Cycling Iberia, Spain: Burgos to Penafiel

My latest bicycle touring update: cycling in Iberia, Spain. Burgos to Penafiel. 74 miles. I had to change my route today, which, as it turned out, was quite a good move. I had planned to ride along the main road from Burgos to Aranda de Duero, then cut across to Segovia. But that road turned out to be a motorway.

I was all set to go on a massive detour when I spotted a route using the quieter back roads. That’s the joy of using one map that covers the entire country. And Portugal as well! The smaller roads don’t exist. But this route has turned out to be so much better. It’s a lot more direct. I’m not usually very good at cycling on country roads. I find it annoying having to keep stopping to check I’m still on the right road.

Photos: how the landscape has changed the further south I’ve gone

But I must admit I quite enjoyed my ride today, passing through the little villages. Mind you. It was a rather lonely ride. I hardly saw anybody or any other traffic, for that matter. And for a time, I wondered if I was really in Spain. It was so green and fertile. All I could see for miles were lush green fields. But gradually, as the day went on, the landscape changed and turned more barren.

One point of concern today is whether I’ve killed Julio! A bug flew into my mouth, and unfortunately, I swallowed it! I hope it wasn’t Julio, but I guess I’ll never know!

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

• Photos: See my photos on Flickr
• The route: View my route across Iberia
• Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
• Tour page: Ride overview

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