Bicycling Cuba 2014: Day3 Vinales to Puerto Esperanza

Feb 4 2014 Pinar del Rio Cuba Bicycle Tour
With the long haul to Vinales behind us, it's time to relax a bit and enjoy the area.
Here we ride through Pons ("the name is Pons ... James Pons") and Santa Lucia, then take a 20km detour to Cayo Jutias to enjoy the ocean.
The road from Santa Lucia to Cayo Jutias was rough enough that we considered turning back near Santa Lucia to continue straight to Puerto Esperanza. Ironically, the section of Carretera Norte between Santa Lucia and Puerto Esperanza was the worst in terms of road condition that we had encountered yet. Although this stretched the time taken to cover the 100km for the day, it kept our intensity low, which may have kept our legs fresh to face the punishment that was to come.