the Fridays Tour 2014
- Thread starter dellzeqq
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quite. LonJoG was a tough ride - setting aside the first night/day stage, which was 119 miles, we had six days over seventy miles and two or three of those over 80 miles. We went over the A68, and traversed Edinburgh. Our shortest day was 60 miles, and, if you recall, we did what clubs should do, which is to help each other along a bit, and be in good cheer if we were waiting for the tail of the ride.
Now........LonJoG and Normandy were very different items. Spain (if it is a goer) will be completely different again. The days will be shorter than LonJoG and the approach (with a couple of exceptions) will be very different: leave early, choose a gear low enough to turn comfortably, admire scenery, pretty much stick in that gear till elevenses, knock back some ham, bread, cheese and water, resume same gear, admire scenery, have lunch and then whizz downhill for an couple of hours. If people want a bit more excitement then they can divert to places like Anso, Biescas, Torla, Panticosa, Vielha or even Envalira and meet up with the rest of us in the afternoon.
My big worry is entirely different, and that is that the recce will reveal that the old N-260 has been sliced and diced so much by 'improvements' that we can't avoid the new highway. The maps, both electronic and paper, are out of date (it happens here, too - the OS is two years behind the times on Ramsgate). The recceistes may spend a week cruising perfectly graded superhighways....
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
Indeed. I'm a hell of a lot stronger a rider now than I was when I started getting back into riding six years ago. Decent bikes help. Lots of miles help (a lot more). But the biggest help of all is lovely peeps offering support and encouragement. I'm not going to forget that, and nor should I.
ianmac62
Guru
- Location
- Northampton
What we really want, then, is Spanish mountains with Spanish roads!
ComedyPilot
Secret Lemonade Drinker
- Location
- The Kingdom of Yorkshire
Would love to join you all, but I snore.
this is a close as I can get to a link for the first day, and you'll see that it's the most problematic. 80 miles, and, while there's no big hills, there's a deal of messing around brought on by road improvements. The last stretch on the NA-2400 looks really good, though
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?sadd...-IZX01Kzm63u2zLxs_lVwA&cbp=12,156.17,,0,12.31
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?sadd...-IZX01Kzm63u2zLxs_lVwA&cbp=12,156.17,,0,12.31
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
Mmmmm - very nice. Fantastic views on Streetview from Artáiz. However, I'm a bit concerned further north, on the sections where they don't seem to have built any of the new road, such as the run-in towards Pamplona. Won't those bits have a lot of traffic?
where we are thrown on to the main road it might well be busy - although my experience is that Sunday still means Sunday in Spain. In 2012 we were on the road to Gerona on a Sunday, and saw barely a car . Bear in mind that for four fifths of the ride toward Pamplona we'll be on the equivalent of the 'old A9' (the Google Maps thing can't quite handle all of the diversions). That, then is my plan - the day out of Irun is probably the most daunting that we'll see, but we'll be past Pamplona by the time the world and his wife have got up.
redfalo
known as Olaf in real life
- Location
- Brexit Boomtown
I'm still alive, though.2535758 said:
I'm having a polite little tussle with the spanish tourist office, trying to find out if the definition of highway includes autovia. Either way the advice given below comes straight out of some bureaucrat's arse.
What should you know if you are planning to bike in Spain?
Many cities in Spain have special lanes for biking. Also, hourly bicycles rental services are becoming increasingly common along with the possibility of leaving them in highly regulated parking spaces.
If you plan on getting around by bike, you should know the following:
It is prohibited to ride on highways.
Circulation on roadways is only allowed for people over 14 years of age and you must always ride on the shoulder.
Helmet use is mandatory on intercity highways.
The circulation of cyclists is permitted in parallel form, in columns of two, but cyclists should always ride as far right as possible along the road.
The use of approved lighting on the bike when riding at night, in tunnels or in sections affected by the tunnel signal, is mandatory. Also, on intercity highways, cyclists must wear some reflective clothing that permits distinguishing them from a distance of 150 metres.
What should you know if you are planning to bike in Spain?
Many cities in Spain have special lanes for biking. Also, hourly bicycles rental services are becoming increasingly common along with the possibility of leaving them in highly regulated parking spaces.
If you plan on getting around by bike, you should know the following:
It is prohibited to ride on highways.
Circulation on roadways is only allowed for people over 14 years of age and you must always ride on the shoulder.
Helmet use is mandatory on intercity highways.
The circulation of cyclists is permitted in parallel form, in columns of two, but cyclists should always ride as far right as possible along the road.
The use of approved lighting on the bike when riding at night, in tunnels or in sections affected by the tunnel signal, is mandatory. Also, on intercity highways, cyclists must wear some reflective clothing that permits distinguishing them from a distance of 150 metres.
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
A few forumistes live over there- drop them a line.
clivedb
Guru
- Location
- Milton Keynes
Simon
There's an article from March this year on the Road CC site that suggests that there has been some chaos about proposed changes to the rules for cyclists. I like this sentence:
Currently, under a law implemented in 2004 but reportedly seldom enforced, cyclists in Spain have to wear helmets while riding in non-urban areas unless the weather is too hot or they are going uphill.
I don't know if Road CC is a reliable source but there might be a useful contact there. The article is here:http://road.cc/content/news/77554-s...ulsory-amid-law-reform-designed-push-cyclists
Conbici has a site:
http://www.conbici.org/joomla/index...ther-anti-cycling-measures&catid=18&Itemid=58
Clive
Clive - sorry, but it's just the question about Autovias that exercises me. We have a few small stretches on day one, where there is no alternative. Susie and I did ride up the N11 from Gerona to Figueres, and we didn't get stopped, so, even if it is illegal I doubt that there's any enforcement (our nine pound Decathlon helmets were looped over the handlebars and dumped at the first town over the French border).
I think I know the answer - that you're not allowed to ride on the Autopistas but you are allowed to ride on the Autovias - and that both have been translated as 'highway' by the Spanish Tourist Office.
I think I know the answer - that you're not allowed to ride on the Autopistas but you are allowed to ride on the Autovias - and that both have been translated as 'highway' by the Spanish Tourist Office.
clivedb
Guru
- Location
- Milton Keynes
Hi, Simon - I realised that your question was quite specific and not about helmets at all, but it occurred to me that an organisation like Conbici might be a useful source of any further required info, while the Road CC article suggested a certain level of chaos around the rules which seemed consistent with the advice you were getting.
I love the idea that you don't have to wear a helmet if you're going uphill out of town - presumably you have to put it back on when you start going downhill.
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