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Biking the Camino

Rita Anne

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
i plan to cycle the Camino Frances in April 2017
We will be biking the Camino in April for the first time. I am a little nervous about the route, esp. around O'Cebriero. Anyone who may be able to advise would be greatly appreciated as there are no printed bike routes that we have found.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Hi @RitaAnne,
Do you speak Spanish? There are several good guide books on biking the Camino available on Amazon. You might need to go to Amazon.es to find. Or check out www.bicigrino.com.
Are you planning to ride on roads, or to stay as much as possible on the on the trail?
Where are you starting. You mention O'Cebreiro. I believe that is a section where you want to follow the bike markings and go on the road.
Best wishes.
 
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Tbank you so much. We are starting in Pamploma on April 9th or 10th. I haven't been able to find guide books in English, so I will look up the site you recommended. I am an average biker and have time limits, so this is the best way for us to experience the Camino.
Did you find any areas that were particularly challenging that we should spend more time at? We have 19 days
 
Actually I have not experienced the Camino yet. I will be biking the Via de la Plata route starting April 24. We will join the Frances Route at Astorga, so will go up th dreaded hill to Ocebreiro. I am prepared to push my bike up!
I purchased several bike guidebooks, but all were in Spanish. However the maps should be easily understandable.
Also if you go to www.gronze.com they show maps and elevation profiles for each "traditional" stage. We are biking 2 or 3 of the walking stages each day.
 
We will be biking the Camino in April for the first time. I am a little nervous about the route, esp. around O'Cebriero. Anyone who may be able to advise would be greatly appreciated as there are no printed bike routes that we have found.

Rita Anne,

For recent forum posts re biking O Cebreiro see these threads.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/biking-la-faba-and-o-cebreiro.28544/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/o-cebreiro-by-bike-how-tough-is-it.35568/

Happy planning and Buen camino!
 
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Hola @Rita Anne - Having ridden from Pamplona (Sep 2015) I can fully understand your issue with lack of cycle maps/guides. In general the Brierley one has all the background / culture / albergue info you will need/appreciate. The Michelin guide I found the most useful as it has road/route numbers so you have a better understanding of which road you are ridding on. The is a really good one (but its only in French) that tells you which sections of the Camino trail you can ride and which sections to avoid. (If you search back through this section of the forum you will see some useful posts from newfydog - and maybe some of mine - that comment of sections to avoid. The section around O'Cebriero is well served by a seal road, just west of the village of Herrerias you will see a marker indicating walking pilgrims to the left and cycling pilgrims to the right. It is steep in places but you should have your cycling legs by the time you reach it. Cheers & Buen Camino.
 
Actually I have not experienced the Camino yet. I will be biking the Via de la Plata route starting April 24. We will join the Frances Route at Astorga, so will go up th dreaded hill to Ocebreiro. I am prepared to push my bike up!
I purchased several bike guidebooks, but all were in Spanish. However the maps should be easily understandable.
Also if you go to www.gronze.com they show maps and elevation profiles for each "traditional" stage. We are biking 2 or 3 of the walking stages each day.

Thank you JuanaJoanna. We will also be at O'Cebriero around April 24th if all goes as planned. I have loomed at your references and fid them to be very helpful. Maybe we will see you there!
 
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Hola @Rita Anne - Having ridden from Pamplona (Sep 2015) I can fully understand your issue with lack of cycle maps/guides. In general the Brierley one has all the background / culture / albergue info you will need/appreciate. The Michelin guide I found the most useful as it has road/route numbers so you have a better understanding of which road you are ridding on. The is a really good one (but its only in French) that tells you which sections of the Camino trail you can ride and which sections to avoid. (If you search back through this section of the forum you will see some useful posts from newfydog - and maybe some of mine - that comment of sections to avoid. The section around O'Cebriero is well served by a seal road, just west of the village of Herrerias you will see a marker indicating walking pilgrims to the left and cycling pilgrims to the right. It is steep in places but you should have your cycling legs by the time you reach it. Cheers & Buen Camino.

Thank you Saint Mike. I will look up the previous posts on the forum. I will take all the advice I can get.
 
Hola @Rita Anne - Having ridden from Pamplona (Sep 2015) I can fully understand your issue with lack of cycle maps/guides. In general the Brierley one has all the background / culture / albergue info you will need/appreciate. The Michelin guide I found the most useful as it has road/route numbers so you have a better understanding of which road you are ridding on. The is a really good one (but its only in French) that tells you which sections of the Camino trail you can ride and which sections to avoid. (If you search back through this section of the forum you will see some useful posts from newfydog - and maybe some of mine - that comment of sections to avoid. The section around O'Cebriero is well served by a seal road, just west of the village of Herrerias you will see a marker indicating walking pilgrims to the left and cycling pilgrims to the right. It is steep in places but you should have your cycling legs by the time you reach it. Cheers & Buen Camino.
thanks mate :) much appreciative :)
 



some input as to the stages and other suggestions. Bicigrino is the best one and has maps and downloads so you don't have carry a heavy book. Keep your gear below 8 kg. If you go in early spring as we did you will need a good poncho (our cheap ones were ripped to shreds on the high winds on the Col de Ibaneta. You will also want WATERPROOF (not water resistant) gloves. A buff is also essential in cold winds. I highly suggest a full suspension bike with very low gears and disc brakes. DO NOT rent from Bikeiberia. They gave us broken, seven year old bikes and refused to answer e-mail and phone.
 
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DO NOT rent from Bikeiberia. They gave us broken, seven year old bikes and refused to answer e-mail and phone.
Just to say that our experience of BikeIberia was very different : 2 bikes in perfect condition (one never-ridden) ; delivery and collection worked well ; phone calls answered rapidly by a very helpful young woman whose English was excellent. They were able to supply a smaller bike for my wife than another firm which we used in 2017.
Rental was in May 2018 ; Seville to Salamanca.

I have no connection to BikeIberia other than as a satisfied customer.
 
We will be biking the Camino in April for the first time. I am a little nervous about the route, esp. around O'Cebriero. Anyone who may be able to advise would be greatly appreciated as there are no printed bike routes that we have found.
We are busy cycling it at the moment - currently in Sahagun. There is a book called Cycling the Camino by Mike Wells available as an ebook on kindle or Amazon. If you buy the book, you can also download both his road on footpath gpx files. My biggest frustration has been the lack of gps files that show where one changes from footpath to road and back. Printed guides are useless while riding.
I am.not crazy fit and have found about 50km per day to be my limit. That allows time to stop and experience things along the route. So far we have stuck to footpath but will do road bit up the 2 major climbs. It is much harder on loose gravel and rocky roads than tar.
Also we have hit a cold snap and it is freezing with the windchill on the bike. Equip yourself very well for cold, wind and rain.
And lastly, all the walkers complain that cyclists dont ring their bells and they get a fright. But they all walk with headphones so you literally have to slow right to their pace, ringing like fury before they notice. And then their movement is unpredictable. So be careful and patient. Buen Camino
 

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