Why this ride
A 327 km round trip from Zarautz - roughly 4 h 23 in the saddle. On the way it passes Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz, Vizcaya Bridge and back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Altxerri and Vizcaya Bridge
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 327 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 23
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Altxerri → Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 86 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 86 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Altxerri
The Basque coast between Orio and Getaria is a place where steep green hills fall straight into the Bay of Biscay, and Altxerri is a cave in those hills, a few kilometres from Zarautz, one of the great surf and holiday towns of the province. Zarautz has a long beach, a seafront promenade and over twenty thousand people, which means fuel, lunch and everything else you might need.
Read the complete Altxerri write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Altxerri is where the day begins. Next is Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz.
2. Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital of the Basque Country and possibly its most underrated city. It sits on a high plateau, the Llanada Alavesa, surrounded by low mountains and wide farmland, and its medieval old town climbs a small hill in the shape of an almond, with the old cathedral of Santa María at the top. This is the cathedral the label refers to, a Gothic church begun in the thirteenth century as both a temple and part of the town's defences.
Read the complete Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz comes up about 86 km into the recorded legs. Next is Vizcaya Bridge.
3. Vizcaya Bridge
Few riders get the chance to cross a river hanging from a bridge, but at Portugalete you can. The Vizcaya Bridge, opened in 1893 across the mouth of the Nervión just downstream of Bilbao, is the oldest transporter bridge in the world: a tall iron structure from which a gondola, suspended on cables, glides from one bank to the other carrying cars, motorcycles, bikes and pedestrians in a couple of minutes. It was designed by the Basque architect Alberto de Palacio, often described as a disciple of Gustave Eiffel, to let tall ships pass beneath while still linking the two towns, and UNESCO listed it in 2006.
Read the complete Vizcaya Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 161 km into the recorded legs you reach Vizcaya Bridge. Next is back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz.
4. back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz, late in the day. Next is Altxerri.
5. Altxerri
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Altxerri write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Altxerri. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Altxerri to Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz
Altxerri → Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz is 86 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz to Vizcaya Bridge
Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz → Vizcaya Bridge is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Vizcaya Bridge to back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vizcaya Bridge → back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz is 78 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz to Altxerri
back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz → Altxerri is 88 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.