Walking and Cycling Camino Frances

[Lsk walker]

I have three weeks to complete the Camino Frances, and am looking at both walking and cycling, perhaps walking as far as Pamplona, picking up a bike and cycling to Leon and walking the remainder of the camino. Any advise, sharing of experiences, look forward to hearing from people. thanks

 

[Older Guy]

My plan is to take 19 days to bike from Pamplona to Santiago, with 6 flex/rest/weather/tourist days. Prior to my start I am going to give myself 3 days to get over jet-lag split between Madrid and Pamplona. The reason that I have 6 flex days in my schedule is because on average about 1/3 of the days in May have measurable precipitation. Some of those days could be horrible storms and others could be light rain for just a few minutes. In some of my training rides, I have trained in rain, just to be on the safe side as far as gear and conditioning. Spending time in churches, taking in museums will also be an important part of my Camino for me.

In the past in training for both long bike rides and half marathons, I find that my body responds best if I have at least one day off a week and one day of very light exercise. So if I add tourism, then 2 to 3 "rest/recovery" days per week are what allow me to keep going week after week after week without over-use injuries.

To do a combination bike and hike, I would think you would have some extra gear that you won't need for the other transportation mode. Things like bike helmet, bike shoes, padded bike pants, padded bike gloves, etc. Other things like hiking boots, treking poles, large backpack would just be extra baggage for the biking part. Also the muscle groups you will be using will be different for each mode of transportation. Then again, if you have trained for this, it shouldn't be a problem.

I am curious why you are not biking farther like Astorga or Ponferrada? Is it that you want to minimize your biking so you can maximize your hiking time into your schedule? Again, I would urge you to plan a few flex days into your schedule, if for nothing else some bad weather.

Good luck.

 

[MTtoCamino]

What a great idea! I think you will have the best forms of movement for the terrain you have chosen. Of course I personally think riding a bike is the easy way except for two locations a hint: Mountains.

 

[Lsk walker]

Thankyou for your feedback, the bike ride is purely to try cover some distance at a faster pace, I would like to ultimately walk into Santiago.

 

[Older Guy]

Thankyou for your feedback, the bike ride is purely to try cover some distance at a faster pace, I would like to ultimately walk into Santiago.

I would like to caution you that if you have not "conditioned" your "bottom" through hours in the saddle, you stand a good chance of getting very saddle sore & numb from more than a few constant hours in the bike saddle each day. This is even more true without padded bike shorts. Hands also take a terrific beating, which is why padded bike gloves are so necessary. In long distance rides, I have seen lots of people stop after around 30 to 40 miles, simply because it hurts too much to continue. I know people who have been chaffed raw on their "bottom/thighs" after 200 miles of riding without proper training.

If you haven't trained for riding long distances on a bike, keep your stages short, especially at the beginning. Use padded bike shorts and butt butter. Also stop and/or walk your bike often if you haven't trained on a bike, as it will help you avoid hurting your "bottom." You are looking at about 249 miles of bike riding (if I did my math right). You are hoping to cover more distance on a bike than you could by walking. A trained bike rider can easily do 10 to 12 mph all day, while 3 to 4 mph is pretty top speed for a walker with a pack. Not sure how many miles a day you are looking at, but be careful and take it easy.

If you have been training on a bike you should have no problems.

Good luck on your Camino.

 

[MTtoCamino]

Then there is the mud, I didn't bike but some riding by me were well covered in mud.