Preparing to bike from Burgos to Leon, need advice please!

Hi and a warm welcome to the forum; I'm glad you're here.

1. It depends on your fitness level. Since everyone experiences physical exertion differently, opinions on this are purely subjective based on individual experience.

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4. A big, loud horn or bell. Assume the pedestrians that you are approaching from behind can't hear your approach. Signal far enough back that you won't startle pedestrian pilgrims. Slow down as you get close so that the speed and mass discrepancy between bike and pedestrian is not so great in case of a collision. Bikes and pedestrians yield to horses, bikes yield to pedestrians.

5. From what I've read, panniers and racks are part of the bike rentals. I would be hesitant to carry a regular, loaded backpack on my back while biking; it makes for interesting center of gravity conundrums.

Try using the search engine since there are a lot of bike related threads that have been posted which can be of help in your research.

Welcome to the forum @alafter. I am not a cyclist and I'm sure they will give better advice than me. I think the bike hire people will also hire you bike panniers, so it would probably be easiest to pack into those and to send your pack forward to Leon by one of the baggage transfer companies.

@alafter , I researched biking Burgos to Leon.

First up I looked at the web sites. I was not comfortable with the descriptions of how to cope with my backpack. As @davebugg says above, the centre of gravity would be too high. As @Kanga suggests, I looked at forwarding my pack to Leon. But with no booking (or address) in Leon that appeared difficult.

Second up I looked at the elevation profile of the way. The steep clinb just after Castrojeriz definitely looked interesting for cycling with stuff in panniers, as did the descent down the otherside.

The day before Burgos I encountered three cyclists. One had limited use of his legs: he and one other were riding hand propelled bikes and the third was on a regular bike. In the chat I learned they rode the main roads as, in their experience, the way was often not suitable for bikes.

On arrival at Leon I was comfortable with walking and not biking on the way from Burgos. At age 75 I completed that section in six days, so not much time saving. But more especially much of the way, in my opinion, is not suitable for biking, Many urban trails in my country are "shared" with "pedestrian priority". The few cyclists I encountered on the way in Spain gave the impression (even if nicely) they came first. Where a road was alongside the way they were often not wide. I suspect (local) drivers would not easily cope with encountering a cyclist.

I wish you well with your consideration

Kia haha (take care, be strong, get going)

alafter said:

Coming from Thailand and goin g to be starting the Camino on 27 May, and i will probably get to burgos on 8 of June.
Then I am planning to ride for 3-4 days to Leon. I have questions tho...

1) How tiring would it be to bike this part in 3 days vs 4 days? I'm 40, average fitness
2) What type of bike would be the best?
3) What is the cheapest acceptable company to rent from and how much am i looking to pay?
4) What are the accessories that I should I ask to add onto the bike? I'll get the helmet...for sure : )
5) My backpack ios about 56 cm long. Do bikes come with a way to strap the backpack to the bike itself or am I expected to carry it on my back?

PLease let me know thank you!

Click to expand...

1 3 days would be easy to an averagely fit 40 year old, when I was 44 I did it in 2 days just stopping in Carrion de los Condes.
2 hybrid
3 I do not have information on bike companies
4 rack (plus helmet)
5 use elasticated cords to attach your pack to the rack or wear it despite what others have said I prefer to do this

The land between Burgos and Leon is almost pan-flat, the little hill after Castrojeriz is easily avoided without a detour.

I rode the Camino in September last year. The Burgos to Leon section took us 2 and a half days, so 3 is reasonable. We rode partly on the track and partly on nearby quiet roads, a good combination. It is not a totally flat ride, more a series of rolling hills with a few short steeper sections, rocky in places. You could expect to push the bike a couple of times for short sections.
We rode hybrid touring bikes from cyclingrentals.com you will need a start hotel and finish hotel to have the bike dropped off and picked up.
This rental company at the link below also looks like a good option as they cater to walkers by putting a box on the back rack to put your bag in. Cycling with a back pack isn't great fun.
http://bicigreen.com/en/bike-rental/100-rental-bicycles-burgos-to-leon.html

I found greeting walkers with a cheery hello from a safe distance to warn them you are coming a better option than ringing a bell which tended to frighten people.
Cheers and enjoy

Hello Everyone

I am planning to bike the mesetas - burgos to leon and this is my plan for the moment

1: 4 days, I do not want this to become a marathon, and I have a tourist "pace"

2:.. see 3

3: after researching and getting in contact with local bike rentals, I have chosen this https://burgosbikerental.webnode.es/burgosbikerental/ I think they are affordable e reliable, with loads of bike types.

4: helmet, lock and chain, bike bell.. I cannot think anything else essential ..

5: good question! I was thinking to ask for a basket

Any further suggestion is more than welcome! I think I will be in Burgos on 8/9 Sept!

Buen Camino!