Biking SJP to Santiago Observations

[Wayne of LaVerne]

i just finished the route on my 15 yr old cannondale jekyl, panniers & panaracer knobby tires.
Observations:
Initial plan was riding the walkers route starting with the napoleon. Bad idea. Mostly hike & bike. Never saw 1 other rider. Hiker said they saw 1, but with no luggage.
Books said 15% of pilgrims are bike riding. Consensus among us riders was 1% to 2% max.
Riding routes can be very desolate, not seeing another pilgrim for hours. Be very sure of your route constantly verifying.
The Dutch riders are great companions, but they are firm followers of the Dutch Guide Book & will not vary. This amount to extra miles.
I only road 2 1/2 mixed days on the walkers route. Using knobbies for the balance is much slower the the thinner tires used by all others.
I should have downloaded the bike route also (not just the walkers route) & brought Michelin map. Impossible to find once on route. I did find the Spanish mountain bike route map which helped.
Bring a compass.

 

[Jenny267]

Hi Wayne I'll be riding in September, I'm interested to know why you only rode 2 days on the walkers route? Crowded, Rough for riding etc
And about the riders route being desolate - is it so far away from everything.... I have a Michelin guide and have been researching as well, and am interested in all opinions and experiences

 

[wcsjms]

hmmmm ... I wonder why they call it the walkers route and who should be on it? After wife and I, along with others, were nearly run over by hard charging bicyclists ...perhaps the cyclists should use the cycling route. Just a thought. Not as scenic, then ditch the bike and walk. Buen Camino !!!

 

[newfydog]

What route were you on? I can't say it sounds anything like our experiences.

 

[nycwalking]

Congrats.

 

[Wayne of LaVerne]

Hi Wayne I'll be riding in September, I'm interested to know why you only rode 2 days on the walkers route? Crowded, Rough for riding etc
And about the riders route being desolate - is it so far away from everything.... I have a Michelin guide and have been researching as well, and am interested in all opinions and experiences

Riding the napolean route is tough. Being the 1st day didn't help. Had good weather then.
No crowd except after Sarria. Then the vibe changes a bit. I biked the few miles (by mistake). I just kept it it low gear & followed behind the masses until trail crossed my road route.
When the walkers route. & road route are the same, it's not uncommon to have 3-4 walking side by side. They are often in a zone & a Bell doesn't help. Just be patient & enjoy the ride. Hopefully you might ride with some Dutch on their special route.
Give yourself route options, depending on how well you feel.

 

[Wayne of LaVerne]

What route were you on? I can't say it sounds anything like our experiences.

I was on a combinations of many routes. The walkers, riders, Dutch riders, spanish riders & my just getting lost routes.

 

[Saint Mike II]

I was on a combinations of many routes. The walkers, riders, Dutch riders, spanish riders & my just getting lost routes.

Without really seeing a map of your route I am in the same boat as Newfydog. As I have reported a number of times I cycled from Pamplona to Santiago and from Pamplona to Rabanal I followed at least 90% of the walkers trail. Only where is was just not feasible to follow the walkers Camino or where it ran parallel to a road and thus the road was more practical. From Rabanal it was about 50/50 road and camino.

 

[Carol PM]

Hi Wayne I'll be riding in September, I'm interested to know why you only rode 2 days on the walkers route? Crowded, Rough for riding etc
And about the riders route being desolate - is it so far away from everything.... I have a Michelin guide and have been researching as well, and am interested in all opinions and experiences

Which Michelin guide book did you buy? We are planning on cycling the last week in September until Oct. 14th and I don't seem be be able to find a road cycling map for the Camino Francs.

 

[Jenny267]

Hi @Carol PM I bought the Michelin Camino de Santiago guide, st jean pied de port to Santiago. I bought it online from the Map and Chart Shop in Perth Australia, I'm sure google will let you know where it's available near you It's a very useful book

 

[Carol PM]

Hi Wayne I'll be riding in September, I'm interested to know why you only rode 2 days on the walkers route? Crowded, Rough for riding etc
And about the riders route being desolate - is it so far away from everything.... I have a Michelin guide and have been researching as well, and am interested in all opinions and experiences

Another two questions please. 1. Does it have the roads on it? and 2) Were you able to get this book in English, I can only find it in Spanish. Also when are you starting to cycle the French Camino. We hope to Sept. 26th at Pamplona.

 

[Jenny267]

@Carol PM here is the link to the book that I bought. The marked route is the walking track and subsidiary roads are clearly marked. I'll try to attach a photo of a page to demonstrate. It is multi lingual, there is not much text anyway. It seems to be available on Amazon as well.
http://www.chartandmapshop.com.au/2...MIgIOEi4291QIVD769Ch2zOQdAEAQYAyABEgKoi_D_BwE
We start from Pamplona on 3rd September and finish up in Santiago on 19th.
I hope this helps, cheers