adventures

Ride to Osor

September 16, 2013 by Julie Shipman

Today we rode to Osor, a very small ancient town in the hills outside of Girona, with only one place to eat; our restaurant was the home of the local Boar Hunting Club. We did have a random assortment of “meat” for lunch. Did not occur to me until this minute that perhaps it was boar?

No, we weren’t mountain biking… although Bo looks like he might be.

And there’s Osor…

One blue eye… a very interesting mix! I’m guessing Catahoula and Dalmation. What do you think?

Can you tell the time above?

The girls walking to lunch… Brigitta (Portland) , Stanna (SLC) and Penny (Oakley/Nantucket).

After our break, another great ride up and down back to Girona. Funny how talented I am to get these shots while riding my bike… hhhmmmm.

Marty J leads the pack! with Pav close behind…

Thumbs Up, Cliff!

JP, bike mechanic extraordinaire… and a great guide.

Always a smile on Rick, followed by Paul (the X man) and Keith…

Ever supportive and smiling… Keith B!

Stanna.

Jill and Penny.

And, time to call it a day. All that picture-taking really wore me out!

Connie and Jill J

Bo.

Rick.

Scott.

The boys coming in from the “hard way…”

Connie and JP sharing the subtle joys found with a tube of dznuts.

Guess Who? It could only be Connie B…

And it’s our fearless leader! Marty J!

As we round the Round-a-Bout back into Girona… a smiling Haystack welcomes us Home!

And, before the day is done, dinner out again in Girona… an absolutely beautiful city on the river.

…crossing the bridge back to the hotel. Night. (Bridge seen above is same as below.)

Girona

September 15, 2013 by Julie Shipman

Took a train northeast to Girona this morning to begin our bike trip. Apparently, Girona is a home base to many pro cyclists as the riding is so varied and accessible here. It’s beautiful!

We checked into the hotel and wandered a bit. Lunch, beer, wine… of course; we were meeting at 5 pm for our “intro” ride. I decided after the intro ride, that I would be quite content if that were the extent of the climbs for the entire journey. However, after dinner this evening, I was informed that tomorrow’s ride is somewhere around 3-4 times the climb and it will be “great.” In all truthfulness, my butt was the VERY first one a car would see as it passed our peloton. Being FIRST in this case, is not something to be excited about. Even our support guy in the rear, JP, was well ahead of me, turning around every now and then to make sure I was not on the side of the road…

While I was rather pathetic on the uphill, I LOVE the downhill. I was right on Marty’s butt! How fun is that? I kept thinking to myself that this guy has been in the Tour de France and I am riding on his rear tire. Kinda fun, for a minute… I watched the way he moved his legs as he turned, or stood, and tried to figure out if there was anything I could do better. However, for Marty this was an afternoon “stroll” during which he probably wasn’t even thinking about form or style, just getting these 14 ducklings back to their hotel.

Note: read, please, this piece of content about bikes.

After the ride, We celebrated for a bit in the bar and then walked through Girona to a wonderful little restaurant and dined well on the Spanish version of crepes. Delicious!!

Time for bed. Tomorrow’s ride…

Barcelona!

September 14, 2013 by Julie Shipman

Arrived very tired into Barcelona and found our way to the Hotel Praktik via public transportation — bus and foot — which worked well. It is here I discovered the World’s Smallest Hotel Room:

This room is awesome. It gives new meaning to the word “cozy” and I quite like it! After all, what kind of space do we really need in a hotel room? Would you stay in this room? This hotel has an incredible history. It was a family home for over 150 years and was just converted to a hotel 4 years ago. The hallways echo of lives spent there. We are told it is still haunted by the architect who was never finished with its design…

We then wandered the streets and had a truly phenomenal meal — I LOVE the Tapas dining and and we toasted on the rooftop with Cava to our upcoming trip… biking through Girona, which begins tomorrow!

Going to Spain!

September 12, 2013 by Julie Shipman

Congratulations to Jemison Cycling Tours on celebrating their 10th Anniversary Trip in Girona!

Here I Go! Cycling Spain with a Pro… a tour through Girona with Marty Jemison

I first met Marty Jemison in high school. I was 16. I recall riding in the back of a pick-up truck with him, in weather that was much too cold. It was the 80’s… seat belts? safety precautions? We weren’t so good at that stuff. The beauty was there were no cell phones either so our mothers never really knew how stupid we were… (as if we moms have a handle on it now! Hah!).

Fast-forward 30 years. I now live in Park City, Utah, the home of JEMISON Cycling Tours. A friend talked me into signing up for Jemison’s signature tour through Spain guided by none other than Marty himself. What makes this interesting is that I’m quite a beginner when it comes to biking, especially every day for many miles. I’ve been trying to train for this “vacation” but I find I’m more interested in the scenery than my MPH, RPMs, cadence, velocity, or whatever. After my first 20-mile training ride, I felt like I had just finished a stage of the Tours in Europe I used to do! Yahoo! It hasn’t gotten much better. Luckily, I’ve been told that Marty offers wonderful side trips AND there is always the ‘broom wagon’ to sweep my butt off the pavement.

aka, the SAG wagon... — aka, the SAG wagon… providing much-needed support for cyclists on long rides or races.

Who is Marty Jemison? Briefly, he started his racing career in Utah in 1987. By 1989, he was a Category 1 racer. In 1993, he began riding for the US National Team and won the US Amateur Road Racing Championships. From 1995-2000, he rode for the US Postal Team including two Tour de France races where he finished 96^th and 48^th, as well as 5^th in Stage 13.

After living in Girona for 6 years while riding in the Professional Peloton, Marty and his wife, Jill, decided to share their love of this incredible region in Spain with others and created JEMISON Cycling Tours. The GIRONA tour is their Signature Tour and this September is the 10^th Anniversary of a dream-come-true: a successful cycling tour business. I will have the privilege of sharing it with them.

Join me (and my camera), Marty, Jill, and others on this 10^th Anniversary Tour as I post a photo blog detailing the highlights. If I can’t make it up the hill (quite likely) I am assured of fantastic hiking, museums, ancient ruins, art, spas, cultural experiences and great food & wine. I am looking forward to sampling the region’s local choice, Rioja! Stay tuned.

www.julieshipman.com www.jemisontours.com

Tour of Utah 2013

August 12, 2013 by Julie Shipman

Peloton on Kearns Blvd. during the Tour of Utah.

What a weekend in Park City! The Tour of Utah (named as America’s Toughest Cycling Stage Race) went through our town twice. These guys are pros; many of them have raced the Tour de France. I’m glad to see that the United States in starting to recognize the intensity, athleticism, and drama displayed at a major cycling race. Thousands of “Utahns” came out to cheer on these boys. It’s FUN!

Which reminds me, I too am going on a “Tour.” I will be joining Jemison Cycling Tours for their 10th Anniversary Signature Trip through Girona, Spain, in September. So, as I try to “train” for this ride, I realize I can’t be too hard on myself. My 30 mile rides probably take as much outta me as these boys over 100 miles. A 46 year old GIRL –who was never much of a stellar athlete in the first place– just has to do her best. Lucky for me, my main task on this trip will be PHOTOGRAPHING the gorgeous scenery and the OTHER riders! So, when I cannot turn my pedals a single more round, I will just have to notice a fabulous thing that requires my immediate attention with my camera! Good excuse?