The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Northern Spain 2024: Rio Ebro, La Rioja & Basque Country

June 6th to June 22nd

Ride Coordinator: Clarice Sackett
Report by: Renee Blondfield

Our tour lead in conjunction with Iberocycle started in the Atlantic oceanfront town of Santander. Many of us rode the pre-ride on Day 0 which unfortunately resulted in a broken arm for one member that then flew home for surgery. Our well-wishing thoughts were with her.  The daily routine then began with a variety of breakfast buffets, some great, some minimal, followed by cycling the daily route, enjoying the Spain lunch hours, happy hour and dinner.  During happy hour we were provided with a presentation of what the next day’s route options were, what we should expect to see, and a bit of history of the area; Spain in general, or the population sectors of Spain. Overall, these presentations helped us all learn quite a bit about Spain. Some stand-outs were the numerous rivers that flow through Spain making it a wonderful growing region as well as the cultural variety within the country to include variations of the languages spoken.

The rain held off for our beautiful ride to Santillana del Mar but did not for the long day to Soto. Riding uphill in the misty clouds created an eerie environment with the sound of cowbells around us. This turned out to be a favorite ride for a few of us despite the lack of sunny skies. The sinking church, Rupestrian churches and a sweet downhill were the highlights on the way to the waterfall in Orbaneja del Castillo. The next few days brought some great cycling, epic views, a village on a natural bridge, beautiful murals, roadside wildflowers, wine tours and tasting, and cycling through the vineyards. 

Pamplona was a city with a roaring vibe. The streets were filled with locals enjoying the fare, concert goers, and tourists eating tapas. The next day we rode to St. Etienne, France. Many felt this was the most beautiful day with the lush green Pyrenees before us. The accommodations here were certainly spartan but we made do and enjoyed our layover day climbing into the Pyrenees with more stunning views. COVID hit our group and reached its peak at this point affecting 3 couples. The isolation was wearing, but the containment worked and each couple eventually made it back to the group.

Our ride to San Sebastian put us back on the lovely oceanfront. We were all thankful for no ride option on our layover day here and enjoyed the many sights and some relaxation. The oceanfront ride to Lekeitio was simply stunning with fun climbs and descents. Interestingly some thought this little fishing village was a bit dingey and others found it a favorite little stop.

Our last route took us along the ocean and into Bilbao, yet another day filled with stunning views.