Day 5: Easier riding (Belorado to Burgos)

Distance: 35 mi / 56km

Climbing: 2,224 ft / 677m

I enjoyed a relaxed morning at El Salto in Belorado with a wonderful breakfast prepared by Pepe. The weather was cooler in the morning, a welcome relief from the previous few days. The paths were really wonderful overall, and I was able to finish the shorter distance in no time to pull into Burgos and take some time to rest.

It was easier riding overall, but will mention the two more challenging parts for other cyclists looking at this day stage. The first is after Villafranca Montes de Oca, where you have a steep, but very short climb out of town, and then pleasant and flat dirt roads until this section (photo below), where you have a big down and up with a rocky section at the bottom. Other than that, its’ a very pleasant ride between Belorado and Agés. The other section is after Agés (see photos farther down), which is a bit longer, but also very doable. Many people advised against these trails, but they were overall some of the most fun riding with smooth surfaces and plenty of space for both walking and biking pilgrims to coexist.

Spending the rest of the day catching up with some research and work before heading into my longest day yet on the Meseta tomorrow.

Photos tell the story of the day:

Looking back on the descent and climb after the monument to the fallen. Don’t let these short sections deter you from the walking route today. It’s really easy otherwise.

Signpost to everywhere (before San Juan de Ortega)

The road to Agés.

Clever restaurant name in Atapuerca.

The rockiest section of the trail going up the hill after Atapuerca.

Rounding the top

“Even though the pilgrim has dominated the mountains of Navarre and seen the vast fields of Spain, he has not enjoyed a more beautiful view than this.”