Basilica of San Vicente and University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
280 km
Riding-time estimate
4 h 27
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.
A 280 km round trip from Ávila - roughly 4 h 27 in the saddle. On the way it passes Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante, University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá and back through Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,350 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Basilica of San Vicente
San Vicente is one of the grandest Romanesque churches in Spain, and it sits just outside the walls of Ávila, near the Puerta de San Vicente, with a broad porch and a pair of towers that never quite match. It is named for Vicente and his sisters Sabina and Cristeta, who according to tradition were martyred here in the early fourth century, and their tomb, an elaborate Gothic canopy, is inside the church. The carvings on the west door are among the finest in Castile.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Basilica of San Vicente is where the day begins. Next is Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante.
2. Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante
Most people who come to San Lorenzo de El Escorial only see the monastery, that vast granite grid Philip II raised in the second half of the sixteenth century as palace, basilica, library and royal tomb all at once. A short walk below it, through terraced gardens and woodland, sits something far more human in scale. The Casita del Infante, also called the Casita de Arriba, was designed by Juan de Villanueva in the late eighteenth century for the Infante Gabriel, a son of Carlos III, as a place to retreat, play music and escape the endless etiquette of court. Its sibling, the Casita del Príncipe, lies down the hill near the town of El Escorial and was built for the future Carlos IV.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante comes up about 59 km into the recorded legs. Next is University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá.
3. University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá
Alcalá de Henares has a talent for producing writers. Miguel de Cervantes was born here in 1547, and a house museum in the old town commemorates him. The university, founded by Cardinal Cisneros in 1499, was one of the earliest planned university towns in Europe and a model for institutions in the Americas, and its Renaissance and Baroque buildings, with their stone façades and courtyards, are the core of the UNESCO listing that Alcalá received in 1998 for its university and historic precinct. The Paraninfo, the ceremonial hall, is where the Cervantes Prize is presented each year.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 137 km into the recorded legs you reach University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá. Next is back through Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante.
4. back through Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Basilica of San Vicente. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Basilica of San Vicente to Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante
Basilica of San Vicente → Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante to University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá
Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante → University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá is 78 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá to back through Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante
University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá → back through Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante is 83 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante to Basilica of San Vicente
back through Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante → Basilica of San Vicente is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.