Rioja Cycling Tour

Situated on the banks of the Nervión River on the north coast of Spain, the Basque port of Bilbao is home to the iconic Guggenheim, a picturesque old quarter, lively nightlife and some great tapas bars and restaurants. Architect Frank Gehry’s famous Guggenheim museum is certainly best appreciated from the outside. Its ultra modern design as a stylised boat is meant to reflect the city’s shipping heritage and its metallic finish changes beautifully with the light conditions. Whatever hour your flight arrives there will be time to take a stroll along the riverbank to take in this spectacle before sampling some of the fantastic Basque food.

Overnight Standard Hotel

Taking a taxi to the bus station this morning we then catch a local bus 2 hours to Burgos, situated on the eastern edge of the central Iberian plain. The once historic capital of Castile, Burgos is home to a stunning Gothic cathedral that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. After a chance to visit the cathedral we then meet our bikes and any necessary adjustments are made so that you are happy with the fit and feel before we head off. We start on our bikes heading out of town along the Arlanzon River, following a dirt trail before joining a secondary road to Arlanzon village. It is here that we join the Via Verde de la Demanda gravel cycle trail for the remaining 28km to the village of Pineda de la Sierra. Away from vehicles, the Via Verde follows the route of an old British built mining railway into the wooded Demanda Mountains. The gentle incline makes for easy cycling and the terrain is perfect for bikes. There is a damaged section of tunnel where it will be necessary to walk the bikes a short distance up and down a steep slope. We spend the night in the quiet mountain town of Pineda de la Sierra.
Cycling distance: Approximately 49 kilometres. Gradient: +500/-100 metres.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

We continue our journey through the peaceful wooded Demanda Mountains this morning with a further 34km along the Via Verde cycle trail. There is another section of damaged tunnel where we will need to push our bikes up and down a steep access road. As we ascend further and reach a col we start to gain rewarding views of eastern Demanda valleys to mark our progress and after while join a provincial tarmac road and leave the Via Verde behind. We now find ourselves in the heart of the Demanda Mountains as we commence a sweeping descent past forests of oak and beech towards the dramatic setting of the hydroelectric Mansilla reservoir - the source of the Najerilla River. A region of fertile farmland and abundant rivers, we are unlikely to see much wildlife on our bikes but the area is home to wild boar, golden eagles, honey buzzards and Iberian wolves, with several sections also having been declared a Special Interest Area for birdlife. We follow the road to our hotel for the night in the tiny hamlet of Viniegra de Abajo.
Cycling distance: Approximately 52 kilometres. Gradient: +400/-700 metres.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today provides us with a varied and possibly most challenging day, as we tackle the provincial road tarmac route from Viniegra to San Millán, cycling up and over a ridge of the Sierra Demande as we continue our loop around the Demanda Mountains. We start the day with a thrilling descent alongside the Najerilla River, along the way you’ll see a road sign welcoming us into La Region province and we bid farewell to Castilla y Leon. As we climb our way over the ridge we are rewarded with views across the Ebro Valley. This side of the Ebro Valley is mostly dedicated to fields of wheat and the Rioja wine production is concentrated on the northern flanks for the Ebro. In any case, fine wines can be appreciated all over the region in any bar or restaurant. Our final destination today is the Monastery of Yuso, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a stunning piece of Baroque architecture that can trace its origins back to the 16th century patronage of King Garcia Sanchez of Najera. Part of a complex that includes the 6th century Yuso Monastery, we spend the evening in this spectacular historic setting that is considered the home of the Castilian (Spanish) language in the comfort of a 4 star hotel.
Cycling distance: Approximately 39 kilometres. Gradient: +400/-700 metres.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we cycle down to the Ebro River and the lovely old town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a place steeped in the history and religious fervour of the Camino de Santiago. As in Burgos it is easy to spot pilgrims both walking and cycling the Camino, following the conch shell signs on their way to Santiago de Compostela. The town’s meandering medieval streets, Cathedral and Old Pilgrims Hospital have seen it elevated to the status of a National Historic Interest Site and we have time to explore a little before we continue. We leave tarmac provincial roads behind for a 15km downhill stretch of gravel via verde (another railway track converted into a cycle path). After a time we divert back onto tarmac B roads and make a short climb up towards Haro and Briñas, to our base for three nights at a Casa Rural in the heart of the Rioja wine-growing region.
Cycling distance: Approximately 42 kilometres. Gradient: +150/-450 metres.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we have the chance to relax and enjoy a little more of this beautiful region. There are options to continue exploring with your bike, with a number of cycling routes available that offer a chance to sample a little of Rioja’s rural charm. Your tour leader will explain the alternatives. Alternatively you may like to take a break from the bikes and pay a visit to the nearby Cune Bodega in Haro, a traditional winery that can began life back in the 19th century. The visit offers a chance to taste some famous vintages and includes a tour of the winery, taking in its cellars and its innovative ‘Wine Village’.
Cycling distance (optional): Distances and gradients vary.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Resuming our journey by bike this morning your tour leader leads the way on a circular route as we continue along the Ebro River to Briones, past hillside villages and bodegas before paying a visit to the interesting Dinastia Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture. We then continuing north-east crossing over into La Rioja Alavesa, which constitutes part of the Basque country and is controversially named to some in La Rioja ‘proper’. We continue through a rolling landscape at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria past numerous vineyards to the picturesque village of La Guardia. It is on the outskirts of this charming village that we visit the remarkable Bodega Ysios, where we have an opportunity to combine strikingly modern architecture with wine tasting before we make our way back to Briñas along a different route. Today’s route is along provincial tarmac roads, often undulating and rarely flat , a grand tour of La Rioja to end the week and some sections will be busier than others with traffic.
Cycling distance: Approximately 55 kilometres. Gradient: +/-400 metres.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

A local bus from Haro this morning takes us back to Bilbao where our tour ends (a journey time of slightly less than two hours). From here we return to the airport by taxi for the flight home.

Included meals: Breakfast