Stage Oviedo to Pola de Allande (By bike)

The Camino Primitivo by bicycle begins by combining into a single day the first two walking stages: Oviedo to Salas and Salas to Pola de Allande. It is some 57 kilometres in which the cyclist leaves Oviedo behind, at just over 230 metres of altitude, to finish above 500 metres in the heart of the Allande district, with a considerable accumulated climb that makes this first taste a demanding stage.

The exit from Oviedo runs along the outskirts of the city and heads into western Asturias, descending gradually through the valley. The route reaches Cornellana, where the pilgrim finds the monastery of San Salvador, a Benedictine house founded in the 11th century on the banks of the Narcea. This first section, the easiest of the day, serves as a warm-up before the ramps that lie ahead.

After Cornellana, the route climbs back towards Salas, a town presided over by its medieval tower and the Valdés-Salas castle, where on foot the first stage would end. From here the profile changes character: a sustained ascent begins, with chained short climbs over tarmac and tracks, taking the cyclist into an increasingly mountainous landscape of chestnut and oak woods and scattered hamlets. Height is gained relentlessly as the Camino penetrates the Allande district.

The final third keeps up the ascending pace as far as Pola de Allande, capital of the district, set in the Nisón valley above 500 metres. The arrival, after a long day in the saddle, rewards with a quiet town well provided with services, ideal for recovering strength before the hard following stage towards Berducedo and the Alto del Palo.