From Poco Loco Adventures:
La Ruta del Cid
After the maiden trip of this second long-distance mountain bike raid in 2004, the sequel of the Ruta del Cid could certainly not be missing from our program !
This is an absolutely unique raid that carries us diagonally through the Spanish interior, from Burgos to Valencia – 1200 Km and the lion’s share off road.
We follow the tracks of the legendary Spanish knight and raider El Cid. He fought an unreal series of battles spanning from Burgos to the erstwhile kingdom of Valencia at the Mediterranean coast, on which he has set his mind. It didn’t bother him to fight himself and his small army a way through Moor territory and to besiege Valencia: indeed, raiding was his hobby, and… he arrived at his goal !
We cross the deserted vastness of the Spanish heartland, passing the vestiges of El Cid’s campaign: fortified cities, ruins of fortresses and castles, desolate expanses and low mountain ridges…
Spaniards in dusty villages look up in surprise and react happily to finally see some action.
We usually follow very fine tracks allowing a rather high speed, but the venom is in the tail… in Teruel province, the mountains and differences in altitude are becoming very consequential !
We take care of lodging, all meals, luggage transports and technical assistance along the way. Navigation is by GPS, which we furnish.
Because there are plenty of opportunities of fast and cheap public transport travel to and fro, we will only provide the transport of the bikes, not of the participants. See info brochure.
On April 23th we organize a “stiff” MTB trip in which we ride a physically comparable span, get acquainted with GPS navigation and discuss the raid in detail. Anyone willing to participate in an “abnormal” MTB trip is welcome, too, of course.
Program:
Day 1 : gathering in Burgos.
Day 2 to 15 : mountain bike raid through the Spanish interior. Arrival at Valencia.
Day 16 : good-bye and departure.
Min. 12 – max. 30 participants
Included : all overnight stays at hotels, all meals from dinner on day 1 till breakfast on day 16, transport of bike Belgium-Spain two ways, transport of luggage and technical assistance along the road, use of Garmin GPS, map standard and maps, VAT.
Not included: transport of participants two ways, your bike, travel insurance.
Physical condition: this raid is technically slightly less difficult than the Coast to Coast, but it remains a physically and mentally demanding tour.
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