2020 Tour

Picos de Europa Cycling Tour 2020 (19-23 June) Summary

• Duration: 4/51 nights with 4 Days of stunning cycling routes across the most famous La Vuelta roads and Mountains at the heart of the Picos de Europa National Park in .

• Cycling routes: Loop routes from the hotel averaging just over 120Km and >2500m gain. Well balanced routes mixing high mountain and coastal roads. Most iconic La Vuelta climbs included are Lagos de Covadonga (HC), Sotres (HC) and El Fito (1st).

• Accommodation: B&B at 3* Hotel in Llanes (i.e. Hotel La Lluriga), with fabulous access to fantastic mountain and coastal roads. 3 dinners included and a packed dinner on Day 4.

• Support: Support vehicle with experienced local guide offering mechanical support plus snacks and water.

• Transfers: included from and to Santander Airport for flights from Stansted (FR2612 and FR2613) and Brussels (FR 6057and FR6058).

• Price: €7952 based on double occupancy. Single supplement €160. 10% discount for groups of 8 and above.

• Difficulty: High. Long rides with extensive steep climbing.

1,25 nights accommodation offered for those returning to Brussel with Ryanair flight FR6058 on Wednesday 24th June. Additional cost for the extra night will be €40.

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2020 Picos de Europa Tour

Itinerary

Day 0

Transfer included to Llanes for those travelling to Santander airport from London (flight FR2612) and Brussels (flight FR6057) with Ryanair. Travel time 1 hour.

Day 1, Sotres loop. 136 Kms, 2350m gain

Longish but relatively flat route along beautiful Picos de Europa gorges. The route has only a major climb, Sotres, and a 3rd cat climb Ortigueiro. Sotres is a HC climb (11.35 Km and 830m gain) that featured in La Vuelta 2015 stage 15. The climb was extended with 2.5 additional Kms at 12% for to Escarandi for La Vuelta stage, making it one of the hardest in Asturias.

Day 2, El Fito loop. 126Kms, 1900m gain.

A day to enjoy the beautiful Asturias coast and the views from the El Fito viewpoint. 60 Kms along country lanes in and out of the coast before facing El Fito (7Kms and 562m gain). This pass has been used many times during La Vuelta prior to the Lagos de Covadonga. Last time on 2018, was climbed twice before the stage, won by Pinot ended in the Lagos de Covadonga. Also featured on today’s loop are a 3rd cat climb Igena (3.64Kms and 239m gain, La Vuelta 2015) and 2nd cat climb Torneria (6Kms and 333m gain).

Day 3, Lagos de Covadonga loop. 129Kms, 2840m gain.

Perhaps the toughest day of all with three climbs; with the most iconic La Vuelta Climb, Lagos de Covadonga (12Kms and 933m gain). The other beautiful climbs are Torneria 2nd cat (5Kms and 380m gain), La Robellada 3rd cat (6.4 Kms and 310m gain) and El Torno, 14.35 Kms of ups and downs and 418m gain.

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2020 Picos de Europa Tour

Day 4, La Hermida and San Vicente de La Barquera loop. 123Kms, 2100m gain.

Another beautiful mixed route with coastal and mountain roads. Undulating, Flanders style roads with only a major climb. The route will go inland along the Desfiladero de La Hermida, the gate to the Picos de Europa from . This beautiful gorge will take us to the base of the 2nd cat climb, Collado de Hoz, (10.8 Kms with 550m gain). The descent will lead the group to the beautiful coast village of San Vicente de La Barquera. Return to the hotel will be a mix of undulating coastal and inland roads.

Return on Day 4

Collect your packed-dinner and Transfer to Santander airport at 18:30. End of trip for all groups. Those staying an additional night to return to Brussels the day after will be collected from the hotel at 16:00. Travel Info and arrangements

Airport transfers are included from Santander airport on 19th June at 22:30 to allow passengers flying from London Stansted and Brussels to join the transfer. Passengers arriving from other nearby airport (i.e. ) can join this transfer).

We recommend using a comparison tool such as www.skyscanner.net when s looking for direct or indirect flights from various airports/regions/ countries.

If you are a group of 6 or more and are unable to join the group airport transfers, we may be able to organise a private transfer for you. Please contact us to discuss.

Travelling on your own. If you are going to join the holiday at the hotel or are leaving independently at the end of your trip to go on elsewhere then please let us know; we may also be able to help you with your travel plans.

Long haul travel we recommend arriving at least a day early to in order to recover from any jet lag before you start your trip Please let us know if you require to book an extra night at the hotel and we will arrange this for you.

Driving. You can definitely join the trip if you are driving. There is a ferry from UK to Santander and only 1 hour drive to the hotel in Llanes from Santander. Guiding and navigation

You will be provided with an itinerary document and GPS files of the routes for uploading to your Garmin or similar device. Due to the length and difficulty of the routes, we expect you to be experienced cyclists and want you to feel independent during the holiday. The support vehicle will

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2020 Picos de Europa Tour

be placed at easy to miss turns to ensure everyone is following the route. Since the routes are long and demanding, there will be a 1 hour stop for coffee and snacks in populated areas. You can use this time to also enjoy popular Asturias cuisine having a set lunch in a local restaurant. You can also buy snacks from the support vehicle at any time. We do not want to interfere with your diet during the riding period as each rider has his/her own preferences. Please ensure you bring your favourite energy drinks and snacks. Bikes, your own or hired.

You are more than welcome to bring your own bike or hire one from us. Mechanical support will be provided during the trip, but you will have to pay for any spares that may be required to fix your bike.

Please ensure your bike has been serviced and fixed with proper gears to confront the Asturias mountains. We recommend to at least have a 52/36 chainring and 11/30 cassette. Bikes for hire are fitted with recommended Asturias gears 50/34 chainring and 11/32 cassettes.

Bikes for hire are good quality carbon bikes (e.g. Wilier GTR sport, Felt FR5) fitted with 50/34 chainring and 11/32 cassettes. Cost of bike hire for 4 days is €140. Insurance

Holiday insurance is essential for all RoadCycleAsturias holidays. Anyone without insurance will be unable to take part in the cycling holiday, so please make sure you arrange cover. We recommend sorting your insurance when you book so that if you have problems during training and need to cancel, you are covered.

Your insurance needs to cover you for non-competitive road cycling (cycle touring) with the following fairly standard inclusions:

• Medical Expense and Repatriation

Some clients also like to ensure the following optional items:

• Cancellation cover and Loss or damage to their bike

We will need to have your insurance details along with your passport information and emergency contact before departure.

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