To begin this epic ride, we first had to overcome two giant hurdles: First, how were we going to get all our gear from our apartment in Paris to the starting point of the ride in Biarritz, and second, how were we going to get our bikes down to the south of France without taking them apart and crating them up for the journey?
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| Ready for a balancing act |
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| all suited up in our courtyard |
As a bonus, Xavier, our guide for the next eight days of the tour, offered to come and pick us up at the train station in Biarritz and deliver us and all our gear, bikes included, to the B&B where we were staying. So we were set!
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| Selfie en route to Montparnasse station in Paris |
The train took approximately 5 hours to travel the length of France from Paris to the southern coastal city of Biarritz. We scheduled an extra day before our ride started to explore this area of France. We absolutely fell in love with the region in general, and Biarritz in particular.
Arriving a day early, we spent some time checking out the pristine beaches of Biarritz and did some obligatory carbo-loading for the up-coming bike trip.
Day 1: Biarritz to Barcus
Strava totals for the day:
total kilometers ridden:
85.1
85.1
total elevation gain:
1,802
1,802
time in the saddle:
5hr 10min
5hr 10min
The first order of business after we checked into to our hotel for the night was to languish in a bath soaking our sore muscles. Inspite of the aches and pains, we loved it... the country side was peacefully quiet
and incredibly beautiful.
We both agreed that this is the most appealing part of France that we have visited to date.
Day 2: Barcus to St. Etienne de Baigorry
Strava totals for the day:
total kilometers ridden:
66.3
total elevation gain:
1,465
time in the saddle:
4hr 18 min
After a fabulous breakfast that included farm fresh yogurt, hot croissants, home-made jam, cheese, prosciutto and salami, and two different kinds of cereal, we started our second day right on time at 9:00
am. The coffee was wonderful, served in a carafe
with hot milk alongside, allowing for more than one cup. I love that!
The ride started up hill, a nice way to combat the morning chill, and it wasn’t cold for long. The climbing for the
first part of the day was long and gentle and not too overwhelming. Our last
hill of the day was incredibly steep (a 9.9% grade) and lasted for nearly 3
kilometers. We barely made it. When we reached the summit and Xavier said it was the
toughest hill of the whole trip, we congratulated each other ... we were proud to have made it!
Sitting on the terrace of the
Juantorena hotel and restaurant enjoying a Grimbergen, (beer) contemplating the day
while Charlie reads his book, the remnants of the day's ride are a few aches
and pains, along with some incredible images etched in our brain of some of the
most stunning countryside in France.
Day 3: St Etienne de Baigorry
to Tolosa
Strava totals for the day:
total kilometers ridden:
91.2
91.2
total elevation gain:
2,524 meters
2,524 meters
time in the saddle:
5hr 34min
5hr 34min
In the village of Baigorry where we'd
spent the night, I met a couple from Petaluma while we were waiting for our
guide to arrive, he having returned to Biarritz to spend the night in his own
apartment. What are the odds we'd run into someone from a same area of northern California I used to call home? It's a global world.
We started the day riding up a huge hill in
the glorious morning light. The ride was a challenge, but we made it, nearly 8K at 7% grade, which for us translated into over an hour of continuous
climbing. All along the road were the most delicate yellow and purple
wildflowers, a nice boundary for the creek that bordered the backroad we were following.
We had a second long hill that day: 10km with a 4% grade and our legs felt every percentage point. We ended up
riding 91 kilometers in the end, the longest distance I'd ever ridden, peppered with some pretty formidable "rolling hills" -- which don't
apparently count as "hills" -- along the way. I thought the
hotel would never arrive. Little town after little town nestled into the countryside kept appearing,
but not the one where we were supposed to stay for the night.
So, when we finally arrived in Tolosa, we
were exhausted. However the exhaustion would not conquer our curiosity about the new city in a new country, Spain. After what had become a ritual soaking of sore muscles and requisite daily laundry chores, we rallied and met Xavier for a drink in town, and then walked back to the hotel where we had dinner -- at 10pm. Bienvenido a Espana! The
land of late night dinners, good inexpensive wine, and delicious paella.
Day 4: Tolosa to Amorebieta
Strava totals for the day:
total kilometers ridden:
50.2
50.2
total elevation gain:
1,848 meters
1,848 meters
time in the saddle:
3hr 54min
3hr 54min
We had a great breakfast at the hotel before starting the day at 9:15. It was a little foggy this morning and
therefore a little cooler than previous mornings. We rode into a beautiful sun rising over
the mountain, a long and hard climb of 15 kilometers at 8-9% grade. We had a brief respite from pedaling when we stopped to visit the 13th century Basilica St. Ignatius of Loyola in Azpeitia. Wow! Beautiful ceilings and altar, in a park-like setting alongside the Urola river . Wikipedia lists this Basilica as the founding of the Jesuits. We had a
projected day of 85k with six hills. I, however, only made it to 50 k which took me to the top of
the third hill. Charlie went a little further on to the beginning of the fourth hill -- 65k.
Day 5: Amorebieta to Gernika
Strava totals for the day:
total kilometers ridden:
50.9
total elevation gain:
1,185 meters
time in the saddle:
3hr 06min
The day started a little foggy, but
certainly not cold. We had about 15 kilometers to warm up before we started any
climbing. Xavier had constructed a shorter route (-15 kilometers) for us so
that we would have a bit more time to explore the historic city of Gernika.
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| In the little town of Arrieta |
In
my opinion, this was an excellent decision from both tourist and body rest
perspectives! The ride to Gernika was excellent. We had a couple of long hills but also got to
ride through the valley floor which was incredibly beautiful. The second descent was the scariest downhill
so far.
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| Me smiling in Arrieta |
All in all, we ended up in Gernika around 1:30, giving us time to shower, do a little bit of laundry, and then head out to explore to town.
We found it to be a charming Spanish city and were happy to have some time to explore the cobblestoned streets and ancient churches. Somewhat more sobering, the town is most famous for inspiring one of Picasso's best known painting depicting the tragic suffering from the bombing of Gernika by the Germans and Italians in 1937.
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| Downtown Gernika |
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| Monument to where first bomb struck in 1937 |
Day 6: Gernika to Lekeito
Strava totals for the day:
total kilometers ridden:
41.3
total elevation gain:
1,008 meters
time in the saddle:
2hr 37min
An absolutely perfect day. It was a
magnificent morning with the sun shining down on us. We saw castles and
coastlines that seemed to go on forever.
The riding was the easiest so far (or maybe we were getting in better
shape) and we took our time as the road wound around the Basque coastline.
Amazing scenery.
We arrived at the Hotel Zubieta around noon and had to wait a
bit for our guide to catchup to us. After a bath we enjoyed a libation in the beautiful outdoor patio that surrounded the hotel and met Xavier for dinner at 8.
Day 7: Lekeito to Getaria
Strava totals for the day:
total kilometers ridden:
47.9
47.9
total elevation gain:
1,764meters
1,764meters
time in the saddle:
2hr 43min
2hr 43min
It was supposed to rain today, which
would have been fine since we had a short ride planned. In fact, we started the morning with some threatening gray clouds and just as we were pulling into Getaria, it started to sprinkle. There
was a festival underway and our first impression of the town was one of
celebration. Young men dressed in sheep costumes, complete with large bells
attached to their derrieres, danced a circuitous route through the cobblestoned streets with a lone drummer keeping the beat.
Day 8: Getaria to Biarritz
Strava totals for the day:
total kilometers ridden:
83.6
83.6
total elevation gain:
1,865meters
1,865meters
time in the saddle:
4hr 36min
4hr 36min
By the time we started riding (9:30-ish), the rain had stopped. The day's scheduled route included two large hills on a road that hugged the rugged coastline. In spite of the long distance to get all
the way back to Biarritz, we started slowly. For the first time I felt
strong, both on the hills and the flat. The scenery was invigorating and I had
the sense that I could ride all day. When we came to the second large climb of
the day, we discovered that the route had been closed due to a car
rally/competition of some sort, so we had to go around the mountain rather then over it, a detour that cut off some 20 kilometers of the total distance. It rained a
little throughout the day, but nothing hard enough to require stopping. We were trying to drink in every last drop of the ride. We didn't want the trip to end.
Our last night in Biarritz was a
magical one, ending with a walk along the beach at sunset. We reflected on our introduction to the Basque region and how successful the ride had been and what a wonderful trip it was. Incredible countryside, great food, hours of sun, and an excellent guide (Xavier) who not only gave us a superb introduction to the Basque culture, he also provided us with challenging rides and
excellent accommodations.
