Valsain -> Olmedo

After a warm and nice resting night we got up early and decided to try to cycle the most we could to recover the last day of almost no cycling...

We stopped in segovia (the planed place to sleep two days ago) for a warm chocolate and then cycled under cold wind, just stopping for a hot coffee and finding an empty building when it got dark...

prepared to fight the cold wind :D

Las Dehesas -> Valsain

I woke up and saw everything WHITE from a window... it was snowing (and probably already for some time)... we prepared for the cold (making a hot tea with the last water we had – bad idea – and covering our feet with plastic bags – good idea) and left the “warm” hotel already late.

prepared for the snow :D

Cycling in the snow was pretty fun and crazy...but after 4 hours “cycling” (more walking and pushing the bikes) it started to get dark and we were only sure of following the right road because of a car track marked on the snow a long time before...we almost did not cross other people after 17:00...

resting in the snow :D

finally (4 hours, and only about 20km) we got to the other side of the mountain and saw some lights of a village, the problem was that our brakes (both) frozen and yolanda's bike had a really burned tired (not enough friction to cycle on the snow) so we had to walk down...arriving in the village we finally could drink something (other than eating snow :D) and decided (more or less) to stay a night in the local hostel (the second time in all my trip i pay a hostel for passing the night)

Madrid -> Las Dehesas

We got out Alvaro's house pretty early...we followed a nice bike path (a kind of highway for bikes to go OUT of the city) and had loads of contact and talks with other cyclists in the way...
Everyone warned it would be a difficult day and that it may snow tomorrow...we continued anyway, following Alvaro's advice to cross Sierra de Guadarrama by the natural park and the old Republic Road (a road that was being made during the short republic of spain and stoped after the war of 1936)

After one whole day of cycling we finally started going UP in the afternoon and got pretty tired... we passed the night in a huge hotel that was not finished because it was an illegal construction...
the night got really cold and luckily we found loads of things to burn (included old cow shit :p..) inside the hotel...

Madrid

we planed to leave, but, after last evening party after critical mass, we ended up staying almost all day at home resting and taking care of frida and bender ;)

Madrid

I got in contact with carlos, an old friend from erasmus, that just returned to madrid, we had lunch together, talked a lot and he helped me to finally fix my back light (that for 2 or 3 months was not working :p...), while we fix it, yo draw a stencil and we made a funny flag to bring to the Bici Critica (madrid's critical mass).

sound systems ready...

Me and yo cycled to cibeles to join the mass and it worth it, was an amazing view to see the city completely occupied by bicyles, we managed to close all the traffic and made a party in the streets moving on our bicycles, i would say around 2000 people with bicycles were present, with sound systems and lots of smiles.
the moving party over bridges, road and avenues (of 5 lanes!!) lasted for more than 2 hours always cycling, it was nice to see how everything worked fine, how people auto-organized them selfs to protect the rest of the mass, corking crosses and with no help of police (that sometimes, when near, also helped but never follow the mass).

after the mass the party continued in Patio maravillas with dinner and music where i meet carlos again and Charlie gave us a bicycle brakes repair lesson :Dmme, yo and carlos :D

Madrid

Susanna asked us to babysit indy again and after we meet her to see a presentation of the theatrical documentary book Mujeres de Arena (Sand Women), about the strange female homicides in Ciudad Juárez, a strong and beautiful presentation.
Then i cycled to join the talk from the FSMB that i wanted more to participate, about bicycle lanes and the (strange) division between bicycle activist (i'm strongly opposing them), a nice debate with a really elucidative presentation from a member of Ciudad Ciclista, a bicycle organization that is openly against the construction of bicycle lanes (or at least the big majority of them) asking instead more education campains and traffic pacification. WE ARE TRAFFIC!

Madrid

During the afternoon we walked around in the new neighborhood, where alvaro lives, and after cycled to Patio Maravillas for a talk about the last political actions in madrid concerning bicycles, and the new cyclist plan of madrid, this talk was included in the Bicycle's Madrid Social Forum.

Madrid

We decided to stay longer in madrid for the Foro Social Madrileño de la Bicicleta and to join the Bici Critica (critical mass) on thursday, known to be a BIG one ;)
So we left suzana's house, quite small for so many people and dog :p, to meet Alvaro, one of the people coordinating the forum...
The forum started with a nice ParkingDay action, taking some parking spaces, usually occupied by cars, to build a free bicycle workshop and reclaim the street :). Charlie was there also and was nice to talk again.

then the forum continued in the Patio Maravilhas with some talks and more bicycle workshops till late, we also joined a photography session of bicycle user, for a future exhibition or project...

free shop

Madrid

Espaço okupado El Solar de Olivar

We cycled around the city and visited the EPA Patio Maravilhas for a debate about the economical dimension of social centers, this squat is right now in with an eviction order that can happen at any time.

Patio Maravillas

Madrid

half a bread and the masa madre waiting for the next bread to come...signs of the agriculture demo in the morningsuzana, yo, indy and mepicking medroños in the parkgreen wall

After lunch we cycled around with suzana and indy to visit a nice park, then me and yo joined the antifascist demo in the center, a demonstration against fascism, the same that is still applied by the state and police forces against social movements, in the day after franco death.