gauvins

Got confirmation today that I am expected in Lisbon last week of June. So let the games begin...

I expect to be able to ride solo for a month or so, prior to this. Plan A is (was) Barcelona - Lisbon (1400 kms). Plan B is (perhaps) Paris - Lisbon (2000 kms). Overall idea is that wife and daughter meet me in Lisbon and we ride to either Bordeaux or Barcelona where we fly back home, sometime late July.

If you have opinions to share, I'll read with interest -- the linked routes are illustrative. I am a bit concerned with the weather (extreme heat). Possible argument in favor of me riding Barcelona - Lisbon and our bunch northbound to Bordeaux. Endpoints are determined by direct/cheap flights that we can book from/to here.

str

I would NOT cycle along the coast, no way! too much traffic, too many tourists, too many ugly tourist complexes.

On the way visit Teruel, Cuenca, Toledo, Trujillo, Caceres ... nice cities and not too big. Stay away from national roads.

str

Do you really want to pass in the middle of Valencia?

str

str

this is more south than your route. its very very beautiful. just created it quickly.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45421541

gauvins

str thanks for your comments. As I said, these routes are just early drafts, obtained from cycle.travel by typing endpoints. Before tweaking, I must make up my mind on whether to fly to Paris vs Barcelona. If the latter, I'll make sure to integrate your suggestions (lots of superb pictures

axolotl

You can avoid heat by riding northward within Portugal and then riding in northern Spain. I've toured in both and enjoyed both. The climate on the Atlantic coast of Spain is much cooler (and much wetter) than the rest of Spain. I toured in those areas mainly in mid-to-late May and did not experience any hot temperatures. South of the Picos de Europa (e.g. Leon) it's sunnier and warmer. The one time I biked in Catalonia was around mid-to-late September, and it was hot.

gauvins

yeah... not clear yet. Wife seems to prefer Andalusia/Madrid and doesn't mind temperatures close to 35, as long as we are speaking about dry heat. Weatherspark suggests 32 average max -- and dry -- from what I've seen wrt Spain's interior. OTOH, Bilbao's Guggenheim is worth the trip.

I'll post something in a week or so. Right this minute, I'd be inclined to fly to CDG and ride southwest (I have a good friend in Bordeaux -- always useful to have friends in Bordeaux and the route looks OK. And will see if I can integrate some of @str 's suggestions for our return leg.

Atlas Shrugged

I have planned a few long-distance tours starting from Lisbon and I would like to share my recommendations with you. I highly recommend taking the Lisbon-Girona route through central Spain. The prices are very economical, the roads are excellent, and the drivers are very respectful. I suggest avoiding the coast as it is not a great experience. There is virtually no culture, and the roads are very busy. My strategy is to plan a day or two at a time, choosing accommodation at an appropriate distance and building the route from there. Crossing the Pyrenees fully loaded will be challenging, and selecting a route might be difficult. Crossing in the Basque region is preferable as the roads are quieter and much more cyclist-friendly.

str

Show the route when it's finished. have been all over Spain with the bike the last 25 years. also the north part has some must do roads.

Doug64

My wife and I experienced 43°C in June while travelling through southern Portugal and Spain. We got over to Valencia as fast as we could, where the temperatures were 8-13°C (correction) cooler on the coast. We rode from there up to Barcelona. It was a nice ride considering the heat inland.
SE Portugal-- It started getting pretty warm inland from Lisbon.


Mediterranean Coast


You might consider a route that takes you through Evora. It is a nice place to visit. While we enjoy riding in rural areas, we also make an effort to ride through some of the larger cities. It is hard to get a feel for a country by avoiding the large cities. We had no trouble getting through Valencia or Barcelona. Actually we had no significant issues riding through any of the larger cities in the European countries we rode through.

Paris is the one of the large cities where we used a different technique to avoid riding through the suburbs. The first time we were in Paris, friends living there took us for a day ride, and showed us how to avoid the suburbs. Ride to the nearest train station, and take the train for about 30-45 minutes to the first station out of town. They also showed us how take our bikes up and down escalators. Riding from CDG to the city center is challenging, but not too bad.

gauvins

Last year? (unsusually hot in Western Europe)
Thanks for the tip. Actually, we might. Current instant-plan would have us ride Lisboa>Seville>Granada>Madrid>Barcelona (perhaps Madrid>Barcelona by train so we could take plenty of time to reach Madrid).

WRT Paris -- I am familiar with CDG surroundings (and expect to land at T3, which makes it easier to ride out of the airport). Something like 35kms mostly on bike paths.