EPIC Trans Cantabrian Mountains

EPIC Trans Cantabrian Mountains

Ride across the dramatic Cordillera Cantabrica, home to Spain’s most challenging climbs

Conquer the legendary climbs of the Vuelta a España in this incredible week of cycling in the Cordillera Cantabrica. Includes Lagos de Covadonga and the Angliru, the toughest climb in pro cycling.

Overview

Details

Next Departure

August 10th 2024

From

USD $4,795

Duration

8 days / 7 nights

Non-Rider Friendly

No

Rental Bike

USD $550

Ride Program

Total Distance

Total Elevation

Daily Av. Distance

Daily Av. Elevation

Overview

Thomson Bike Tours is uniquely qualified to introduce you to this mind-blowing Grand Tour terrain. Spain is our back-yard and the Cantabrian mountain chain is our favourite playground.

Home to the legendary climbs of the Vuelta a España, the Cordillera Cantabrica is a staggeringly beautiful mountain range that runs along the North Coast of Spain, from the Basque Country to Galicia. Highlights of the week include the opportunity to conquer the notorious Alto el Angliru, the toughest climb in professional cycling, and the spectacular Lagos de Covadonga, voted by many of our guests as their favourite climb ever.

The Cordillera Cantabrica mountain range, with it’s non-existent traffic and extreme geographic profile, is one of the best kept secrets in European cycling!


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EPIC Trans Cantabrian Mountains
I absolutely loved the riding in Cantabria. The traffic was minimal. The scenery far exceeded my expectations. The food was, as is usual for Thomson ...

Ron Famiglietti, USA — 2019

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EPIC Trans Cantabrian Mountains
The trip was well organized, and the routes and scenery were spectacular and challenging. The tour leadership team was excellent, and were very responsive to ...

Gary Redekop, Canada — 2022

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EPIC Trans Cantabrian Mountains
The Thomson tour of Cantabria was exceptional in every way. It's starts with a well organized staff that seamlessly took care of every detail and ...

James Clark, USA — 2018

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Cycling helmet, sunglasses and shoes illustration

Itinerary

Day Description Distance Elevation Hotel
01 Bienvenidos a España! Gran Hotel Balneario De Puente Viesgo
02 Vuelta a España Favorites Gran Hotel Balneario De Puente Viesgo
03 The spectacular Collado de Hoz Parador de Fuente De
04 Picos de Europa Parador de Cangas de Onís
05 Lagos de Covadonga Parador de Cangas de Onís
06 Through the mountains of Asturias Hotel Las Caldas
07 The Angliru! Hotel Las Caldas
08 Adios!
Daily Averages
Itinerary View Itinerary View
Map View Map View
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08

Itinerary Detail

Day 1

Distance

Elevation


Bienvenidos a España!

Your trip starts at Bilbao airport where our staff will meet you before the short transfer to your first hotel.

After lunch, orientation meeting and bike build-up, you’ll get your first taste of riding in Cantabria. Our warm-up ride takes you alongside the River Pas to the town of Vega where your first Cantabrian climb awaits, the 6.7km Puerto de la Braguia.

Day 2

Distance

Elevation


Vuelta a España Favorites

Considered one of our Top 5 European rides by our ride leaders! The route is classic Vuelta a España terrain with each of the climbs having featured many times in the Spanish Grand Tour. The scenery is absolutely stunning and you’ll see very little traffic throughout the entire ride. It’s a gem of a ride that you’ll cherish long after you return home.

 

Tip: The Puerto de la Sia comes in the middle of the ride. It’s 21km (13 miles) and you’ll want to take it easy on this one, leave something in the legs for the last climb of the day (it’s steep!).

Day 3

Distance

Elevation


The spectacular Collado de Hoz

Today’s ride features the final 84km (52 miles) from the route of the dramatic Stage 17 of the 2012 Vuelta a España, when Alberto Contador laid the perfect ambush to win the stage and take over the race leader´s jersey. A really stunning ride, over 3 short climbs lined with forests of eucalyptus trees, followed by a magnificent route through La Hermida canyon.

Tip: make sure you take the cable car ride from the Hotel Fuente De to the surrounding mountain ridge. The cable car ascends to 1823m (6500ft) in just 4 minutes and the views from the top are breathtaking!

Map & Profile

Climb Distance Elevation Av. Grade Category
toggle arrow Puerto de la Braguia
from Vega de Pas
5.9% 3
Profile
Map
Gradient (%)
0
0-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-15
>15
Climb Distance Elevation Av. Grade Category
toggle arrow Puerto de Alisas
from La Cavada
4.8% 2
Profile
Map
Gradient (%)
0
0-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-15
>15
toggle arrow Puerto de la Sia
from Arredondo
5.5% HC
Profile
Map
Gradient (%)
0
0-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-15
>15
toggle arrow Portillo de Lunada
from Las Machorras
5% 3
Profile
Map
Gradient (%)
0
0-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-15
>15
toggle arrow Alto El Caracol
from CA-643
7% 2
Profile
Map
Gradient (%)
0
0-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-15
>15
Climb Distance Elevation Av. Grade Category
toggle arrow Collado de Carmona
from Valle de Cabuerniga
7.2% 3
Profile
Map
Gradient (%)
0
0-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-15
>15
toggle arrow Collado de Ozalba
from Puentenansa
6.7% 3
Profile
Map
Gradient (%)
0
0-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-15
>15
toggle arrow Collado de Hoz
from Sobrelapena
5.7% 2
Profile
Map
Gradient (%)
0
0-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-15
>15
toggle arrow Fuente De
from Potes
3.7% 2
Profile
Map
Gradient (%)
0
0-6
6-8
8-10
10-12
12-15
>15

Climbs

Day 01
Day 02
Day 03
Day 04
Day 05
Day 06
Day 07

Climbs

Category Climb Day Difficulty Length Ele. Gain Av. Grade
3 Puerto de la Braguia (from Vega de Pas) 01 47 5.9%
2 Puerto de Alisas (from La Cavada) 02 48 4.8%
HC Puerto de la Sia (from Arredondo) 02 84 5.5%
3 Portillo de Lunada (from Las Machorras) 02 46 5%
2 Alto El Caracol (from CA-643) 02 53 7%
3 Collado de Carmona (from Valle de Cabuerniga) 03 54 7.2%
3 Collado de Ozalba (from Puentenansa) 03 54 6.7%
2 Collado de Hoz (from Sobrelapena) 03 48 5.7%
2 Fuente De (from Potes) 03 46 3.7%
HC Puerto de San Glorio (from Potes) 04 101 5.4%
3 Puerto de Pandetrave (from Portilla de la Reina) 04 26 3.4%
2 Puerto de Panderruedas (from Posada de Valdeon) 04 54 5.7%
HC Lagos de Covadonga (from Covadonga) 05 105 7.6%
4 Collado de Zardon (from Corao) 05 28 4.4%
3 Alto del Torno (from Rinsena) 05 35 6.5%
2 Puerto del Mazuco (from Parres) 05 55 6.7%
3 Collado de Igena (from Mestas) 05 42 5.4%
2 Alto de la Falla (from San Julian) 06 40 5%
3 Altu de Santu Mianu (from Langreo) 06 42 6%
3 El Cobollo (from N-630) 06 42 6%
HC Alto El Angliru (from La Vega) 07 158 9.5%
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Dates & Prices Illustration

Dates & Prices



Date Booking Status Availability Price / Per Person Single Supplement Non-rider Discount
2023
Closed
Aug 13 - 20
Closed
USD $4,495
USD $800
USD $840
2024
Aug 10 - 17
Taking Bookings
Places Available
USD $4,795
USD $850
USD $900
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    Trip Hotels

    Gran Hotel Balneario De Puente Viesgo

    View website arrow

    Parador de Fuente De

    View website arrow

    Parador de Cangas de Onís

    View website arrow

    Hotel Las Caldas

    View website arrow


    What's Included

    What's Included What's Not Included
      Accommodations & Meals arrow
    • 8 days / 7 nights fully accompanied trip
    • All accommodations
    • All breakfasts
    • All dinners
    • 1 sit-down Lunch on Day 1
    • Picnic lunches during the rides
    • Transportation arrow
    • Pick-up and drop-off at Bilbao Airport
    • All transportation during the trip
    • All luggage & bike box transfers
    • Cycling Support arrow
    • 1 x Support Van & 1 x Ride Leader per 8 guests (approx.)
    • Experienced bike mechanic
    • Park Tools Toolkit
    • Daily ride gpx files provided
    • Nutrition during the ride arrow
    • Energy bars, gels and sports drink
    • Variety of snacks and local specialties for picnic lunches
    • Bottled water
    • Post-ride recovery food
    • Airfare
    • Travel and personal insurance
    • Additional hotel expenses i.e. phone charges, mini-bar, gratuities
    • Staff gratuities
    What's Included
      Accommodations & Meals arrow
    • 8 days / 7 nights fully accompanied trip
    • All accommodations
    • All breakfasts
    • All dinners
    • 1 sit-down Lunch on Day 1
    • Picnic lunches during the rides
    • Transportation arrow
    • Pick-up and drop-off at Bilbao Airport
    • All transportation during the trip
    • All luggage & bike box transfers
    • Cycling Support arrow
    • 1 x Support Van & 1 x Ride Leader per 8 guests (approx.)
    • Experienced bike mechanic
    • Park Tools Toolkit
    • Daily ride gpx files provided
    • Nutrition during the ride arrow
    • Energy bars, gels and sports drink
    • Variety of snacks and local specialties for picnic lunches
    • Bottled water
    • Post-ride recovery food
    What's Not Included
    • Airfare
    • Travel and personal insurance
    • Additional hotel expenses i.e. phone charges, mini-bar, gratuities
    • Staff gratuities

    Travel details - airport departures

    Pick-up/Drop-off Info

    Arrival

    Pickup Location Time

    Bilbao Airport

    9:00am

    OR

    Holiday Inn Express Bilbao Airport

    View website arrow

    9:00am

    Departure

    Drop Off Location Time

    Bilbao Airport

    11:00am


    Rental Bikes

    Frame

    Felt FR Advanced

    Groupset

    2023 SRAM Force AXS 12-speed

    Weight

    7.7kg (size 53)

    Wheels

    Reynolds AR46 DB Custom

    Chainrings

    48x35

    Cassette

    10-33

    Sizes

    47, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61

    Price

    USD $550

    View Full Details


    EPIC Trans Cantabrian Mountains

    Conquer the legendary climbs of the Vuelta a España on our epic trip across the Cantabrian Mountains