Altravesur route on bikepacking

[BreninBeener]

Hi all,
Has anyone done the Altravesur rout on bikepacking.com?

https://bikepacking.com/routes/altraves ... ing-route/

If so, i was wondering about how long it took to complete? I dont mind long tough days, but i will struggle to get more than a fortnight off work. Helpfully the guide on the website gives a time of 30 days.....

The logistics of getting to start/from finish by train seem tricky at first glance. Can anyone shed any light on this?
Thanks
Ian

[pistonbroke]

I think doing it in 2 weeks is massively optimistic, the distance is less of an issue than the amount of climbing. 35,000m is about 3 times the amount we do on the Spanish C2C which takes 9 tough riding days and is 1,000km. I've ridden the last 150km or so in Valencia and the trails are pretty rocky. I'm sceptical that even the guy who did the write-up has actually ridden it all.
If you are wanting to give it a go, the train from Valencia to Cadiz takes about 10 hours via Sevilla and costs €45, there is a faster option via Madrid but the AVE train doesn't take bikes.
I'm currently doing a revamp of my C2C to include the sources of the 3 longest rivers in the Iberian Peninsula along a route that could justifiably be called the Spanish Divide, looking to ride it in full next Spring if you fancy it, it should be a good 2 week trip.
Flights to Valencia, Castellon or Reus and back from Bilbao.

[BreninBeener]

Hi Duncan, thank you. The timings are a bit off in that guide but maybe halving the time is too optimistic
Please keep me posted with your spanish C2C
Regards
Ian

[pistonbroke]

Found this on wikiloc https://www.wikiloc.com/mountain-biking ... r-37213942
The author describes having to take several detours due to the track he was following being written on a computer ie not ridden first.

[In Reverse]

I think you'd do that in 2 weeks pretty comfortably BB. An average of 2500m climbing per day isn't that much in the context of that sort of trip, particularly when the ave. distance is less than 100km per day - you must have been doing similar to/more than that on the Italy Divide?

I don't think the comparison with Duncan's C2C route really stands up - that was in a group of 9 (when I did it) riders of mixed ability/fitness so you're always going at the pace of the slowest (Wotsits ). You and Mrs B would be blasting out bigger numbers every day.

If there's any question marks over the route I'd always split it into 200km sections and plot it out on Strava using their heat map.

[pistonbroke]

Ruta brutal, bastante exigente a nivel fisico, sobre todo sierra nevada, pero impresionante cruzar medio pais todo por parques naturales
Google translate: Brutal route, quite demanding on a physical level, especially Sierra Nevada, but impressive crossing half a country all through natural parks
This from the guy who has ridden it.

Fair comment from Andy re the speed of a small group vs larger one, the C2C route has changed quite a bit since the first running, there's considerably more off road and next time will involve much more high level riding, with a lot over 1,500m and the source of the Rio Duero at 2,000m atop Pico Urbion.

[In Reverse]

Words like "brutal" and "demanding" are subjective to be fair though Duncan. There are plenty of people on here, the three of us in this thread included, who relish that sort of riding and actively seek it out.

I think for me the heat might be the hardest thing about the route, that's what I've found the most challenging about riding in Spain and Italy. When do you think might be the best time of year to ride it? I'm guessing the Sierra Nevada will get some snow and low temperatures in mid-winter, reckon it would be do-able in November or March?

[pistonbroke]

We went down to Granada and Cordoba last Easter which was well into April and it snowed above 1,500m on the Sierra Nevada and in the national park near Jaen. The ski lifts were doing good business on Pico Veleta. I'd reckon that October would be the safest month to do it although it was 27° here today and we're a lot further north. At least those coming from a cooler climate would have had the summer to get warm weather miles in. Chickenlegs, Ianpv, Chew, Hux and I had near perfect weather on the Montañas Vacias 4 weeks ago apart from the last day when it pissed down, I was sulking back in Teruel with a broken frame so missed the fun.

[In Reverse]

Oh sub standard! Which frame?