Stage 6: Mansilla de las Mulas – Rabanal del Camino
Our first stop of the day was in Léon which was about 20 kms from where we stayed. We all took it easy and I had no legs so didn’t take a turn up front. It was very cool (55°) as we set out and all of us were a little chilly even with long pants and jackets. I didn’t have ear muffs or full-fingered gloves in my panniers.
The main attraction in Léon is the Parador. My understanding is that all over
We had breakfast across the street and were happy to find a place inside where we could watch our bikes and be warm at the same time.
Karin and I had “tortilla” which I’ll describe as an egg and potato quiche minus the crust. It is normally served in a sandwich but ours was on a plate with a piece of bread next to it. It must have been good since after a taste, Sheri and Terri Lynn also ordered a piece. I also had the traditional tostada to go with it.
Before we left town we made a stop at a grocery story for fruit and I got some more cereal bars.
I don’t remember much of the rest of the day. There were more corn fields and several good up hills. There is a story to tell about Karin's biker wave, but you'll have to ask her to demonstrate. We stopped in town that had a beautiful flower garden that overlooked part of the town and the valley. 
All of us felt rather apprehensive about the climb at the end when we looked at the profile of the day. Since I had no legs to begin with I took it easy on all the hills so I would hopefully have something left at the end. It turned out that the final climb wasn’t that bad. The last 2.2 kms were hard with the first stretch being VERY steep. I had to tack up the hardest 100 m or so and then was able to pedal in.
Terri Lynn loves to climb so I had told the others to not wait for me unless the hotel was off the main street of town. Rabanal del Camino was a small village and I didn’t see the others before it looked like I was heading out of town. So I turned up toward the church. When I came to a T and was obviously wandering which way to go, a man pointed up the hill to the left and told me in perfect British English that the others had gone that way. Our matching green jerseys came in handy once again.
The hotel where we stayed. Our bikes were kept in the courtyard behind a 4 wheeler.
I was happy to see a bathtub in our rooms. I soaked my legs good and tried to massage my quads. After we were all clean and our biking clothes were hanging up to dry, we walked around the village. As usual there was some beautiful flowers and some elderly Spanish men that we couldn’t help but take a picture of.
Rabanal is another village that caters to pilgrims. It was only a little after 7 and we were already seated waiting for our food. The only thing missing was pasta on the menu. At the end of our meal a German man sitting alone at the next table started talking with us. Klaus was from Köln and newly retired so he didn’t need a vacation. He had always been very active but after several months of dealing with a hamstring injury he was now walking parts of the Camino. It seems this trip was in part to scout things out for next year when he wants to bring his wife.
Vital stats for the day :
90.3 kms
5h27 riding time
16.5 average speed
969 m climbed
7h15 total time from start to finish
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