On Saturday we were trapped in our own home once again by the return of the Vuelta a España (the tour of Spain cycle race). The first stage of the event was a team time-trial past our front door – well, actually, to be more accurate, between Vilanova de Arousa and Sanxenxo (where we live in summer). The start of this stage was quite dramatic as the teams departed from a glass topped pontoon built especially for the occasion on one of our Rias, and was quite amusing in that the cyclists had to be ferried to the start line by boat – a world’s first I’m sure!

Today we are trapped by the Vuelta once again, but this time in the Bodega, as the race passes through the village of Barrantes where we are located. There is however, a difference between today and Saturday. On Saturday, which was the team time trial, we had groups of riders passing every four minutes for a period of about 1½ hours, which at least made the day a bit more interesting. This afternoon, when they pass through Barrantes it’s possible that the entire peloton can pass in a matter of a few seconds – a lot of inconvenience for a split second of entertainment! (Click on photo to see more detail)

On Saturday we were trapped in our own home once again by the return of the Vuelta a España (the tour of Spain cycle race). The first stage of the event was a team time-trial past our front door – well, actually, to be more accurate, between Vilanova de Arousa and Sanxenxo (where we live in summer). The start of this stage was quite dramatic as the teams departed from a glass topped pontoon built especially for the occasion on one of our Rias, and was quite amusing in that the cyclists had to be ferried to the start line by boat – a world’s first I’m sure!

Today we are trapped by the Vuelta once again, but this time in the Bodega, as the race passes through the village of Barrantes where we are located. There is however, a difference between today and Saturday. On Saturday, which was the team time trial, we had groups of riders passing every four minutes for a period of about 1½ hours, which at least made the day a bit more interesting. This afternoon, when they pass through Barrantes it’s possible that the entire peloton can pass in a matter of a few seconds – a lot of inconvenience for a split second of entertainment! (Click on photo to see more detail)