Adventure Follower to Seeker: An Iberian Motorcycle Ride

[MotoNews]

Published in: Rides

From my earliest memories, I have always been surrounded by adventure-seekers with boundless spirits and open hearts. It was not a way of life that I had to find on my own but rather one I inevitably grew into. I was 11 or 12 when Mom took me and my little brother to our first adventure motorcycle event, Overland Expo. I was floored to find so many who’d seen the world in such unique and awe-inspiring ways. I felt at home among this gathering of world travelers, and their wanderlust was contagious.

I recall meeting ladies such as Tiffany Coates and Danell Lynn for the first time, hearing their tales and lighting up at the prospect that I, too, could see similar wonders in such an intimate and hands-on manner. There was something exceptional about traveling the globe on two wheels. From then on, the prospect of my own motorcycle adventure lingered in the back of my mind.

As I grew older, so too did the desire, along with a deep-seated restlessness that could never quite be satiated. It was this adventure-seeking nature that led me to move to Hawaii to pursue marine biology. I’d originally planned a gap year after high school; however, an academic scholarship was too much of an opportunity to turn down. So, there I was, surrounded by paradise, yet still yearning to be set free.

University’s senior year pushed me academically, but the one thing that got me through was the prospect of world travel. Dad and I had been planning a father-daughter motorcycle trip to the Iberian peninsula after graduation to explore a country where we had ancestral roots. My Dad’s parents were born in Cuba but had immigrated from Spain. The plan was to begin in Madrid and make our way north to the Basque region before heading down the coast near Valencia and Alicante. Being a marine biologist, I also wanted to explore the Balearic Sea and hoped to convince Dad to check out Ibiza and Formentera before continuing to Grenada, Seville, and heading up the southern coast of Portugal to our final destination, Lisbon.

Even before boarding the EU flight, deep down I knew the trip would push me from my comfort zone towards the life I’d yearned for. At that point, I’d been riding for years and had owned four motorcycles, including a Yamaha XT 250 and a KTM Duke 390. But I had never taken a proper trip. Our upcoming ride was especially exciting because it marked my entrance into the beautiful riding community that I had grown up in. I planned to document and share my experiences, and thanks to connections with ADVMoto, we’d be partially sponsored by some of my favorite brands, including Alpinestars, Shoei, and Sena.

Upon arrival in Spain, we met with Dad’s close friend, whose name also happened to be Pablo. He had family in Spain and looked forward to showing us around. Thanks to Europcar Bikes (Europcarbikes.com), our motorcycles were dropped off in Madrid: a BMW R1250GS for Dad, a Honda Africa Twin for Pablo, and a BMW F780GS for me.

The first day proved to be one of our hardest; nothing like baptism by fire or, in this case, heavy rain. Alana y dos Pablitos reluctantly left Madrid around midday to venture towards the historic town of Segovia, zigzagging through some curvy mountain roads. At the same time, the sky seemed to darken endlessly, spilling over us in ever-increasing intensity. This was my first time on a larger motorcycle, so it was a bit stressful. Despite the weather, I remained dry thanks to the exceptionally well-fitting Alpinestars gear. And their RT-7 Drystar boots turned out to be the perfect combination of compactness and lightweight while providing excellent protection and support. Although riding in nasty weather is never fun, it was a great way to test the capabilities of Alpinestars Drystar line, and I was very impressed.

Thankfully, my riding skills quickly came up to par, and by the time we arrived in Segovia late that afternoon, the rain had subsided. As the sun peaked out, the warmth felt like a reward for surviving the first day.

I was also mighty grateful for the Shoei Neotec II helmet. Its modularity was a godsend for slower riding around town in the heat or rain. Its exceptional ventilation, combined with the Pinlock EVO fog-resistant system, kept the visor clear of fog in the rain.

While the simple beauty of human connection had been easy for me to overlook in the past, it’s one of the hallmarks of motorcycling, and our arrival in Tudela, a town in the northern Spanish province of Navarra, was no exception. After riding all day, we’d worked up an appetite and were on a mission to find a restaurant. In the process, we stumbled upon a cute little place called L & Ele. One thing that I never questioned back home was that we could get almost any dish at any time of year, which is not the case throughout much of Europe. This is certainly the situation in Spain, as much of the produce is fresh, locally sourced, and, therefore, only available seasonally. As it turned out, it was tomato season, and their menu offered a host of related dishes.

We learned from our enthusiastic waitress that Tudela was known for tomate feo or “ugly tomatoes.” When asked how it got its name, she excitedly ran to the kitchen and presented me with one of the uniquely odd tomatoes. While it did live up to its name, their ugly tomato salad was delicious and some of the best I’d ever eaten. Throughout the meal, she continued to share photos and gush about their fresh produce, explaining that even the water could change the taste of the veggies and was, therefore, carefully selected. Tudela had such great water quality that surrounding towns also used it to ensure their produce had the best possible taste. It was impossible to miss the love and passion her entire family poured into their restaurant, and we spent over two hours chatting with them about it. It was yet another of the many beautiful reminders of the importance of human connection and how travel can link cultures and people that we otherwise would never know.

Toward the end of our trip, I was easing even more into the groove of life on the road. A key piece of gear that made the long rides more enjoyable was the Sena +Mesh Bluetooth communication system. I had older Sena versions and loved them for music and navigation, but this was the first time putting the +Mesh Intercom capabilities to the test in an adventure scenario. The battery life was impressive as it lasted for an entire day, one less thing to worry about as we navigated the labyrinth-like cobblestone roads often found in the city centers of our destinations. Our longest leg was from Tudela to Xábia, which ended up taking over 10 hours. By the end of the day, the one thing keeping me going was singing along to my favorite playlist. It was also nice to be able to communicate with Dad and Pablo at any point, and in case we needed a break or saw an idyllic spot for photos, the Sena allowed us to talk with the simple push of a button.

The final leg was just Dad and me, a special way to end such a wonderful ride. We made our way into Portugal, exploring the southern area of Algarve before riding north to Lisbon. Arriving in Portugal’s capital city, we navigated to the Europcar Bikes shop while I soaked up every second I could on the GS. It was a bittersweet end to our adventure having to drop off the motorcycles, but the friendly owner, Jorge, welcomed us with open arms and eased our journey to an end. We got to see just a tiny portion of the over 400 motorcycles in their fleet at one of the 10 different stations throughout Porto, Lisbon, and Algarve. He also proudly explained their plans to introduce a new self-guided tour option that caught my attention as I was already looking forward to the next adventure. Their new service started in January of 2024 and allows riders to customize their routes. As Jorge shared his plans, it was yet another reminder of just how kind the locals had been to us throughout our trip.

Before leaving the U.S., I’d assumed the ride would put me more in touch globally with people and their cultures. But I found that the lasting impression was more personal. Our father-daughter journey became a symbolic passing of the baton from Dad to me. It allowed me to explore the depths of my inner power and capabilities and opened the door for future solo travels that I knew would come. I began this journey as a daughter and as a follower, and now that I’m reflecting, I realize that the road was what I needed to step into greater potential.

Our ride also allowed me to relinquish the need to control everything, which was something I didn’t realize I had a problem with until I was thrust into situations where it was impossible to ignore. I’ve always believed we are infinite beings squeezed into finite bodies; perhaps traveling and seeing the wonders of the world is the closest we get to experiencing the boundlessness within ourselves.

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Alana Espinosa graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a BS in Marine Biology. She grew up surrounded by adventurous spirits, including both of her parents, who ride motorcycles and exposed her to camping and the outdoors at an early age. She has been riding for over five years and, thanks to a recent trip to the EU, has experienced two new continents and seven new countries! Instagram (@lucia.alana) or TikTok (@alana.lucia)

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