#4 what the EuroVelo 1 in Spain REALLY looks like….// Bike Touring Europe

We finally made it to Spain! Hooray!
We had heard from other bikers that the road conditions were worse than what we were spoiled with in France, but the actual situation was way worse than we expected! We decided that following the EuroVelo was not possible and heavy heartedly had to make a decision…..
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/ @biking_beyond
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[@nickdalby5450]

I cycled Liverpool to Alicante and the worst routes in Spain were their off road cycle routes. 4x4 off road cars would struggle. Boulder strewn and some 8% climbs. Atrocious. I used google cycle map and komoot and both were really awful. I ended up using google map cars avoiding toll roads etc. The roads were 95% excellent. Very little traffic, wide 'hard shoulder' and very important, takes you through villages. Essential for provisions. The cycle apps bypassed them. I was cycling for 8 hrs a day and getting drink and food a priority.

[@fabiangradolph]

I am Spanish. Never heard about that law that forces you to use the bike line (even if it is in bad conditions) when there is a road besides. I honestly believe that you can use the road without any problem at all.

[@fabiangradolph]

I think I found it. In most cases, cycling throuhg the bike line is optional. It is only mandatory when the path has the right sign for it (the one in the left in this link www.santafixie.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/senal-TRAFICO.jpg). The one on the right means the end of that obligation. You will most likely find the sign in urban areas more than in actual roads. So, in most cases, you can use your bike in the road even if there is a bike lane.

[@JasonHarmer31]

I think they are getting confused with the law that started you have to use the shoulder of the road if there is one, where you are fined if you ride in the road. Doesn't apply to using the road if there is a cycle path.

[@gordoncraig8238]

Good for me to see this. I cycled and camped along EV1 in France. Looking at EV1 in Spain I decided not to do it. The next year I came back to Irun with just 2 panniers and did the Camino del Norte instead. It's pretty good except for pushing uphill into Bilbao. This year I hope to cycle the Camino Portuguese from Lisbon on the costal EV1 route.

[@biking_beyond]

Amazing! We are on the Camino Portuguese right now and doing the same thing :) I’ll show how the road conditions are in a future video 😊 when will you be there?

[@gordoncraig8238]

I'll be there September-October.

[@fabiangradolph]

By the way, I did some part of that route a couple of years ago (the part of the Bidasoa river). True that a great part of it is not paved, but it did not look any hard to me. It looked quite reasonable to bike around. But, yes, when you cross from France (essentially flat) and start climbing hills in Spain, I understand that it must be much harder 🙂

[@ucanskixc568]

Very entertaining, makes me really appreciate wifey. We switched to bikepacking when my old seniors knees would swell up while backpacking walking downhill. Of course teaching Nordic skiing for almost 45+ years probably help us a lot. We use fatbikes in all seasons and riding conditions. Pushing a bike is part and parcel of bikepacking.

[@kayasper6081]

In Spain they are slowly making progress, but still don't understand much about a cycling mentallity. And there are ridiculously high fines for virtually everything. The old Franco spirit is still wandering around here. But it is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly.

[@JD-mf9cv]

it looks amazing... enjoyed watching, thank you for sharing.

[@elman9164]

4:35 what? since when? I don't think that's correct

[@trondt5455]

yes, not correct, use the road.

[@cubgsan]

Good day to you! I am a senior rider on HONDA motorcycle from Japan. I am enjoying camping ,touring and upload video. Your touring video is so nice! Awesome! Full supported ! Have a nice day my friend!

[@thattravellingguy]

I am a new subscriber to your channel. I have been following a few others like Nomads trail, wheels to wander, chains and chords etc. Your videos are excellent. You need to have many thousands more subscribers.

[@biking_beyond]

Thanks for this nice comment!

[@e-BikeLife]

St Jean de Luz is one of my wife's favorite towns in France along with Bayonne. Diese Straßen sind so schlecht! My German and French are very much like yours. What I did know I keep forgetting and have practice before each trip to try and resurrect what I do know.

[@RobBastien]

Your videos are super good, thanks for posting. 🙂

[@johnrobertd748]

Not just fuel up on lunch break, but snack on something at least once an hour

[@lancebarker]

Thank you! I want to go!

[@michaelagabriel3967]

Thank you. Super helpful!

[@Fa-dt4wp]

Ich bin mit meinen Kindern seit 6 Wochen auf dem EV1 in Frankreich. Ziel: Portugal. Ich bin zwar mit Ebike unterwegs, aber auch mit Tochter im Fahrradanhänger, Sohn (6) fährt selber, ein paar km täglich am Abschleppseil. Je näher wir der spanischen Grenze kommen desto unsicherer werde ich😱 Was meint ihr? Machbar oder nicht??

[@sonjasonnenschein8649]

Ah ok jetzt habe ich es gesehen. Welche Unterkunft hattet ihr in Sunbilla. Wir kommen gerade aus Frankreich. In wie viel Etaopen seid ihr durch die Pyrenäen gefahren?

[@biking_beyond]

Uff die Unterkunft weiß ich leider nicht mehr 😬 schau mal auf der Karte auf unserer Website wenn du magst, da sieht man genau die Etappen, inklusive Höhenmeter, Fahrtdauer etc 😊 bikingbeyond.de/karte

[@mistreku]

You keep complaining about getting tired, why don't you get an electric bike? Like, genuine question, you could get the weakest assisted bike (250w motor) and with a good battery and your leg work, you could easily get 60 miles range out of it. It would make riding uphill a breeze! Of course, you'd need to sleep in camping grounds which provide electricity, or hotels/motels, but it would make your journey so much easier.

[@alexmorgan3435]

But riding a motorbike is NOT in the spirit of cycle touring. Many people who cycle tour still want to pedal for themselves and not cheat using a dirty motor and battery. How can your cheating efforts compare to a tour like this where they have pedalled the whole distance themselves? I don't even know how you have the nerve to maintain that you are cycling or are a cyclist. You are a motorcyclist.