Asturias northern Spain road cycling route  – a mountian paradise

Daily itinerary of the supported road bike tour

1st Day: Oviedo – Individual arrival

We stablish our headquarters in Oviedo, former capital of the former Kingdom of Asturias, where we will stay in the city center in Longoria Plaza hotel.
It has all the necessary elements for cycling lovers, closed warehouse for bikes, workshop, repair area depending on the availability of each one we recommend you visit the palaces of the kingdom of Asturias in the foothills of Mount Naranco, the Museum of Fine Arts or the Cathedral. At 7 pm we will hold a briefing of all the activities to be carried out during the week and the delivery of the bikes.

2nd Day: Oviedo – Alto de la Cubilla 70 km / 44 miles +2430 m / positive climb 7972 ft

From Oviedo we will ascend La Cubilla, one of the best kept secrets of Spanish cycling recently discovered by the organization of La Vuelta a España. Before preparing our legs we will climb the Cordal, a neighbor of the illustrious Angliru, we will descend to Pola de Lena and from there we will roll to Campomanes where we will start the climb of La Cubilla. We will enjoy 28 kilometers of continuous and on-climb, with a 4.7%, crowning an altitude of 1,672 metres. All the cycling to be done through the Natural Park of Las Ubiñas-La Mesa. A climb worthy of the Tour itself.

3rd Day: Oviedo – El Fito stage and transfer to Llanes 70 km / 44 miles

We pack our bags, have good breakfast and leave central Asturias rolling on a soft ground to Sariego and from there, after crowning the 4th category mountain pass of the Campa, we descend to Villaviciosa where we supply ourselves with whatever is needed and we will reach the coast of the Cantabrian Sea. Then we will pedal through a terrain of continuous ups and downs passing through the wonderful fishing village of Lastres before reaching Colunga. But one of the best part of this tour starts here, starting the climb to another classic of La Vuelta a España, El Fito. This is a 1st category mountain pass of 8 kilometers of ascent to 8% of average elevation, reaching a height of 560 meters above sea level. At the summit of Fito we will see the lovely landscapes seen by Miguel Induráin before retiring from La Vuelta and cycling. The end is an award for lovers of breathtaking landscapes: at your feet the entire eastern Asturian coast from Cantabria to Cabo Peñas and, behind, the entire Cantabrian mountain range, presided over by the Picos de Europa. At the end of the stage we move to Llanes where we will continue to enjoy El Paraíso.

4th Day: Peaks of Europe and / or Descent of river Sella in kayak

We leave early from our Hotel in Llanes and travel to the Covadonga Lakes from where the trekking will depart. We will leave from a height of about 1,200 meters to reach almost 2,000 meters on a route lasting about 5 hours through the National Park of the Picos de Europa. The route will have an average difficulty. In case the weather conditions do not allow the trekking the option may be to make a kayak descent of the rivers Sella or Cares-Deva.

5th Day: Llanes – Lakes of Covadonga 62 km / 39 miles

At sea level in the wonderful fishing village of Llanes we enter the incredible coastal mountain range of Cuera through roads with very little traffic. We ascend to the height of the Tornería (2nd category mountain pass) of 5.5 kilometers in length, with an average elevation of 7% and a height of 470 meters. The views over the Cantabrian and the Picos de Europa are spectacular. We descend and immediately link with the second pass of the day, El Torno, 4 kilometers long, at 6.5% of elevation and a height of 384 meters above sea level. We ride on friendly terrain for about 20 kilometers to the Royal Site of Covadonga, the door to the National park of Los Picos de Europa. This being the beginning of our most challenging climb to the Covadonga Lakes: 12.7 kilometers of ascent with an average slope of 6.7% and a final height of almost 1,200 meters above sea level.

6th Day: Llanes – Sotres 65 km / 40 miles

The perfect symbiosis between cycling and nature. A prize for the senses! We leave Llanes towards Posada where we tour along the banks of river Les Cabres to ascend the Ortiguero pass, a gentle ascent to one of the most spectacular landscapes for cycling, the central massif of the Picos de Europa. We descend the Estazadas to Arenas de Cabrales, where we will turn right to enter the Cares gorge to Poncebos. Here we start the ascent that will alternate soft sections with harder ones until shortly before reaching Sotres, where we already find hard ramps which for 4 km at no time will go down from 10%, to arrive at Jitu Escarandi. From here 7 km of downhill to the village of Tresviso. We return to Oviedo, discover its wonderful historic center and celebrate a typical Asturian dinner in a cider house as a colophon of 6 days of cycling, sport and nature at the highest level.

8th Day: Oviedo – End of trip or extension

End of tour by tour. Individual departure.

WHAT´S INCLUDED IN THE BIKE TRIP?