Mtn Biking 500 Miles Across Spain in 10 Days on the Camino De Santiago

June 6, 2024 Chase Christopher

Location: France & Spain

Activity: Mtn Bike Touring

Date: 4/18/2024

Distance: 500 Miles

Route: Camino De Santiago - The French Way

Completing the Camino De Santiago has been a dream that Sadie and I have had for a few years since my brother shared about his walking experience and strongly recommended the route. While the Camino routes are many and the lengths vary, we felt pulled to do the Frances route, as it’s said to be one of the original pilgrimage routes. We wanted to do it from its start in St Jean Pied De Port in France and go to Santiago, but instead of walking, we chose to bike.

Most pilgrims on the camino choose to walk but for us, we wanted to ride since we love biking and also didn’t quite have the time to walk the route. We didn’t set out with a specific timeline in mind but figured it would take somewhere between 12 and 15 days to complete the 500 mile route. We only booked our first night and left the rest unplanned. For the most part, that strategy worked out well.

Originally we planned to bring our own bikes with us but after doing some research we decided it would be logistically much simpler to rent. Then we could avoid having to tote them with us after we finished our camino and continued our travels around Spain. Also, we wouldn't have to buy the bags necessary for the trip. The rental cost was very reasonable, making the option a no-brainer. We were happy with our choice! This is the company we used for the rentals, and we chose hard tail mountain bikes since that is what we ride at home and are most comfortable on. Other people choose gravel bikes or hybrid cruisers, depending on their route and personal preference.

We set out and a couple of days in we were quite sore and sunburnt, but the weather forecast showed a cold front that was inbound in about 7 days. Because the route crossed two mountain ranges, one in the beginning and the other about 90 miles from the end, we decided it would be great if we could get through the second mountain range before the bad weather hit. Long story short, we made it to Santiago in 10 days total and only got rained on the last two days. Our days on the trail were long but the pace was very manageable, and we made sure to stop often for a cuppa cafe con leche and a pastry. We also grew quite fond of the radlers that every bar seemed to have!

Our Camino experience was amazing, and I would highly encourage anyone considering it to give it a whirl, especially on a bike. After we finished the route, we hopped on a bus to Porto, Portugal, then a cheap flight to Malaga and another to Barcelona. Seeing the beautiful Spanish beaches and exploring some surrounding cities was a blast, we even got to watch a bike race in Gerona! After seeing the race I had to rent another bike to explore the area on my own…

Our Itinerary:

Travel Day #1: Flight from Boise to Madrid, Spain to Balbao, Spain.

Stay:https://www.hotels.com/affiliates/quartier-bilbao-hostel-bilbao-spain.XpMN1Em

Travel Day #2: Bus from Balbao to Bayonne, Train From Bayonne to Saint Jean Pied De Port

Stay:https://maps.app.goo.gl/a2tFoFjLT4VULENB9

Pick up Compostella and Bikes: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KExTPrvpe3KsGvS48

Biking Day #1:St Jean Pied De Port To Pamplona

Stats: 45.95 Miles, 6,258ft Gain

Route: https://www.strava.com/routes/3233805571522389168

Stay: https://www.hotels.com/affiliates/pamplona-catedral-hotel-pamplona-spain.dPc2G33

Biking Day #2: Pamplona to Los Arcos

Stats: 43.93 Miles, 3999ft Gain