Following arrival at Bilbao airport we transfer as a group to the capital of Rioja, the beautiful and historical city of Logroño situated on the banks of the majestic Rio Ebro.

After bike building and fitting, schedules permitting, it’s well worth stepping out to discover this wonderful city, where a visit to the Museo de La Rioja is highly recommended.

Logroño is gaining a culinary reputation to rival anywhere in Spain and no visit to the town would be complete without a visit to Calle del Laurel. The district perfectly showcases the best pincho and tapas bars in the city and provides a great opportunity to go shoulder to shoulder with the locals and soak up some typical Riojan atmosphere.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,150 Metres Approx.

Our first day in the saddle begins by following the route of the Camino de Santiago. We leave the city via the ‘Puerta del Camino’ and head into the seemingly endless vineyards; quiet, single lane strips of asphalt lead us through pretty sandstone village as we head towards the imposing Sierras de Cebollera.

By mid-morning we’ll reach the tiny village of Ventosa, a traditional traveller’s watering hole, with never-ending views across the Ebro.

Refreshed, we proceed west from Venrosa and descend steadily on winding roads which lead us into the medieval town of Nájera where we will have lunch on the banks of Rio Najerilla.

Heading into the afternoon we continue through more medieval villages such as Codovin and Villar de Torre before one final climb delivers us to the majestic monasteries of San Millan de Cogolla (designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites). Here we will spend our evening in the shadows of San Lorenzo’s towering peaks.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,100 Metres Approx.

The views across the Ebro Valley and the Cordillera Cantábrica are nothing less than spectacular as leave out hotel we continue our journey into the into La Demanda Mountains. We wind our way through foothills and farmlands, before dropping into the beautiful Najarilla Valley. Later, the dramatic road weaves along the valley, leading us past the Anguiano monastery until we reach a point high above the rushing river where we will take a break for coffee and, if we are lucky, observe vultures soaring in the skies overhead.

As we creep further away from the fertile Ebro Valley, it feels that we are becoming ever more enclosed by the magnificent mountains that surround us as we head toward the Mansilla reservoir. Leaving the reservoir, a virtually traffic-free road winds its way up a beautiful narrow canyon and takes us high into the Demanda mountain range where cross over into the Castille y Leon province. The road eases us gently into a beautiful glacial valley before leading us to Neila, a small, picturesque village where we will stop for a well earned lunch by the village spring.

We continue, riding higher into the forested sierra and over the Collado pass, ending our day with a beautiful descent to the village of Quintanillar de la Sierra. The isolated village situated in the midst of a vast and tranquil wilderness, will be our home for the evening.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,600 Metres Approx.

As we continue our journey deeper into the La Demanda mountain range, it isn’t long before we are warming our legs as we find the road pointing unmistakably uphill! Thankfully the discomfort is only temporary as a fantastic 20km descent down a narrow forested valley follows.

We’ll stop for coffee upon reaching the Valley floor and Rio Pedroso before the narrow road rises again, dramatically switching back multiple times on its way to the summit. A second 20km descent follows, dropping us down to the Uzquiza Reservoir.

Through pine trees we once again begin to climb as we head for Pradoluengo, a beautiful spot located between pastures of wild flowers and towering mountains where we will break for lunch.

We complete our ride by descending once again, this time through the Ciloria and Rio Oja valleys, until we reach Ezacaray. The quintessentially Riojan village with its cobbled streets and bustling plazas is renowned for its cuisine making it a perfect place to spend an evening.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,200 Metres Approx.

Our day begins gently as we leave Ezacaray and head down the Rio Oja valley. The landscape, dominated by limestone cliffs, flattens and opens widely as we approach the plains of the Ebro.

Riding through woodlands and wheat fields we eventually arrive at Santo Domingo de la Calzada where we encounter the Camino Santiago for a second time in our journey. If time allows we might spend a few minutes exploring the town’s medieval streets and 12th century cathedral before moving on through the vineyards to Haro, the hub of the Riojan wine industry and home to some of the world’s most famous wineries for the last 150 years.

From Haro we meander downstream, passing the the wine village of La Bastida before climbing into the beautiful Sierra de Cantabria and the Alava province of the Basque country. As we descend back towards the Ebro valley and the village of Elciego, we can marvel the architect Frank Ghery’s dramatic creation, the Marques de Riscal Winery and Hotel.

As we begin to rise out of the Ebron Valley once again, with vineyards as far as the eye can see, this evening’s destination, Laguardia eventually comes into view.

The beautiful medieval village sits high on a rock foundation and is surrounded by pristine fortressed walls. Hardly changed since the 13th century, below the village is a honeycomb of tunnels built to store food and provide refuge to residents when under siege. These cellars have, for the last few centuries, been used to produce and store wine and this evening, before dinner, we’ll head into the depths to a 13th century bodega to enjoy a fascinating tour and a little wine tasting.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,300 Metres Approx.

As the sun rises and lights up the ancient golden sandstone of Laguardia, our final stage sees us heading for the stunning Sierra de Cantabria.

Griffon vultures fly high above the impressively craggy landscape as we rise steadily through vineyards and pedal past the bronze-age dolmens that scatter this ancient land. Golden wheat sways in the breeze as we pass the village of Lapoblacion and cross into the Navarra, a region which stretches all the way to the border with France high in the Pyrenees. The roads here are eerily quiet and surfaces fantastically smooth which only adds to the joy of the 15km descent down the Linares valley.

A shot or two of fine Spanish coffee should set us up for the last real challenge of our journey, a 5km climb past the impressive Santuario de Condes.

Having completed the climb we leave the sierra via 20 rollercoasting kilometres through deciduous forests and wheat fields until we reach, once more, the beautiful vineyard blanket of the foothills.

The final few kilometres after lunch complete our journey and deliver us back to where our adventure began in Logroño in time for a few celebratory sips of the local produce and evening of tapas along Calle Laurel.

• Meals: Breakfast

Alas, it’s time to pack our bags for the last time before heading back to Bilbao and saying our farewells.