Basque Way by Bike

The history of the Vasco Cycle Route is a story of pure mountain cycling, a pilgrimage that demands both technical skill and spiritual strength. If the original footpath was a strategic route for medieval pilgrims, its modern adaptation to two wheels is a challenge for "bike pilgrims" who see the difficulty of the terrain as the essence of the Jacobean adventure. Its history as a cycle route has been written by pioneers of BTT who sought to revive the hardness of the original Pirenne passage.

The Vasco Cycle Route, with its broken profile and mountainous steps, was never a candidate for conventional backpacking cycling. Its terrain made it an obvious target for mountain biking. The story of its adaptation is the exploration of its trails, the overcoming of impossible ramps, and the search for cycleability in a wild environment. It's not a route that has been softened with asphalt variants; on the contrary, its appeal to cyclists lies precisely in trying to follow the original path as much as possible.

The heart of this cycling adventure is the same as the medieval route: the San Adrián tunnel. The ascent into the Aizkorri mountain range is one of the great challenges of BTT in northern Spain. The approach along the old road, with sections of original cobblestone, is already demanding. The arrival at the tunnel and the need to cross it, often pushing or carrying the bike, is a unique experience. For cyclists, crossing this cave at over 1,000 meters above sea level on a modern carbon fiber bike is a powerful anachronism, a direct connection with the thousands of pilgrims who did the same on foot for centuries. The subsequent technical descent down the other side is the reward to the effort.

The rest of the route maintains this demanding character. The stages through Guipúzcoa's forests and valleys are marked by often muddy trails and short but very steep slopes. Once the mountain has been overcome and the Llanada Alavesa reached, the terrain softens, allowing for faster pedaling and a well-deserved active rest while crossing the plain towards Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The final stretch, from Vitoria to the link with the French Way in Burgos or Santo Domingo de la Calzada, presents challenges again, such as crossing the Montes of Vitoria. The route demands constant attention and good driving technique. For all this, the Vasco Cycle Route is a pilgrimage for a very specific type of cyclist: the BTT enthusiast, accustomed to mountain routes and seeking an experience Jacobean where the sporting and adventurous component is just as important as the cultural or spiritual one.

In the end, the history of this cycle route is the story of honoring a historic path through technical effort. It's a demonstration that faith or personal search can also express themselves through skill and overcoming in the most difficult terrain, converting an old passage into a modern temple of mountain cycling.