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Experience the passion and excitement of our La Vuelta bike trip to Spain during the final week of the race, passing through the north of Spain and La Rioja before the dramatic finale in Madrid.
The final week of La Vuelta opens with a classic climb up to the famed Lagos de Covadonga, classified as a special category climb with gradients of up to 7%, and ending with the fearsome Picón Blanco, which has every potential to crack the race wide open in the penultimate stage! We’ll have the opportunity to cycle the route of La Vuelta for ourselves mere hours before the pro cyclists, before heading to our VIP seats at the finish line to watch a peloton full of cycling stars fight for first place.
As well as the hills and mountains, we’ll also experience the breathtaking natural landscapes and unique cultures of Cantabria and La Rioja. We’ll swap pine forests and mountains for rolling hills and vineyards as we cycle through Spain’s most famous wine region, visiting fairytale mountain villages and sampling some of the country’s finest gastronomy and wine.
The Vuelta is the most intimate of the three major professional cycling tours: the relaxed atmosphere and easy access to the professional cyclists and their teams make it a very special cycling experience. Accommodation in luxury 4* and 5* hotels; VIP access to restricted race areas; logistical support from our van at all times; carefully-selected guided cycling routes; as well as the company of our experienced guides, guarantee that your La Vuelta experience will be not only a spectacular cycling experience, but also a fantastic gastronomic and cultural tour. We are confident that our La Vuelta bike tour will be a trip that you will never forget.
Day 1: Sunday, September 1st. Madrid.
Arrival day
Accommodation: Hotel Catalonia Goya
Arrival at leisure in Madrid. Today, we’ll enjoy some free time to get to know Spain’s elegant capital.
If you would like some assistance to help you make the most of your time in Madrid, please contact our Bike Spain Tours team for their recommendations.
Day 2: Monday, September 2nd. Villacarriedo
Accommodation: Abba Palacio de Soñanes
Route: 54.6km / +821m
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
In the morning, we’ll travel up to the beautiful mountain town of Villacarriedo, tucked away in the verdant Carriedo valley, which has been inhabited since prehistoric times. We’ll spend some time at leisure exploring the atmospheric historic centre before meeting back at our hotel for the bike fitting, and to explain how the tour will work.
In the afternoon, we’ll take our bikes out for a spin along the Cantabrian coast, passing through picturesque fishing villages such as San Vicente de la Barquera and the lovely beachfront town of Comillas, famous for its astonishing architecture, including El Capricho by Spanish Modernist icon Antonio Gaudí. Our cycling route finishes in the charming medieval village of Santillana del Mar, where we can spend some time exploring before heading back to our hotel for a delicious dinner.
Day 3: Tuesday, September 3rd. Villacarriedo
Accommodation: Abba Palacio de Soñanes
La Vuelta: Stage 16: Luanco > Lagos de Covadonga
Route: 87.5km / +2095m
Meals included: Breakfast
Today we will face an iconic La Vuelta climb up to Lagos de Covadonga, a popular stage finish for the race over the years and classified as a special category climb with gradients of 7%. As well as its fame as a La Vuelta stage finish, the Covadonga lakes are known for their spectacular natural beauty, and proximity to the mountaintop Basilica de Covadonga cathedral.
After cycling up to the iconic summit finish, we’ll get our breath back in our VIP seats at the stage finish line and watch the pros make their way up the very same hill, before heading back to our hotel.
Day 4: Wednesday, September 4th. Villacarriedo
Accommodation: Abba Palacio de Soñanes
La Vuelta: Stage 17: Monumento Juan del Castillo (Arnuero) > Santander
Route: 119.2km / +2500m
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
On today’s cycle route, we will discover the true Cantabrian pastoral lifestyle, exploring hidden valleys and cycling through the Hayedo de Aloños forest up to the mountain pass of La Braguía, from where we’ll be able to enjoy spectacular views of our unspoilt natural surroundings. Next, we’ll follow today’s La Vuelta stage up a brand-new category 2 climb to Alto de la Estranguada before stopping at Alto del Caracol to watch the pros.
After the final rider has crested the summit, we’ll enjoy a beautiful downhill ride to Villacarriedo, enjoying views of the distant Cantabrian Sea.
Day 5: Thursday, September 5th. La Rioja.
Accommodation: Hotel Villa de Ábalos
La Vuelta: Stage 18: Vitoria-Gazteiz > Maeztu-Parque Natural de Izki
Route: 53.5km / +1174m
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Pack your bags, we’re going to wine country!
In the morning, we’ll visit Laguardia, a breathtaking hilltop town surrounded by grapevines that looks like something taken out of a fairytale. During the Middle Ages, Laguardia was an important fortress town, and still retains well-preserved medieval architecture, including several monasteries and convents and the old fortress walls. It has been a major centre of wine production since the 14th century, and many of its historic bodegas are still in operation to this day.
Our cycle route will take us out of Laguardia and up to the Balcón de La Rioja, from where we can take in spectacular views over the rolling hills and endless vineyards of Spain’s most famous wine region. Next, we’ll cycle through the Sierra de Cantiabria, a natural paradise of pine forests and imposing granite cliffs, before finishing in the Izki Natural Park in time to take our seats in the VIP area and cheer on the pro cyclists as they cross the finish line of today’s stage.
We’ll spend tonight in our hotel in the tiny village of Ábalos (pop. 255!) which is almost completely dedicated to winemaking.
Day 6: Friday, September 6th. La Rioja.
Accommodation: Hotel Villa de Ábalos
La Vuelta: Stage 19: Logroño > Alto de Moncalvillo
Route: 100.8km / +2084m
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Today we’ll enjoy a relaxed bike ride along the course of the River Ebro, cycling past vineyards and bodegas and discovering small, historic towns such as San Vicente de Sonsierra and Haro, famous for its annual wine fight festival. Our cycle route starts to get more intense as we rejoin the route of La Vuelta and face a challenging climb up to today’s summit finish on Alto de Moncalvillo, with gradients of 9%. Once at the top, we’ll take our VIP seats and watch the nailbiting finish!
Day 7: Saturday, September 7th. Madrid
Accommodation: Hotel Catalonia Goya
La Vuelta: Stage 20: Villarcayo > Picón Blanco
Route: 46.5km / +1384
Meals included: Breakfast
Today, we’ll be watching the start of the stage from Villarcayo! We’ll use our VIP passes to join in with the behind-the-scenes excitement before the beginning of the day’s stage, taking selfies with our favourite pro cyclists and chatting to their teams.
From Villarcayo, our final cycle route takes us through the unique landscape of La Merindad de Sotoscueva, a fascinating network of limestone valleys, in which dense forests give way to pastures that have been used to graze livestock for centuries. Keep your eyes peeled for golden eagles and peregrine falcons! We will finish with the fearsome Picón Blanco summit a few hours before the pros, before travelling south to Madrid ahead of the tomorrow’s grand final!
Day 8: Sunday, September 8th. Madrid
Accommodation: Hotel Catalonia Goya
La Vuelta: Stage 21: Distrito Telfónica> Madrid
Meals included: Breakfast
Last day party!
Today is the day of the grand final. We’ll spend the morning at leisure in Madrid, cycling the route of the final stage or simply exploring the city. In the afternoon, the party begins! We’ll take our seats in the luxury VIP area next to the finish line, from where we can watch the end of the Vuelta. Buffet of food, drinks and snacks.
Day 9: Monday, September 9th. Madrid
Departure day
After breakfast, our tour will come to an end.
Today, you can enjoy a free day in Madrid, before flying home from the international airport.
Bike Spain Tours guides will be available to help you with your onward travel plans and any other details to make sure you have a perfect trip back home!
Hotel Catalonia Goya
Sleep in Madrid’s Golden Mile at the Catalonia Goya hotel in the heart of the Salamanca neighbourhood.
The hotel has recently refurbished rooms with a contemporary design, an urban pool ideal for cooling off on a hot day, and a gym to keep up with your workouts. Each morning you will enjoy an extensive buffet breakfast with a cooking show and you can stop off at the Gastrobar anytime for Mediterranean-inspired dishes that can also be served in your room.
Abba Palacio de Soñanes
This beautiful Baroque 18th century palace in the heart of the Carriedo Valley, surrounded by the verdant Cantabrian countryside, Abba Palacio de Soñanes is the perfect blend of nature and luxury. To this day it retains many original stone features, including the the enchanting Renaissance staircase at the building’s heart.
The hotel has 30 beautifully decorated rooms and offers guests an outdoor pool, as well as its own library.
Hotel Villa de Abalos
Located in the very heart of Spains La Rioja region, in the village of Ábalos.
This pleasantly-situated family hotel is surrounded by fields containing seemingly endless rows of the areas characteristic grape vines. Stone, wood and wrought iron combine to create an ambience that is both attractively modern and traditionally comfortable. The ground floor is the location of the communal areas, the reception desk, the lounges, the sun terrace, the garden and the bike park.
3.600,00€
Included
Not Included
Spain took us by surprise, in a very good way. The culture, the people, the natural beauty, the food and wine and deep history are all very impressive and so much fun to explore and understand. Riding the course ahead of the race, the climbs and the incredible landscapes we saw – amazing. The group of people we had on our trip were surprisingly all really great folks and we seemed to get along swimmingly. The human connections, riding together, jumping in the van and traveling around as a group, enjoying dinners and after meal conversations – those are the best memories and we’ll cherish this trip for the rest of our lives… and will most likely stay in touch and maybe ride again with some of the crew!!
I rate our experience a 10. Niki an Luis really made our trip one we will never forget. The choices for us about cycling routes, restaurants and hotels were all excellent. Niki and Luis were truly a pleasure to be around. They gave 100% to making sure we had a memorable cycling trip. Thank you to everyone at Bike Spain for your efforts. The Bike Spain team is a superior group. They took care of everything. They gave us great information, took care of any issues that came up. They were always friendly and courteous.
