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In a nutshell
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Start
Finish
Countries
Stages
Rest days
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Barcelona, Spain
Granada, Spain
Spain, Portugal
34
8 days : Monte Perdido NP,
San
Sebastian, Picos de Europa,
Santiago de Compostella,
Porto, Lisboa, Córdoba, Sevilla
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Total distance
Average distance
Total climbing
Average climbing
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3.500 km
102 km
56.000 meters
1.650 meters
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2.190 miles
64 miles
184.000 feet
5.400 feet
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Road condition
Period
Accommodation
Price ( full tour )
Discount
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99% paved
Monday May 22nd, 2023
Sunday July 2nd,
2023
Campings and
15 hotel nights
€ 6.295,-
€ 300,- for early registration
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Description
Since 2008 we organise La Bella Italia, a real Giro
d'Italia. We made a big loop through France over
more than 100 Cols in 2015 and 2022, a real Tour de France.
It was waiting for a real Vuelta a España. So,
here we are. La
Vuelta Ibérica.
We start near Barcelona at the beaches
of the Mediterranean Sea and cycle inland over quiet
roads which soon start to climb. The Pyrenees
loom up above the horizon and is the inspiring décor for
the first week. Unknown Pyrenees passes are alternated
with tranquil dam reservoirs and narrow canyons. A rest
day is planned in the centre of the Pyrenees in the
Monte Perdido National Park.
We drop down to sea level in San Sebastián
at the Bay of Biscay. The city has dozens of tapas bars
and tops frequently on lists of the world's best places
to eat. Perfect ingredients for a second rest day. We
ride along the Basque coastline with tiny fishing
villages till Bilbao, an old
hardworking harbour town which is decorated nowadays
with a shimmering titanium Guggenheim Museum. We leave
the cities and sea behind for more than 800 challenging
kilometres. Fabulous cycling is waiting over small
winding roads through the unspoilt Cantabrian
Mountains which stretch east-west across
northern Spain. We are captivated in the centre of the
massif by the beauty of the jagged, deeply fissured
Picos de Europa.
Santiago de Compostela in the northwest
corner of the peninsula is for many travellers their
final destination, for us it's one of those magical
places along the route. The world famous town is
definitely worth a rest day on our cycle pilgrimage
around the Iberian Peninsula.
We continue south and enter soon the North of Portugal
with green fertile hills and the valleys of the Rio
Duoro with innumerable vineyards for the renowned Port.
The golden river flows into the Atlantic Ocean near
Porto, the second city of the country
and the place where we have time to taste its famous
wine. Rolling Portuguese inland and flat coastal roads
bring us to the alluring capital, Lisboa.
On the way we visit the old university city Coimbra.
The area south of Lisboa is flatter, emptier and dryer.
A few longer stages bring us back into Spain, where
Andalusia is decorated with its famous
white cities and villages. The tour leads us along
beautiful historical places like Sevilla
and Córdoba before we end up in maybe
the most picturesque city of Spain, Granada.
It's known for its wonderful Moorisch architecture, but
for us it's more than that. Granada is located at the
foot of the impressive Sierra Nevada
and the start for the climb up to Pico Veleta.
We don't want to miss out on that of course. What a
finish! Cycling up to 3.394 meter, the highest paved
road of Europe.
The second edition of "La Vuelta Ibérica"
starts Monday May
22nd, 2023 near Barcelona and finishes after 42
days, 34 stages, 3.500 kilometres and 56.000 climbing
meters in Granada.
La Vuelta Ibérica has everything in it for a fabulous
roadtrip around Spain and Portugal with a rich history,
an interesting culture and a delicious cuisine.
Fortunately it doesn't miss out on the challenge of a
real Vuelta a España. This makes the trilogy of Tour,
Giro and Vuelta complete.
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