Our morning rides usually begin about 9 am in 55F weather and overcast skies. Between 11 and 12 am, the clouds burn off and the temperatures rise to the upper 70s. Not hot but warm when ascending for 2-3 mile stretches at 6-8 percent grades.
Siguenza, our destination town, deserves a description:
The site of the ancient Segontia ("dominating over the valley") of the Celtiberian Arevaci, now called Villavieja (“old town”), is half a league distant from the present Sigüenza. Livy mentions the town in his discussion of the wars of Cato the Elder with the Celtiberians.
Around 1123 it was taken by Bernard of Agen, its first bishop. Sigüenza played a large part in the civil wars of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The fortress palace of the bishops, originally an earlier Moorish qasbah, was captured in 1297 by the partisans of the Infantes de la Cerda, and in 1355 it was the prison of Blanche of Bourbon, consort of Peter of Castile. In 1465 Diego López of Madrid, having usurped the miter, fortified himself there.
The last bishop-lord, known as the "mason-bishop", built a neighborhood below the level of the old town in a Neo-Classical style, before renouncing to the temporal lordship.
During the Spanish Civil War, the Francoist Civil Guard fortified the upper castle, while the Republican forces took to the lower cathedral.
After the war, the city limits have increased with the incorporation of 28 pedanías (hamlets).
—Guard Dog of the Day
—Critters of the Day—Buzzards. Whatever the type, these were really big birds.
—Shed #1. Spain's countryside is dotted with sheds. The most common design features a rectangular shape with sloped roof and no center roof beam. Most face south with a single door and one or two windows. I have no idea if they were once populated by families working the land for the land owner or were temporary shelters for herders or workers to shelter from storms or shelter overnight because they could not get home. A few appear to be used for storage; most are falling down.
—Shed #2
—Shed #3
—Shed #4
—Shed #5. Sort of shed-like, a long and narrow building addition in a village.
—Dog of the Day. Sunday morning in the plaza by the village church. This female barked at everyone, what appeared to be a fear response. When she approached Stuart, he squirted his water bottle in her direction, which further excited the dog.
—Cliff-top Home. Built on the ruins of a much larger historic, fortified building, the owners apparently decided to renovate the tower and let the rest decay.
—Deck Patio. On the same cliff as the prior home, perhaps 300 feet above the river.
—Snow Warning Sign on Bridge.
—Creative Toilet Sign #1. Small or large hands?
—Creative Toilet Sign #2
About mid-day, shortly after lunch, I heard a clicking sound, like a rock was stuck to my trailer tire. I promptly pulled over and found more that a dozen goat-head thorns/stickers in my right-side trailer tire. I carefully pulled them out and resumed riding, but the tire promptly went flat. I fixed the flat and resumed riding, but the left tire flatted. I stopped again and found more thorns.
We continued as the temperatures rose to the 80s F, and we encountered a number of long climbs. I found this the hardest day of this ride, entering Siguenza exhausted, not normal for me. After weaving our way through this medieval city to our lodging, I noticed another trailer tire was flat.
So, 25 miles with a flat trailer tire, including multiple 2-3 mile climbs.
I fixed that flat, inspected the tire carefully, and found more thorns. I checked both tires the next morning, same result with one flat, and removed more thorns using a sharp knife tip. I think this issue might resolved.
—Flat Tire Repair
—Flat Tire Repair Supervisors
—Parador. Paradors are better suited for couples than smelly cycle tourists. We stopped in the parador for an adult beverage, contributing to historic building preservation in Spain. Unfortunately, we had minimal time to explore Siguenza, and not much was happening on a Sunday evening.
About the castle:
Castle[edit]
With foundations dating back to the 5th century, Sigüenza Castle was extended by the Moors in the 8th century and retaken by the Christians under Bernard of Agen in 1123.[1] In the late 18th century, Bishop Juan Díaz de la Guerra changed the appearance of the castle from a fortress into an episcopal palace with additional windows, balconies and stables. However, in 1808 during the War of Spanish Independence the castle was taken by the French who seriously damaged it and looted all its riches before it was recaptured by El Empecinado. The episcopal palace was further devastated by fire in the 1830s and had to be abandoned.[2] In 1976, after comprehensive restoration, the castle was opened as a parador luxury hotel. The official inauguration took place in 1978 with the visit of King King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía.[2] Decorated with banners and suits of armor, the huge lounge was originally the castle's dining room.[3]
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